“Who Needs Starbucks?” — Woman Shows How Gas Station Coffee is Criminally Underrated

Coffee connoisseurs will be the first to tell you that the prices at coffee shops have gotten out of control. With cold brew, lattes, macchiatos, and more often costing upwards of seven dollars, it feels virtually impossible to grab a good cup of joe without breaking the bank.

And whether it be your local cafe or neighborhood Starbucks, the added price of syrups, sweeteners, alternative milk, etc., usually leads to a hefty bill — especially when factoring in the dreaded tip.

Fortunately, that needn’t be the case. On TikTok, creator @oktree (Yoko) shared her surprising method of obtaining a large iced coffee for a fraction of the price. Here’s what she said.

Rather than hitting Dunkin’ Donuts or an artisanal coffee shop, Yoko revealed that she frequents gas stations for refreshing caffeinated beverages. “I love my coffee, and this has saved me so much money,” the creator shared in her caption.

In her video, Yoko walked TikTok through how she creates a Starbucks-worthy iced coffee by showing her gas station routine. First, she starts by grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with ice before selecting one of the multiple iced coffee dispensers.

After dispensing the coffee into her cup, Yoko adds a splash of half-and-half before getting to the fun part. She then pans her camera over the multiple syrup offerings, ranging from caramel to raspberry to pumpkin pie, before adding one pump of caramel to the mix.

Upon leaving the gas station, the creator notes how embarrassing it was to record herself — but the price was undoubtedly worth it. “I don’t care because now I got a one-dollar coffee!” she exclaims.

When Yoko entered her car with her newfound one-dollar drink, she explained how she typically takes things up a notch. Rather than drink the gas station iced coffee as is, the creator noted that she keeps a bottle of caramel in her car to drizzle on top before drinking it.

While she, unfortunately, misplaced her caramel, Yoko still couldn’t contain her excitement over her coffee’s price. “This is only one dollar!” she sings. “And I save so much money because I go to Dunkin’ and Starbucks a lot.”

She then pointed out that even though the two primary coffee chains have rewards programs, you don’t save much money in the long run because the apps upcharge you for using them.

Others who have also been frequenting gas stations for food and drinks noted that Yoko was undeniably on to something with her one-dollar iced coffee hack. “People sleep on gas station coffee,” one commenter pointed out, “but they usually have a bunch of different kinds and all the different creamers!”

Someone else added, “Gas station coffee is so worth it!” And the coffee wasn’t the only gas station gem people had encountered.

“Yesss! And the breakfast food hits,” another enthusiastic person mentioned in the comment section. Now this is one money-saving hack we can get behind!