Red Eye Coffee

Red eye coffee is drip coffee with one or two shots of espresso — the ideal way to get an extra caffeine fix when needed!

Need a pick me up? Try Red Eye Coffee! When you just can’t pick between drip coffee and espresso, why not combine them? This drink is extra-caffeinated for those days where you need a little more to power through the day. If you’re going for flavor, you might want to opt for multiple espresso drinks (in fact, I prefer the flavor of an Americano or espresso shot).

But if you need a quick fix, the Red Eye Coffee is where it’s at!

What is red eye coffee?

This coffee drink combines drip coffee with one or two shots of espresso. The name refers to taking a “red eye flight” — an overnight airline flight, causing the passengers to have tired red eyes.

There are a few variations on the name of this drink that refer to the number of espresso shots. Red eye is 1 shot, black eye is 2 shots, and dead eye or green eye is 3 shots. But if you’re ordering at a coffeeshop, you should be able to simply order a “red eye coffee” and specify the number of espresso shots you’d like. Here’s what’s in this drink:

• 10 ounces (1 ¼ cup) drip coffee
• 1, 2, or 3 espresso shots

What does it taste like?

Red eye coffee tastes exactly how you’d expect — drip coffee with a hint of dark, bitter espresso flavor. In fact, the espresso flavor tends to get lost, so I recommend making this drink with at least a double shot of espresso.

Flavor-wise, I prefer drinking an Americano and drip coffee separately to really enjoy the flavors of each. So I recommend the red eye for a quick fix!

How to make it: step-by-step

A red eye coffee is very easy to make at home. All you have to do is pick your drip coffee and espresso methods, then combine the two. Here’s how to make red eye coffee:

• Make 1 cup drip coffee (10 ounces or 1 ¼ cups).
• Make 1 doubleshot espresso (2 ounces or ¼ cup).
• Pour the espresso into the drip coffee.

Step 1: Making the drip coffee

The first step of red eye coffee is choosing the drip coffee method. You may already have a favorite method for drip coffee. Here are the top ways to make coffee, in order of preference:

• Pour over: My favorite drip coffee is a medium or light roast coffee bean, using this Pour Over Coffee method.
• French press: This French press coffee also makes a great pot of coffee.
• Aeropress: The Aeropress is simple and great for making a single serving of coffee.

Step 2: Make the espresso

Espresso is a bit trickier to make at home, but there are many great homemade methods. Make sure to use a dark roast or espresso roast coffee bean for that dark signature flavor. Here are the top ways to make espresso:

• Espresso machine: An espresso machine is the best option — it makes incredible espresso! There are various machines in different price ranges.
• Portable espresso maker: A manual espresso maker is a more affordable option, and it makes great espresso.
• French press: French press espresso is a great way to use this coffee-making tool.
• Moka Pot: You can also make strong espresso-like coffee in a Moka Pot (Bialetti).

How much caffeine is in red eye coffee?

Here’s a breakdown:

• 1 cup of coffee has 95 mg caffeine.
• 1 shot of espresso has 64 mg of caffeine.
• 1 red eye coffee with 1 ¼ cups coffee and 2 shots espresso has 247 mg caffeine.

And that’s it! Let me know what you think about red eye coffee in the comments below.

More coffee drinks

Honestly, I prefer other coffee drinks to this one because they have a better flavor! Try these homemade coffee drinks:

• Grab a Cappuccino, Latte, Macchiato, Flat White, Cortado, Gibraltar, or Breve
• Go classy with a Cafe Au Lait or Cafe con Leche
• Try an Oat Milk Latte or Almond Milk Latte
• Make easy Cowboy Coffee (aka make coffee without a maker)
• Add ice for an Iced Latte, Iced Vanilla Latte, Iced Cappuccino, or Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso

01

How to Make Cappuccino

02

Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso

03

Cafe Au Lait

04

Cortado Coffee

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