I thought I would share a recipe that has been giving me consistent GOD shots. One man's GOD shot may be another man's mediocre shot, but this is what works for me. Be warned, this recipe violates the norms widely accepted by this community.

1. Beans are Vivace Vita. My latest batch (roasted on 05/26/08) seems darker and richer than my previous batch.

1. Brew Temp 96C on my Brewtus II. For reference, that is at the high end of the brew temp range for my machine, and equates to a short cooling flush on an HX.

2. Dose is ~13.5g in a single basket.

3. Grind is extremely fine, resulting in an extremely short ristretto from a very long pull. Pull results in 1/4 to 1/3 oz in 1 MINUTE. Be assured, quantity does not equate to quality!

The milk frothing (I drink cappuccinos) is normal.

The resulting cup is completely free of the typical bitterness and/or sourness that often accompany pulls made with traditional techniques, and usually tastes like sweetened chocolate syrup. Best of all is that it is highly repeatable, especially when the beans are within 7 days of the roast date. As usual, YMMV.

I would be interested to see if others can repeat my results.

Cheers,
-dg-

Have you attempted your method with a double basket for more nectar, or at that fine a grind with that long a pull would it be tempting fate?

I started off with a triple basket and 20g-22g, pulling around 1 oz. I found the flavor to be overly rich, and had a sour note more often than I liked. Backing off to a single basket solved both issues.

A short shot (~1/3 oz) does not mean lack of flavor. It's just more concentrated than a faster pull with a higher volume of water. And my experience as been that the longer duration, lower volume pull leaves the sour and bitter flavors behind in the beans.

Eventually I will try a double basket out of curiosity, but not because the current method is lacking.

CoffeeBuzz wrote:The milk frothing (I drink cappuccinos) is normal.

With, as they say, "all due respect," if your shots go into cappuccinos, you have no way of judging whether they are "godshots" or not. I'm sure they're not bad, and they may actually be godshots, but you have to drink them straight up to know. This is not a reflection on how you prefer your coffee. Everyone is entitled to their personal preferences.

It's just that judging an espresso in a milk drink is like judging an anejo tequila in a margarita. That's why the first set of drinks in a barista competition is served straight up.

I totally agree with Marshall. Even though I just drink cappas, I keep a demitasse spoon next to the machine and regularly sample from the stream as it issues forth from the portafilter. Four ounces of milk can cover a multitude of sins. Tasting in this way will reveal problems that would likely never be found in a cappuccino.

Marshall wrote:With, as they say, "all due respect," if your shots go into cappuccinos, you have no way of judging whether they are "godshots" or not. I'm sure they're not bad, and they may actually be godshots, but you have to drink them straight up to know.

A coincidence that you should mention this.

Earlier tonight I pulled a shot of fresh Dolce using this technique. I frothed milk while pulling the shot just in case.

The shot was a GOD shot, by my standards. Once again, YMMV.

I drank the frothed milk later, after enjoying the Espresso.

cheers,
-dg-

I don't know if this is a contributing factor or not.

I always put 5 or 6 sacrificial beans through the grinder into the tray before grinding the dose. It guarantees that all of the grinds in the basket are fresh from this grind.

-dg-

Marshall wrote:That's why the first set of drinks in a barista competition is served straight up.

This may not be entirely true.

competitors are not required to serve drinks in any particular order.

jon

This may not be entirely true.

competitors are not required to serve drinks in any particular order.

jon stovall

I'm not sure what your point was, other than confusing the OP (the official rules do require a straight espresso). But, just out of curiosity, have you ever seen a competitor not serve the straight espresso first?

yes