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The History of: Red Eye Coffee

February 28, 2022 by Dayvin Mendez Leave a Comment

When it’s late and you have things that need to get done, caffeine is usually the way many people go to stay awake. A Red Eye Coffee is drip coffee that has a shot of espresso poured over it. It’s an extremely caffeinated drink, typically with 159 milligrams of caffeine in it, because of the strength from the drip coffee mixed in with the strength of the espresso shot. There’s not a definitive history of when the coffee came to be, but it seems to have originated in the United States, in the 90’s. In coffee shops around the U.S. the Red Eye Coffee was called a “shot in the dark,” or “coffee with a shot,” and was eventually put on Starbucks’ secret menu. The name Red Eye comes from red eye flights, which depart at night and will land in the morning, and your eyes being red from exhaustion. 

There are different variations of the Red Eye Coffee, which can help with different levels of exhaustion. There’s the Red Eye. Black eye, Dead Eye, and even the Green Eye. The name changes depending on how many shots of espresso are in the drink. The Red Eye tradonally is just drip coffee with a shot of espresso to it, which is about 159 milligrams of caffeine. If you need something a little stronger, there’s the Black Eye,  which has two shots of espresso in it, and that’s about 223 milligrams of caffeine. Then there’s the Dead Eye, which has three shots of espresso, and is about 287 milligrams of caffeine. The Green Eye is the same as the Dead Eye, three shots of espresso, but this is the name used by Starbucks, to make it their own. 

Across the U.S. there are different names for the coffee depending on where you are. In Northern California, the drink is called a “Train Wreck,” in Alaska, it’s called a “Sludge Cup,” and in Ulysses, Kansas, it’s called an “Oil Spill.” Each of these names relate to the coffee’s physical appearance, or the way it makes you feel. 

When it comes to consuming this much caffeine, though it seems tempting to be so alert and awake, there are health risks that come with such a high intake. Too much caffeine can cause you to suffer from anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, addiction, high blood pressure, increased heart rate and fatigue. In some very rare cases people may even die from having too much caffeine in their system. Having the Red Eye once may not be too bad, especially on a night where there’s an assignment that needs to get done, but having too many, too frequently wouldn’t be wise.


Dayvin Mendez

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