I don't think I would know a God Shot if I drank it. I had a couple of super terrific shots with my old machine...perfect timing, wonderful aroma, superb taste and aftertaste. I've had a few of those with all the blends I use.
Aside from the subjective "Ahhh, that is REALLY a good one", are there any other criteria for a God Shot?
Like so many other phrases, it means whatever you want to put into it. The term gets thrown around a lot on blogs and in coffee forums, but to me it is this: a shot that is so perfect that I will never forget it. Years later, I remember everything about the shot. Where I was. Who pulled it. Who I was with. What music was playing. I read this once on a blog somewhere and saved it:
I've had some precious espresso shots in my lifetime that are so memorable, if I close my eyes, I can not only remember the taste, mouthfeel and sensations from the shot, but I can also picture the surroundings, the atmosphere, and, where applicable, the people I was with or the people who made it for me.
I rate every shot I drink, 1 to 10. Eight and above get a picture, with annotations (my folder on this subject includes several hundred shots). Ten is not a God Shot. Ten is awesome, but a God Shot is a God Shot. And, of course, the scale changes over time, going up.
Purists argue the God Shot has to be a Ristretto. For me, I agree, but I disagree with those who argue there cannot be non-Ristretto God Shots for a drinker. If you will remember the coffee forever, with all of the pleasant memories of who you were with, the landscape, how much you loved that taste, that is a God Shot no matter what you are drinking or how it was prepared. In my humble opinion.
It is the search for the God Shot that keeps me trying new things, oddly enough. This is why I reserve a spot in my rotation for beans I did not roast, and it is why I drink with my Chemex, vac brewer, etc. I have never had a "God Shot" from the vac brewer, but I know it is possible and that some day I will.
Sometimes I think, after the first taste, that a batch I roasted turned out good enough to try for a God Shot. The first step, then, is to hand sort the beans and pull out only the most perfectly roasted beans. From a 227g batch, I might end up with enough to try for two God Shots. And it gets even stranger after that......
I think Liquid Amber is more likely to produce a God Shot than Monkey or New Classic.
But, all of this said, I enjoy almost every espresso I drink.