In pursuit of the Last
All the hours spent. All the money invested. All the knowledge gathered. All in the pursuit of…
The Godshot.
When I was talking to Chris Nachtrieb from chriscoffee.com, he asked a question, which left me dumbfounded for a few seconds. We were talking about pre-infusion, the different machines, Eric’s device, line pressure, PID, and…
Chris: “Are you ANAL?”
me: “Uh….. WHAT??” TF (which I almost added.)
Chris: ” I mean, are you the anal sort who wants every shot to be a GODshot?”
Hmmm…. Doesn’t everyone look out for that? The GODshot. The ultimate espresso shot, the more than an inch thick reddish brown crema, the nice slow honey-like pour from the naked portafilter, tastes just like the way it smelled out of the bag, espresso nirvana.
I have not experienced it. Not yet.
I’ve read about people attaining it. The reviewers of the La Marzocco GS3 definitely had it; the way they were talking about getting better shots of finickiest Vivace than they’ve ever tasted at Espresso Vivace. Now, this probably means all the rest of what they thought were Godshots in the past, were merely goodshots.
We are in pursuit of the Last. The Godshot that cannot be bettered.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless falls of air…
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor eer eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, 19, RCAF
