Red Eye Coffee vs. Americano: Origin, Preparation, and Variations

Red Eye Coffee differs from Americano in both composition and purpose. An Americano combines espresso with hot water, resulting in a milder flavor. Red Eye Coffee adds a shot of espresso to a cup of drip coffee, significantly increasing caffeine content. This drink originated from red-eye flights, where crew members needed to stay awake during overnight journeys. The name reflects the bloodshot eyes of tired passengers and crew. Red Eye Coffee is designed for alertness, not taste, so it is not recommended for those with caffeine sensitivity.

To prepare Red Eye Coffee, brew a cup of drip coffee using your preferred coffee powder preparation method. Then pull a single or double shot of espresso and pour it into the drip coffee. For a Black Eye Coffee, use two shots of espresso; for a Dead Eye, use three. The result is a strong, bitter beverage. While some may enjoy the intense caffeine boost, others might find it harsh. Always consume responsibly and be aware of your caffeine tolerance.

What exactly is Red Eye Coffee? How does it differ from Americano? And what is the connection between this name and red-eye flights? At Front Street, when a customer asked for an "espresso mixed with pour-over," we realized they were referring to Red Eye Coffee. This article will guide you through the origin story of Red Eye Coffee, its preparation method, and its relationship with Black Eye Coffee and Dead Eye Coffee, and share Front Street's specific blend scheme and extraction parameters. It's important to note that Red Eye Coffee was created for efficient alertness, not for taste, so those with caffeine intolerance should try it with caution.

"Espresso mixed with pour-over, how do you make it taste good?"

Yes, you read that right! Last afternoon at 5 PM, when Front Street heard this "staple with staple" question at the store, we were also taken aback, because such a question is truly unheard of. After some investigation by Front Street, it turned out that this customer actually wanted a delicious cup of 'Red Eye Coffee.'

However, as you can see, mixing pour-over with espresso makes Red Eye Coffee unusual, so making it taste good is not a simple task. Moreover, Front Street does not recommend trying it lightly, because Red Eye Coffee was created not for taste like a latte, but for a stronger alertness effect.

What is Red Eye Coffee?

Front Street previously shared that the most widespread 'origin story' of Red Eye Coffee is this: Red Eye Coffee originated in the United States, and its creation is linked to the flight of the same name—the red-eye flight. This flight's schedule is very unique, departing late at night and arriving at the destination the next morning.

But because the flight time is usually less than 8 hours, many passengers often end up with bloodshot eyes from being forcibly awakened upon arrival. Naturally, the culprit behind these eyes is jokingly called a 'red-eye flight.'

Besides passengers, the crew members who ensure a safe journey are also essential. But due to work reasons, they need to stay awake during times meant for sleep, so to remain alert throughout, consuming coffee is a very good choice.

As coffee consumption increased, the caffeine from a single serving could no longer ward off sleepiness. So, a clever person thought of combining espresso and drip coffee to intake more caffeine. Thus, the practice of mixing espresso with drip coffee was born (why not just drink multiple espressos...).

Since this coffee was born due to red-eye flights, it was named Red Eye Coffee. Besides Red Eye Coffee, there are also Black Eye Coffee, Dead Eye Coffee... They have higher coffee concentrations than Red Eye Coffee due to more coffee added, but whether they taste good is another matter~

How to make Red Eye Coffee?

In the past, Red Eye Coffee was made with one 30ml single espresso and 120ml drip coffee, totaling 150ml. But because modern extraction methods have changed, the extracted espresso is twice as concentrated as before, so if made according to the old proportions, this coffee would become high-concentration Black Eye Coffee (Black Eye Coffee is made with 60ml double espresso and 120ml drip coffee).

Therefore, Front Street suggests adjusting the amount of espresso (halve it) when making it. Of course, Front Street also does not recommend trying it lightly, especially for those with lower caffeine tolerance.

Besides the proportions, we also need to choose the right two coffee beans. After all, we focus not only on alertness but also on taste, which is equally important with more choices available now.

But choosing coffee beans is not complicated; it's actually simple. We just need to use two coffee beans with similar roast levels for drip and espresso respectively~ Since the roast levels are similar, the flavor profiles are roughly the same, and the combined taste will be relatively consistent, so there won't be any discordance when drinking. It may not necessarily taste great, but at least it won't be bad.

Taking Front Street's preparation as an example, the espresso beans used here are Front Street Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend from the bean list, which is a medium-roast coffee with white floral, strawberry, and berry flavors, primarily sweet and sour. So the paired beans are naturally also a medium-roast coffee with sweet and sour notes. Here, Front Street chose Front Street Flower魁 SOE from the bean list, which has citrus, apricot, and strawberry flavors. The extraction parameters are as follows:

Espresso: 20g powder, 30s extraction time, 40ml coffee liquid.

Pour-over coffee: 15g powder, 1:15 powder-to-water ratio, EK43 grind setting 10, 75% pass rate on No. 20 sieve, fine sugar grind, 92°C water temperature, V60 dripper, three-stage brewing, 2-minute extraction time.

After making both coffees, first pour 20ml of espresso into the prepared cup.

Then pour in 120ml of pour-over coffee.

Finally, stir well, and it's ready to taste!

Honestly, it's not bad! The taste of this Red Eye Coffee is just as Front Street expected, only slightly stronger than regular pour-over. For Front Street, which often needs to adjust espresso early, this concentration is acceptable. The flavor performance was surprising and delightful; the combination of Front Street Flower魁 SOE and Front Street Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend is perfect, with no discordance! You can clearly taste white floral, strawberry, citrus, and apricot notes, with a balanced sweet and sour taste, a full body, and an oolong tea aftertaste~

Besides the examples listed by Front Street, you can also try other blending schemes, but again, those who can't handle strong coffee should not try it lightly, as it's somewhat challenging to drink. Although you can dilute it with water, there's no need to torture yourself like that. Isn't it better to enjoy them separately~

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.