diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 6d9aabf5c7e..ed5f88794b2 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -677,13 +677,24 @@ jobs:
     executor: reactnativeios
     environment:
       - PROJECT_NAME: "iOSTemplateProject"
+      - HERMES_WS_DIR: *hermes_workspace_root
 
     steps:
       - checkout_code_with_cache
       - run_yarn
       - attach_workspace:
           at: .
-
+      - *attach_hermes_workspace
+      - run:
+          name: Set USE_HERMES=1
+          command: echo "export USE_HERMES=1" >> $BASH_ENV
+      - run:
+          name: Set HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH
+          command: |
+            echo "export HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH=$(ls -AU $HERMES_WS_DIR/hermes-runtime-darwin/hermes-runtime-darwin-*.tar.gz | head -1)" >> $BASH_ENV
+      - run:
+          name: Set RCT_VERBOSE_POD_INSTALL=1
+          command: echo "export RCT_VERBOSE_POD_INSTALL=1" >> $BASH_ENV
       - run:
           name: Create iOS template project
           command: |
@@ -693,8 +704,7 @@ jobs:
             node ./scripts/set-rn-template-version.js "file:$PATH_TO_PACKAGE"
             mkdir -p ~/tmp
             cd ~/tmp
-            node "$REPO_ROOT/cli.js" init "$PROJECT_NAME" --template "$REPO_ROOT"
-
+            node "$REPO_ROOT/cli.js" init "$PROJECT_NAME" --template "$REPO_ROOT" --verbose
       - run:
           name: Build template project
           command: |
@@ -992,6 +1002,9 @@ jobs:
             cp LICENSE /tmp/cocoapods-package-root
 
             tar -C /tmp/cocoapods-package-root/ -czvf /tmp/hermes/output/hermes-runtime-darwin-v$(get_release_version).tar.gz .
+
+            mkdir -p /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin
+            cp /tmp/hermes/output/hermes-runtime-darwin-v$(get_release_version).tar.gz /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin/.
       - save_cache:
           key: *hermes_cache_key
           paths:
@@ -1002,12 +1015,13 @@ jobs:
             - ~/react-native/hermes/build_macosx
             - ~/react-native/hermes/destroot
       - store_artifacts:
-          path: /tmp/hermes/output/
+          path: /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin/
       - store_artifacts:
           path: /tmp/hermes/osx-bin/
       - persist_to_workspace:
           root: /tmp/hermes/
           paths:
+            - hermes-runtime-darwin
             - osx-bin
 
   build_hermesc_windows:
diff --git a/scripts/react_native_pods.rb b/scripts/react_native_pods.rb
index 5040c90c03c..7e7bad65429 100644
--- a/scripts/react_native_pods.rb
+++ b/scripts/react_native_pods.rb
@@ -148,6 +148,10 @@ def get_default_flags()
     flags[:hermes_enabled] = true
   end
 
+  if ENV['USE_HERMES'] == '1'
+    flags[:hermes_enabled] = true
+  end
+
   return flags
 end