Black Eye
A cup of drip coffee with two espresso shots added. The middle rung of the red eye, black eye, dead eye ladder.
SpecialtyServed hotFrom United States
- Volume
- 300ml10.1 US fl oz
- Espresso
- 2shots
- Caffeine
- 127mgderived, USDA FDC
- Glass
- Mug350 ml
The build
Watch it made, step by step- Brewed filter coffee240 ml80%
- Espresso60 ml20%
- Volume
- 300ml
- Caffeine
- 127mg
- Espresso
- 2shots
Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.
Drip coffee with two espresso shots.
Caffeine
Derivedin a 300 ml black eye
Derived per shot: USDA FoodData Central FDC 171891 (espresso, restaurant-prepared) lists 212 mg per 100 g; a standard 30 g shot is about 63.6 mg, times 2 shot(s). Real values vary with dose, roast and species (robusta roughly doubles it).
USDA FoodData Central record 171890 · read 2026-10-26
A derived figure: the reference food's caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee in this build. Real cups vary with the coffee, the dose and the shot.
Variants by country
2| Name | Country | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| red eye | United States | One shot. |
| dead eye | United States | Three shots. |
History
Popular accountPart of the red eye family of US coffee-shop names; origin undocumented.
American café slang.
Parts of this story are repeated widely but were not confirmed against a source this atlas accepts. They are kept as the story people tell, not as fact.
Related drinks
Coffee blended with butter and MCT oil into a creamy emulsion, a 2009 US diet-culture drink. Butter in coffee is older in Singapore and Ethiopia.
Specialty Dead Eye 330 ml · 191 mgDrip coffee with three espresso shots. At well over 250 mg of caffeine by USDA figures it approaches a full day's commonly cited intake limit in one cup.
Specialty Dirty Chai 270 ml · 64 mgA chai latte 'dirtied' with a shot of espresso. The caffeine figure here counts only the espresso; the tea adds more.
Specialty Red Eye 270 ml · 64 mgDrip coffee fortified with a shot of espresso. The caffeine of a large filter coffee plus a shot makes it one of the strongest everyday café orders.
Specialty Olive Oil Coffee (Oleato-style) 255 ml · 127 mgA latte with a spoon of extra-virgin olive oil blended in, a 2023 chain-café novelty launched in Italy.
Specialty Affogato 130 ml · 64 mgA scoop of gelato drowned in a shot of hot espresso. Served in a small glass or bowl and eaten with a spoon as much as drunk.