Red eye coffee, sometimes called red eye flight coffee, is simply a coffee topped with a shot of espresso. It’s easy to make at home and if you’re needing a caffeine fix, then it certainly will do the trick.
Red eye coffee was named after “red eye” flights, that go from the West Coast to New York overnight. The idea being you’d need some extra caffeine strength to stay awake for that kind of flight.
Related: Love coffee and espresso drinks? Find more in our full drinks archive.
Ingredients
- Coffee – black, any brew method
- Espresso
With only two ingredients, the quality of the coffee and espresso you use will make a huge impact on this drink.
Directions
Brew the coffee according to whatever brew method you prefer to use. You can learn how to brew coffee in a Chemex, French Press, or Aeropress.
Brew the espresso shot. Pour the espresso into the coffee and enjoy hot.
Best Home Espresso Makers
We’ve tried many espresso makers over the years, and here are our favorites at different price points and skill levels:
- Cafe Automatic Espresso Machine – My current machine. It uses any whole beans, so if you use high quality beans you’ll get high quality espresso. It makes espresso shots automatically (no barista skills required) and includes a milk frothing wand to heat and froth milk. We’ve used this machine almost every day since we got over a year ago and we love it! It comes in three colors.
- Stovetop Espresso – This is the cheapest way to make espresso at home. It’s more labor intensive and you will also need a way to grind your beans for best results. But, this is a classic method that works great when done well.
- Breville Barista Touch – We bought this for a good friend as a wedding gift once and they said they love it. It’s a higher end machine that you will need some barista skills to operate, but it’s an excellent home espresso maker.
- Nespresso Vertuo – For those who want an espresso maker that uses pods, this is my favorite. Depending what pod you use, it can make espresso or coffee.
Serving Suggestions
Maybe you’d like something sweet with this coffee drink? Try one of these:
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- M&M Cookies
- Cowboy Cookies
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Ingredients
- 6 ounces coffee
- 1 shot espresso
Equipment
- coffee maker
- espresso maker
Instructions
- Brew the coffee according to whatever brew method you prefer to use. You can learn how to brew coffee in a Chemex, French Press, or Aeropress.
- Brew the espresso shot.
- Pour the espresso into the coffee and enjoy hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I’ve never had this but I want to try it now!
I could use this right now, it’s 3:30p and I’m feeling a nap come on….
So where my husband & I live in Western NY there aren’t any fancy coffee shops nearby – we’re a Tim Horton’s town- & even if there were it gets EXPENSIVE! He bought a Jura Capresso years ago that was also EXPENSIVE but totally worth the money. It does everything but rub your feet & tell you you’re pretty. It’s saved us money and time. I’m a coffee snob now. If you’re in the market for an espresso/coffee machine I’d recommend it too.
I love learning all these recipes! I didn’t know this one.