# The ''God Shot''



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Ah behold the ''God Shot ''...the ultimate in short, sharp, sweet extraction of ground coffee under 9 BAR of pressure.

Some say its unobtainable more than a few times in a lifetime, others suggest it simply refers to the best you have had so far in your coffee journey

Have you had one?

If so where? When? What was it ?

I would say there are 4, maybe 5 shots I have had which totally blew my mind...glad to say I myself produced the majority of those.

Dont know if my standards are higher than they once were, or if I have regressed in skill/judgement...but these days im happy for my shots simply to not be too bright/sour or too bitter/harsh ......often this just means bland but inoffensive!

Discuss!


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Like I said in a previous thread. I think your standards just get higher and higher. That's why you have more of them when you're starting out and start to realise what real good coffee can actually taste like. As the bar gets raised you get fewer and fewer that surpass it. Compared to when you started out, every shot you produce now would have been considered a god shot (to you at least)

It is great when you get them though.

I find it funny when you desperately search your brain for anything you might have done slightly differently immediately after realising you've produced one


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

That's the big sodding joke of it all - the more you learn, the harder the pursuit of satisfaction becomes. A few years ago I'd would've been happy with a cup of coffee from Costa, and now? Fat chance.


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

First properly dialed in shot of Machacamarca blew my mind.

I've had a few that came close but I don't feel I can progress much further without significant expenditure









I could make a heart warming appeal to SanRemo to make a charitable Roma-TCS-shaped donation to the 'Fund the Ruthless Pursuit of Perfection' charity.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I would say for me, I get one 'god shot' for every great bag of beans I buy, I usually find what I would describe as a god shot once I have fine tuned all the parameters to accomodate the new beans, the first well pulled shot with a great bean variety, that first shot where suddenly all the hidden magic comes to the surface and you are presented with a small cup of devine nectar, It is that shot I would describe as the 'God Shot' once I have achieved that, it becomes the futile challenge of the rest of the bag to try and replicate the experience. I think it is like drugs in that your mind will not allow you to fully apprieciate the same experience more than once.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

HaHaHa!! I have literally just this minute pulled that first truly stunning shot of the latest Red Brick! it really was absolutely scrummy!!! My Square Mile scepticism is now well and truly lifted! I will probably spend the next 300g or so searching for what i just had!


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## SlowRoast (Sep 24, 2010)

I'm still waiting for my very first Has Bean order to de-gas. I hope to pull a God shot with it. For the mean time it's terrible bitter stale beans from some shop down the road. No where near a God shot, so I had to make a hazelnut latte out of it!

The closest thing to a God shot I pulled was when playing around with a Francino set up. That was a sweet espresso.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

God shots are any shot I don't want to end. The goal posts will move of course.


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

I think I just had one









I'm off work with a back injury (my own stupid fault at the gym) so I had time to descale my Classic yesterday.

I was recently in Brazil visiting my inlaws and they have this nice market near them. They drink tonnes of coffee and I was quite impressed with what they were getting so on the last day I went down there about bought 500g of this gourmet stuff called Bahla and 500g of some strong everyday beans called Forte. The strong ones are very dark roasted and shiny almost black but these gourmet ones are fantastic. chocolatey, caramel, smooth. Lovely. After giving the machine a good clean yesterday including removing the shower plate ond soaking it, I got the best shot I've had in ages this morning. It looked great coming out, it looked great in the cup and it tasted sublime. Reminds you of why you love coffee when you get one


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## jork45 (Mar 13, 2012)

I've just found espresso after being a tea drinker for years and now in persuit of the God shot


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

jork45 said:


> I've just found espresso after being a tea drinker for years and now in persuit of the God shot


Better get your wallet out


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## Danm (Jan 26, 2012)

Still in search. Think i has this once before with a square mile winter seasonal blend. Never has a coffee tasted so chocolatey.

Reading this thread on holiday in spain where the coffee at the hotel is truly, truly horrific reminded me of all the things i needed to get to continue the quest.

Spent a lazy but expensive day on the sunbed yesterday ordering a bottomless portafilter from happy donkey, so 0.1g digi scales from amazon and La Ilusion Natural from Hasbean.

Roll on sunday (assuming everything arrived back home!)


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Ever had a 'God' pint?

Usually happens to be the first pint on a Friday night, where you actually feel it untensioning your shoulders. Same beer, same barrell on another day somehow isn't the same.

God shots are a bit the same, I think, which is partly what makes them elusive.


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

I had a "God pint" of Tuburg once and your right. it was perfect condition. After work on a Friday, sun shining. Nice bar. Cripst cold fizzy beer in a icy glass. Tasted like heaven.









Never reproduced it since (and I've tried by drinking lots of beer







)


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Danm said:


> Still in search. Think i has this once before with a square mile winter seasonal blend. Never has a coffee tasted so chocolatey.
> 
> Reading this thread on holiday in spain where the coffee at the hotel is truly, truly horrific reminded me of all the things i needed to get to continue the quest.
> 
> ...


You picked a fantastic coffee there mate


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Had as near to a God shot I've ever produced this morning. 17g of Coffeesmiths espresso blend, 24g out in 25sec. Super sweet caramel taste with no hint of bitterness or sourness, syrupy buttery feel. Delicious - probably due another in a few months.


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## EspressoD (Mar 4, 2012)

Thursday night I finally managed a shot using Jailbreak beans that took about 25seconds, had really good crema and tasted delicious. Thought I had finally got my settings right. Must have been my god shot as I have not repeated since!


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

Last few shots of Oporapa have all been exceptional. Definitely knocking on the door of the god shot.

Insanely fine grind, 16.2g producing I think 23g in 23 seconds (approximately).


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Since nailing a shot this morning I've picked up my 15g VST basket from the post office and had to try dialling in again. Four shots later and the grind is much finer but I'm still yet to make a shot as good.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

If your "God shot" is, say a 10/10...how do the "nearly rans" score?

I'm aware that there are always minute variables at play (often when building & testing stuff, you can make values measurably identical, yet there is nearly always a perceived difference...just hard to quantify through measurement, similarly playing music with the same tools time after time, you still get those one -off events where it still feels different, despite nothing obvious changing) & sometimes things just come together in a unique & wonderful way, but I also wonder how much is down to expectation? Once you've had the "God Shot" ...how different is the next one & how much does familiarity breed contempt? Even if the next shot tasted the same, would raised expectations temper the experience?

Not trying to mythbust the phenomenon, just curious as to perceptions, whilst remaining aware that whatever the "science" says, we are still driven by our senses which rarely confirm to a fixed datum.


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

You are right in my opinion. It's like cooking. When you spend all day in the kitchen and sit down to eat the meal everyone else can be saying it's delicious while to you it tastes mediocre and you could swear they are only saying it to please you. Your senses are dulled to it.


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## Danm (Jan 26, 2012)

garydyke1 said:


> You picked a fantastic coffee there mate


...based on your comments on another thread.... Reassuringly expensive.









(you may have a lot to answer for







)


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Danm said:


> ...based on your comments on another thread.... Reassuringly expensive.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The responsibility! FYI - Beans with roast date of 9th March, I found they were past their best by 22-23rd March. Although I suspect if you like it, it will be all gone in a week!


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## Danm (Jan 26, 2012)

WOW...i opened my bag of La Ilusion

Just not sure if this is a good wow or bad wow.

Ok...lets get the bad out the way first. This did not taste like any coffee or espresso i've ever had and to be honest I'm not sure if i like it ! However, and this is the good part. If ever there was a bean that showed how diverse the 'taste' of coffee can be then this is one of them.

This is the first time that the smell of the whole bean, the smell of the ground bean and the smell of the pulled shot have smelt so alike....i tried the bottomless filter for first time today and not dialled in properly so some improvements to come im sure but the flavour from the coffee was immense. In milk the only way i can describe it is 'doughy' like sweetened bread.

Truly original but also strange for my palette at the moment.

Beans were only roasted 2 days ago so may given them a couple of days


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Sometimes you can get one one bad bean and it'll turn a whole shot rank. I had this with some Ethiopian once. I nearly threw the whole bag out after the first shot. Just make sure you clean everything (grinder especially) and try again. It might get better. If not, you've learned something so move on. It's only a fiver at the end of the day


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## Danm (Jan 26, 2012)

Thats just the thing Chimps, the taste was not awful or anything, just not sure if it was to my taste.

The pulled shot smelt so like the bean (and tasted like it smelt if that makes sense) that i think the bag is fine.... Just my less sophisticated palette...if you like the taste i imagine you would rate this very highly as i 'get' how flavourful it is.

( ... £12 a bag.







)


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

If you have never had a naturally processed coffee before it can have quite an impact on the senses! Rested for a few days the 'funk' will subside into sweet and spicy liqourish.....Give it a go brewed also


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

Danm said:


> ( ... £12 a bag.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Jebus! £12. That's a bummer if you don't like it. Oh well, expensive lesson maybe? I've never paid over about £5 for coffee. Maybe I should give it a go. Or is it a gateway drug? What if I like it? Will I be hooked on the more expensive stuff?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

There are only 80kgs of it produced annually hence the price......


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