The Gas Station That Has Your Morning Brew On Tap (Literally)

The gas station is often part of the morning run — get the kids off to school, then a quick stop to fill up with gas or grab a sandwich and coffee to get the day started. Often called the nectar of the gods (because even the gods need caffeine to wake up sometimes), coffee is a delightful ritual that many Americans enjoy to start their day. And let's admit it, as nice as home-brewed coffee is, there's something about a good quality, aromatic bean-to-cup coffee, made by a pro, that just elevates the experience. But that's not often something you can get at a gas station — until now.

QuikTrip (affectionately known as QT) is steadily bringing a range of bean-to-cup coffees to its American outlets — and some of them are on tap. That's right: No more run-of-the-mill coffee station coffees (although you can still get these original faves from the original coffee bar).

Instead, it's a rather fancy nitro brew machine with 12 taps dispensing 9 different types of coffees — six hot and 6 cold — on tap. They're like those draft beer machines you see in bars that deliver a perfectly ice-cold beer but with coffee instead of beer. Plus, the Coffee Wow tap system uses real milk and sugar. And consumers are loving it.

If you like your hot coffee in the mornings and want a treat, indulge in a hot and steamy Vanilla Latte, Caramel Latte, or Mocha Latte. Or if you're popping in for a midday caffeine perk-up, choose from more typical coffee flavors like a Cold Brew of Awesomeness, a Nitro Cold Brew, Iced Caramel Latte, Iced Mocha Latte, Iced Cocoa, or Vanilla Iced Latte. But not all Coffee Wow systems have the same flavors — some switch it up with flavors like iced Pumpkin Spice Latte.

This is a very efficient way to deliver good-quality coffee to a busy crowd. Compared to standard brewed coffee, coffee on tap beverages are brewed and can stay fresh for up to 14 days because of how the keg system stores it. This saves time for the staff who don't have to brew each cup individually for a customer (meaning more coffee lovers can get their morning java). For your nitro cold-brew coffees, the beverages are prepared and then kept cold in a keg connected to a nitrogen tank. All coffees are dispensed through a faucet which, along with the nitrogen, helps give the creamy ones their velvety top.

You can currently find coffee-on-tap at QuikTrips in a number of locations, including in Amarillo and Mesquite, Texas, Rockford, Illinois, and Kellogg and Hillside in Wichita, Kansas. But keep your eyes on your neighborhood QT as there may be one coming to your area.