COFFEE OPINION - The God Shot Must Be Stopped 

I came here for espresso advice and left with great life advice haha

Right on man. People need to stop chasing rainbows. As James Hoffmann said - “drink the bad coffee”.

I have a straight double shot every morning and have for years. I made a decision several years ago to ALWAYS drink whatever shot I pulled no matter how good or bad it was. The release of that pressure to make an amazing shot everyday has literally quadrupled the enjoyment and pleasure I get from the coffee I make. I wake up every day excited to "see how things turn out today"...so I much fun. Thanks for this video man.

Also, I will sometimes to go a local coffee shop and just order a shot of espresso and quickly realize that I can dial it in better at home...just enjoy the experience instead.

God shot is simply a well dialed shot. In a way it exists but I'd also add that nothing is perfect and can always be improved

In the end it comes down to a cheesy Pinterest quote: 'You have to experience the bad so that you can learn to appreciate the good'.

I have definitely fallen into the God Shot trap! I feel like the way to get out of it is to almost humble yourself. Sometimes I go out of my way to try bad coffee, and realize that what I make at home is lovely. Trying to achieve absolute perfection, without a definition, will not work

This topic is so dear to me. Months ago I for sure fell into the God shot trap, and as a result i wasted soo much espresso. To the point where i used a whole 10oz bag to "dial in" and dumped every shot down the drain because it wasn't falling into the recipe the bag said to strive for. And on the last shot of the bag I finally tasted it and was so disappointed in myself lol. Its not an easy trap to get yourself outta haha so I appreciate the in depth discussion about it. Great vid as always Spro!

Hi Mr. Sprometheus, been a subscriber for a long time and I love your video. I've started make espresso for about 5 months and it is a worthwhile experience. I am learning a lot from your channel and keep it up!

God shots are ones that make you go 😱 but people please don't waste shots that aren't perfection. It is a crime to the process and all the effort it took to get from farm to your cup (unless it really taste like ass)

Loving it! When I just started brewing filter coffee, i was so obsessed making the perfect coffee. And very soon coffee brewing wasnt as fun as it was before. Good thing I realised after a while that the perfect cup is an illusion because there will be times the coffee dont turn out the way it is supposed be or i have an imaginary expectation of it so it doesnt taste as good (like after having the 6 cups of coffee trying to make the best coffee) . I realized what matters is i enjoyed the process and the taste it produces. I think it relates to pulling espressos, sometimes I am so obsess with all the variables and controlling everything to be perfect, that in the process I lost something important. The fun and joy of it.

I really needed this video today. Thank you ❤️

I've never heard of the God shot till today! I'm kind of glad I haven't. I'll pretend I didn't watch this whole video! Lol! Thank you for taking the time to make all your videos! I take away something from each one! Love your channel! 👍

completely agree with your general advice here. im just a one-shot-a-day manual lever home barista, and only for a few years. but ive had the approach that pulling that shot in the morning is sacred and fun, and whatever i pull, i drink. no sink. keeps it interesting, magnifies your sense (or awareness) of taste and variation, and certainly you learn a lot. added bonus: no waste.

I noticed you have both the white and matte black notneutral cups. What's your preference between the two? I've been debating for a while on which I should get.

I fully agree. I hate wasting coffee and just tossing it out. Only time I toss it out is when it's really bad or purging. Keep up the great work.

Great to hear your opinions on this. I think it's also important to remember that progression isn't linear at some point in any skillset. I was feeling kinda meh about the shots I was pulling on my Europiccola lately but then I took a step back and realized I was consistently pulling a lot more "ok" shots compared to when I first got the machine. Sure, while I want to exceed those "ok" shots now, it made me remember that while your baselines change with experience, you should still look at results with a much more broader viewpoint, otherwise you will just be mostly disappointed.

Just recently started using my breville duo temp pro.. had it for under a year and last time I used it(almost 2 years ago) I hated my espresso... Watery and didn't taste like anything...started watching videos a month ago and jumped back in.. 1. Got fresh beans(was using pre ground stuff.... Yuck) 2. Bought a coffee grinder 3. Got a distribution tool 4. Calibrated tamp( the one that comes with breville machines suck) Made a huge difference.. I have pulled more consistent shots.. better tasting shots... In between all the steps I was tuning everything. I can honestly taste the difference when I pull a not so good shot but it is light-years better than what I had before

I have a La Pavoni lever machine, good luck hitting the ‘god shot’ every time, I personally just enjoy the coffee I make with it, sometimes they blow my mind with how beautiful the shot came out, sometimes not so much, but nothing is perfect, I’m just glad I can have a few coffees a day.

Great advice - I would take consistenly good espresso over chasing one rabbit down a hole. If people get stuck on espresso not tasting right, I first check their technique, and if okay, ask them to split their shot and taste that. This is because I found I prefered weaker espresso before graduating to shots made with a higher dose. Everything tasted clearer and more balanced. Now I can enjoy a shot from an 18gm double basket, although my personal fav is 16gms into my 15gm VST.

I rarely, if ever, throw out a shot. It’s just part of the process and also, I do this to have my coffee and there is always tomorrow and I hate wasting coffee. I have even stopped constantly adjusting grind and typically adjust dose to fine tune. Once I had the grinder broken in, it doesn’t drift very much and my shots are very good even between a medium roast to a light roast.

To me for a godshot to happen, the coffee has to be already dialed in. So to me a godshot happens when you can see from the bottomless portafilter that there is no channeling and you can taste in the coffee the perfect balance between sweet, bitter and sour that you imagined when you first tasted the coffee in a not very balanced shot. Also then I am often able to identify tastenotes that have been hidden to me before and made me wonder how nashi pear or blueberry is supposed to taste in espresso... and all of a sudden it‘s there absolutely clear and present. That’s what a godshot is to me! Luckily I am still at the point where I am relatively new to single origin espresso and haven’t yet tasted all the typical regions yet, so I have those moments of enlightenment still quite often.

I tend to like sweeter fruity shot that isn't too acidic. I've only had a few god shots but it's usually a ristretto and tastes like fruit candy. I pulled a god shot when I had my cheap Delonghi EC 155 and Encore using a pressurized portafilter. So Idk how it'll taste to me now having upgraded but as long as I can taste the natural sweetness in a coffee, I'll be happy.

I think part of avoiding the god shot conundrum is enjoying each step of the process. The smell of the grind, the level, the tamp, the moment the portafilter starts dripping the oily goodness.

Quality insight!

Posting this before watching the video. I have always regarded the god shot as the result of the all the little micro controllable factors lining up for one exceptional shot that is rarely recreated even in the minutes after it's creation. Whether it's having no micro factures in your bed with no clumps, the perfect tamp pressure, even grinds, the machine being at the perfect temperature, the grind and dose being absolutely perfect for the settings you have have, all the way to the humidity of the room at the given moment you grind to your pull. It's always something to enjoy but to never expect. It only comes when you have your set up dialed in just right and the you wait for luck to be on your side. It's only happened to me maybe 10 times in my coffee career. I can distinctly remember the very first time I pulled one and the very first time I was served one. The taste was uniquely memorable, for it's truly perfect balance that allowed the bean to express itself as truly sweet and fruit forward. There are exceptional espresso shots, something that can be recreated with consistency and then there's the god shot where you need luck on top of all your skill as a barista. I always aim for consistently excellent espresso, I never aim for God shots, I just enjoy them when they come along.

So true! I am just one more guy almost caught in that trap. I didn’t know how to describe that awkward moment when, after you have polished your routine, and you know it’s reliable, then you begin to find “buts” in every espresso, and you miss some old ones... I have come to the conclusion that it’s important to change coffee origins and visit other people’s set ups, so as to refresh your tongue. That’s what I’m trying to do. Posting just in case it’s of any help!

I always drink my sink shots, i gotta internalize the failure

Maybe this was a reason why i only stick by 2 or 3 coffee shop in my town... i just afraid come to other coffee shop, because they can't fill up my expectation. Thank you for opening my eyes. This first time i heard about 'godshot', maybe godshot is similar for my definition of a good and enjoyable espresso.

At a point, it becomes about waste. I never had endless pockets and one of the pitfalls starting out is 12oz bags. Dial-in and day to over and under adjustment is the death neal to someone starting out.

I do believe in the god shot. Here is why. Equipment is top of the line emphasising stability, my puck prep is done meticulously, dose is exactly the same to 0,1 gram no compromise, espresso yield and extraction time are exactly the same, yet still for some reason I cannot explain there are minor differences between shots (note: all perfectly drinkable!) and on the rare occasion a shot will come out amplified , similar but still slightly better in every regard. All this says to me is we still have a lot to learn, and this to me is one of the main reasons I love espresso.

Can you imagine how many "perfect" shots of espresso went into lattes while no one notices? Or if you're lucky you get order an espresso and it might be FREAKING good, but you don't even know how long the extraction took or how even the tamp was; just that it was just yummy. that's a god shot. when I used to work at a cafe, I remember the extraction times would change throughout the day, so if even if u dialed it in perfectly in the morning, it's not the same a few hours later. Everyday there's a different "god shot"

Totally agree ... except that when I was a newbie it was that idea of a 'god shot' that sucked me into the whole world of home espresso making. But otherwise totally on point!

Finally some realism in all these coffee RU-vid vids. Thank you

For me, a god shot is one that, by chance, is way above the rest. They are annoying, telling you "hey, look as what your equipment/coffee would be capable of if you didn't suck".

I needed this video specially today, As I made two lattes this morning with my línea mini. I wasn’t happy with the milk and espresso ratio so made another one. Final result, my first drink was better than the second drink... 🤦🏻‍♂️

I was once told that sometimes you have to forget the numbers and go by feel and that, for me pulled me out of the god shot race. you cant chase something that doesn't exist

My only frustration with espresso is dialing in since i waste too much precious coffee beans, but with little experience i started to nail it in less attempts! But i really try to be grateful to what i drink (sour or bitter 🤣)

This is the first time I've heard about "god shot". I think i make god shoot every day - every time I tune espresso at work. It was a little sour yesterday, but the softness and light sweatness of the aftertaste made up for it. It was sidamo 11.8 grams, 23 ml and 21 seconds. Today my god shoot was more balanced and dense, though not as expressive. It was same sidamo 12.1 grams, 24 ml and 25 seconds. I liked both of them. They were both pleasant in their own way. For me god shot is the same as good shoot. P.S: I'm not so caffeine resistant to drink "big" 18-20grams/35-40ml espressos. By the way, we call it "doppio". Do I understand correctly that this is already an obsolete word ?

Is it ok to throw away the coffee if it's so finely ground that the Espresso won't come out?

I love the godshot, but I let it come to me; I don’t chase it. I only dump true fails, like a new dark roast that leads to a puck that’s too fine for any output, or forgetting to dial back from pour over to espresso, so pure water comes out. So long as the shot is reasonable, I like that the pulls differ a bit so I can experience the range of the roast. And, every once in a while, I create a perfect cappuccino (my go-to) that perfectly nails it. But don’t forget the state of the taster. Am I in a bad mood? No godshot. Did I just brush my teeth? No way. But that same drink after a bowl of cereal while enjoying a relaxing morning? Could happen. It really comes down to working the skills and enjoying a range of experiences. Don’t hate the less than perfect, but don’t under appreciate the magic moments either.

Unfortunately I'm still not sure my equipment gives me that great espresso that everyone strives for. And I highly doubt I'm trapped achieving the good shoot. But I hope I get there 😆

it's all about taste anyway!! some shots that had perfect ratios of time and weight just didn't taste as good as others that didn't.. it doesn't really matter what your ratio is or how it's channeling if it just.. tastes good ya know

Fun fact: the bad shots have the same caffeine as the good shots do. If your looking for sweetness you could just add sugar, or lactose, or make an americano, all better options than putting coffee down the sink

I don’t know if I’d call it a “God Shot Complex,” but I find myself constantly chasing previous shots that I’ve made. While this has brought me frustration at times, it has also been a driving force that pushes me to improve. But as for describing a “God Shot,” no balance of flavors is objectively better. Palettes change and the goal is to meet the current flavor preferences, or zeitgut as i like to call it

I like coffee, it tastes good. As long as it's within extraction range, then I'm cool with that! Well said, mate.

The best champ!! - THE GOD SHOT TRAP woot woot! 🤗😎☕️

Well, you're right. I have fallen into the trap. If the number were not right, it can't taste good! Sometimes I just go be feel now, especially when I've dialled in a certain coffee. Blonding, volume in the cup... Just enjoy it!

spot on my man

A god shot is that shot I got back on May 3 of this year. Absolutely perfect. That's it for me... A god shot is when it's fantastic.

Maybe I'm too early into my espresso making career to have fallen into this trap but I have pulled some shots where if every shot I drank from now on was like that, I would be happy. And if I wasn't, it just means I need to drink a little less espresso to keep it special. Moving the goalpost is not necessary in my opinion, but maybe it is unavoidable to coffee professionals.

One must suffer through the bad shots and drink them.... It will insprire you to do better next time Plus it's to expensive to throw away.

Aim for perfection to reach excellence

I guess been “cheap” really help me not to fall into this trap. Started making espresso at home because I want to learn how to make latte art. Buy the Barista Express and 3 years later, my latte art skill is still lacking. However, I actually enjoying making espresso and really become a daily routine. Been through all the headaches for dialing in and buying gadgets to help the process. Always wanted to upgrade the machine and buying a set of precision tamping set that cost $300. But well, I’m cheap and my BE is still working, that money can go to my other hobbies that actually “burn” money lol. Same applies to the god shot trap I suppose, the time and money that go into it are just wasted. Chasing the last 1% is like chasing a ghost. Unless a person is really dedicated into this, I will say 99% of the ppl will regret it like 99% of the time lol

%100 agree waste is a problem, especially when coffee ain't cheap

I did fall into the God shot rabbit hole. But am slowly digging my way out. I do remember maki g one that tasted so good I wanted to smack my mama. Haven't been there since 😕 but I will never stop trying because I love the process and even my not so good shots 'to me' still taste way better than anything I can get around here.

to me, "a god shot" is simply the best shot you have ever had. simple as that. if you make/have a better one - that's the new god shot. not much chasing perfectionism every single time, but moving the goal post and a standard to measure to.

Lol, my best shots on my lever come when grind is too fine or to coarse, temperature a bit off or ratio. It's always when I think that this will be a terrible tasting shot because it is so far from what is recommended, that I'm shocked that it is the most full bodied, sweet and balanced shot. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I think I'll keep doing it wrong since the results are amazing more often than not. All the brew ratios thing, timing the shots, temperature and grind settings advices didn't lead anywhere better. Just thinking that it is a feel thing. With too coarse grind compensate maybe with pressure to have longer contact time. If temperature is a tad too low but the shot is pulling slower than normal it can be good too. I think getting a feel about how those things are linked and compensating from one shot to another, from one coffee to another is more likely to getting the just right settings. It is not an exact science after all.

I drink every shot. I feel validated.

This is why I never turn down objectively bad (free) coffee. Diners, fast food, catered batch brews, etc. If all I ever had was my home brewed espresso it would never be good enough. It’s like owning a fast car and an old pick up. When the fast car starts to feel slow, drive the pickup for a week then get get back in the fast car. Feels brand new.

God shot = waking up late and still being able to pull a tasty double from my cafelat robot in 5 minutes 😍

The god shot is when it rains white thick drops

I’m happy with good shots.

It’s like saying there’s one perfect wine - no such thing.

man this guy doesn't blink

For me a god shot is when it comes out perfect. right timing, no channels or anything and it tastes great! But actually my 40 second shots are just as interesting to taste, and my 20 second shots. I like the variety lol and a god shot a day would bore the shit out of me.

Personally, my god shot is when I don't have any channeling (which I'm struggling with) or as little as possible and coffee tastes delicious. So it's subjective.

still looking for the god froth

ok 2nd view 1st like. last time this early i was not yet into coffee

O man, Its a life lesson.

My opinion is that it would make a good anime.

Good shot > God shot (extra "o')

god shots are easy; god breads are hard.

A god shot is unattainable. It is something we should be striving for but never be able to reach. It is about learning and growing- developing our skills. Serving customers should be an acceptable percentage of our best shot, not the god shot

I had never heard this term. Now I think I'm triggered, but I don't really know what that means either.

i drink'em all and let God sort'em out.

Wisdom lies here.

Just think of it as a typo. "Good" shot, not "God" shot.

There are surprisingly many similarities to cannabis use here. Very interesting! Personal taste is certainly nothing but universal! Thanks 👍

I'm an atheist barista so I don't believe the god shot exists.

God shots don’t exist.. there are bad, good, and better shots.. perfect shots are elusive.

A god shot is nothing more than a bloated term that has no meaning in the bigger picture. It’s simply a self-congratulatory term to make one feel accomplished. Imagine you pull a shot into two demitasses. You taste and think “now that’s a god shot!” I taste and say “It’s over-extracted. Try again.” So much for that god shot lol. The only true measure of quality will be by consensus across a panel of skilled tasters. That’s why we have barista competitions. And not one of them will ever judge any single shot as a be-all-end-all “god shot”. “The greatest shot I ever had”. Is something you can have over and over again. Not once. Imaging applying this once-only idea to anything. “The greatest steak I ever had was the god steak I ate at so and so restaurant.” If I had this steak again will I say, “Meh.. This is no longer a god steak. I. Must. Keep. Searching! Mmmust. Keep. SSSsearchinggg!”

Didn't like the video for some reason. You should strive for perfection. You should also live in the moment, and appreciate the qualities of each shot of espresso. Of course God Shots should be an obsession, but I doubt that it is for most people. A God Shot for me, is one that hits all the right spots and none of the bad ones. One that you sip, and after each sip, you think, "Holy shit that is good coffee". One that has you trying to sip from an empty cup, feeling sad afterwards. I enjoy almost all of the shots I pull, even if they are not what I consider God Shots. Never pour one down the drain, unless you *really* fucked up. That's just wasteful ;P

Hate the stupid ads. Please don’t waste my time. 👎🏼