El Salvador - Carlos Pola

The V60 matches nearly as well as the Chemex (89/100) with a key difference: faster drawdown means the V60 doesn't trap fine particles the way a thicker filter does. For Pacamara's wide grind distribution, this matters: some of the finest particles from the large-bean grinding will pass more quickly toward the brew vessel. At 445μm (55μm finer than default), the grind is driven by the light roast's lower solubility, offset slightly by the natural processing backing the grind off to prevent over-extraction of the fruit character. The 92°C temperature protects the heat-sensitive processing-derived fruit compounds — the apricot and raisin character is sensitive to higher temperatures — while the 1:15-1:16 ratio uses slightly more coffee to compensate for the light roast's lower extraction yield. Technique matters with Pacamara on V60 — pour control should avoid disturbing the brew bed, which can channel through the larger particle voids.

The Kalita Wave's flat-bottom design distributes water contact evenly across the entire brew bed — a genuine advantage for Pacamara's wide particle distribution. In a V60 cone, particles of different sizes travel different paths; in the flat-bottom Kalita, all particles experience similar contact time regardless of where they settle. This evenness is particularly valuable for light-roast Pacamara because the bean's large size creates a bimodal grind distribution: extra-coarse particles that are under-extracted and fines that are over-extracted exist simultaneously in the same bed. The Kalita's geometry reduces the impact of that bimodality. Temperature at 92°C and 475μm grind mirror the other paper pour-over parameters. The Kalita's moderate flow rate — faster than Chemex, slower than V60 — lands the extraction time in a zone that builds the chocolate truffle and ripe cherry notes without running into Pacamara's tendency toward overextraction bitterness.

AeroPress runs at 92°C here — notably higher than the default 81°C, reflecting a critical adjustment for light-roast natural processing. Light-roast beans need higher brewing temperatures to push through their the acidity that light roasting preserves, while the natural processing calls for a slight reduction to protect aromatics from processing. The result is 92°C: warmer than standard AeroPress protocol but necessary for Pacamara's dense light-roast structure. At 345μm — 55μm finer than default — the grind is quite fine for AeroPress, compensating for Pacamara's low solubility. The paper filter strips the natural-process oils that would otherwise muddy the malic-acid clarity driving the apricot and raisin character. Pressure application helps push extraction through Pacamara's characteristically dense light-roast particles. The 1-2 minute contact time creates a clean, concentrated cup where the chocolate truffle and cherry notes compress into high-TDS clarity.

The Clever Dripper's immersion-then-drain hybrid is well-suited to Pacamara's extraction challenge: the steep phase provides extended contact time at 92°C to work through the light roast's dense acidity structure, while the paper filter at drainage removes the natural-process oils that would mask the malic-acid-driven stone fruit character. At 475μm — medium-fine for a Clever — the grind provides enough surface area for the 3-4 minute steep to extract beyond the early-extracting acids into the roast-developed-derived chocolate register. The immersion phase is more forgiving of Pacamara's wide grind distribution than a V60: coarser particles extract during the full steep rather than being swept through by gravity. Temperature at 92°C reflects the adjustments for light roast and natural processing — higher than a standard immersion brew to push through the light roast's density, but held below the full 94°C to protect aromatics from processing. The 1:15-1:16 ratio uses slightly more coffee than standard to compensate for the lower extraction ceiling of a light-roasted Pacamara.

Espresso scores 73/100 for this Pacamara — the score reflects two compounding challenges unique to this bean on this method. First, light roast's lower solubility requires higher extraction temperature and longer contact time under pressure, calling for a longer ratio (1:1.9-2.9 vs. the standard 1:2) and preinfusion. Second, Pacamara's very large bean size creates a compressed puck with inconsistent density — the same wide particle distribution that challenges pourovers becomes a channeling risk at 9 bar. At 195μm (55μm finer than default), the grind is fine enough to approach espresso extraction requirements for a dense light roast. Temperature at 92°C helps compensate for the light roast's intact CGAs. Expect bright, fruit-forward, high-acidity shots — the malic acid and fermentation aromatics from 1,600m natural Pacamara concentrate dramatically under pressure.

Moka pot scores 44/100 for this El Salvador Pacamara — among the lowest matches for this bean — and the low score has a specific cause: the metal mesh basket passes natural-process oils freely, and those oils directly compete with the malic-acid clarity that defines this bean's character. Pacamara at light roast carries significant organic acid brightness (malic, citric), and the oil-laden moka extract creates an emulsion that mutes those clean acid signals behind a heavy, fatty mouthfeel. Temperature at 92°C uses pre-boiled water in the base — this is critical to avoid cooking the ground coffee with rising steam, which would exacerbate the light-roast extraction of bitter compounds problem. At 295μm (55μm finer than default), grind compensates for light roast solubility. The chocolate truffle and sultana raisin notes may survive in the concentrated extract, but the delicate apricot and cherry clarity will be largely lost.

French press scores 40/100 for this Pacamara — the method conflict is structural. The metal mesh passes natural-process oils that the paper-filter methods would strip, and those oils coat the palate in a way that obscures the malic-acid-driven apricot and ripe cherry character that defines this bean. Additionally, the coarse 945μm grind required for French press immersion is particularly problematic for Pacamara's large beans: coarse grinding of very large seeds produces chunks that are genuinely under-extracted at light roast's low solubility, even with extended steep time. Temperature at 92°C (higher than paper pourover) attempts to compensate, and the 4-8 minute steep range gives flexibility to extend contact for the denser particles. The chocolate truffle roast development compounds — from leucine and isoleucine — are robust enough to survive, but the delicate aromatics from processing will be suppressed.