A Day In The City With Simply Great Coffee

This post is sponsored by Circle K.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support YUMMommy! 

Coffee.  I've been a coffee drinker and lover since I was a kid. (Thanks, Mom!)  Where some moms destress with a glass or two of wine, I prefer to start and unwind my day with a deliciously warm cup of great tasting coffee.  Honestly, when people ask me what's one thing I miss about living in Charlotte, great coffee is at the top of my list.

This is exactly why I jumped at the opportunity to spend a day in the Queen City checking out Simply Great Coffee from Circle K.  Trust me when I say that I was not disappointed!  Seriously forget what you've heard or you've what tasted at other gas stations because they have nothing on Simply Great Coffee.  Circle K just changed the gas station coffee game forever!

Charlotte was where I first got hooked on European-style specialty coffees.  I had my first latte my freshman year of college at a coffee shop near campus.  While I loved the coffee and overall experience of being able to customize my drink, I didn't love the long lines or sometimes moody baristas.  My student bank account definitely didn't like and couldn't afford the prices.

Ten plus years later not much has changed.  I still love high-quality and great tasting specialty/gourmet coffee.  However, I still despise the long lines (my kids are impatient), moody baristas (sorry, I can't do bad attitudes), and ridiculous prices (Moo's future Ivy League college tuition isn't going to pay itself).

It's for all these reasons listed above that I will now be frequenting my local Circle K (and you should too) to get my coffee fix.  Seriously, they have this really cool state-of-the-art coffee machine that lets you make lattes, cappuccinos, americanos and even hot chocolate for the kids all at the touch of a button.  No moody barista required.

If your kids are allergic to long lines like mine or you just don't have the time to wait out long lines, no worries.  It takes less than 60 seconds to make your coffee or hot chocolate.  So you can be in and out in less than 5 minutes.

You can still customize your coffee thanks to the handy drink customizing station they've added as well.  It's stocked with pretty much all of the options you'd see at a traditional coffeehouse- a variety of sweeteners, flavored syrups, creamers, etc.  The prices are truly reasonable with a small being $2.29, a medium $2.69, a large $2.99 and an expresso $1.29.  That's right you can get a latte for under $3 now!!

But the best part is that Simply Great Coffee actually tastes great!  This is not your average gas station coffee.  They sustainably source high-quality coffee beans and then roast them to perfection and in a way that doesn't leave you with that bitter/burnt aftertaste that coffee can be known to have.  It was so smooth that I didn't even add any sugar to my cappuccino, just a pump of my usual French Vanilla flavoring.  Even then I was surprised that I only needed one pump of flavoring compared to my usual three because again I didn't need to combat that bitter/burnt aftertaste.

And because most Circle Ks are open 24 hours, I can get now get my late night cappuccino fix!!  It felt great to be back in the Queen City after four months away.  Even better it felt great discovering Simply Great Coffee.

 It feels good going to my local Circle K and getting a cup of coffee that will always remind me of the great city we used to call home for over a decade.  This move is still an adjustment, but having the ability to curl up with a good book and delicious cup of Simply Great Coffee and letting all the feels wash over me is priceless.  I still and probably will forever miss living in the Queen City, but having something seemingly as simple as the convenience to treat myself to specialty coffee is helping to make me fall in love with our new city.

Of course, we couldn't leave the Queen City (or waste a good coffee high) without doing some furniture shopping or visiting a few of our favorite places like the wishing fountain at Philip's Place and the park.

Circle K is celebrating the launch of Simply Great Coffee by offering FREE 12 oz Simply Great Coffee beverages (they have iced and cold brew coffee too) during the first two weeks of October from 6-8 AM.  So you can try it out for yourself risk-free and let me know what you think afterward.  Click here to see which stores will be participating.

Don't forget to follow Circle K on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all of their latest happenings.  I can let you guys in on a little secret that they'll be doing something special for the holidays!  I won't say what because I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'm excited about it.  Also, I heard that they could roll out new machines in the future that will include non-dairy milk options like soy or almond milk for those with dairy allergies!  You guys know I had to ask because Moo and JJ have a milk allergy.  Circle K has really changed the way I look at gas station coffee and hopefully, they'll win you over too!

What's your favorite time specialty coffee beverage- latte, cappuccino, americano?