Kenya - AA Inoi Ndimi

The V60 scores 88/100 on this Kenyan light roast — strong, but behind the Chemex because its thinner paper filter lets more colloidal solids pass, softening the precision of the mandarin zest note. The grind at 430μm reflects the same -70μm offset as the Chemex but lands finer in absolute terms because the V60 drains faster. At 94°C and a 1:15.5 ratio, you're targeting the extraction window where SL28's acidity pushes into the bright citrus zone without tipping into vinegar. The continuous-pour technique matters here: SL28 and SL34 are dense, hard beans at light roast, so even pouring reduces the risk of localized over-extraction in fines clusters while the coarser fraction is still pulling. Bloom at 45 seconds to degas before extraction begins in earnest.

The Kalita Wave matches the V60 at 88/100 by offering a different trade-off: the flat-bed design distributes water contact more evenly across the coffee bed, which is particularly useful for light-roast Kenyan coffees with intense acidity that benefits from thorough, uniform extraction. With the V60's conical geometry, uneven flow paths can lead to pockets of over- and under-extraction; the Kalita's three-hole flat bed promotes more consistent contact across the entire bed. The 460μm grind and 1:16.5 ratio push extraction evenness — slightly more dilute than the V60 recipe, which works with the Wave's longer contact characteristics. At 94°C, you're in the window that balances full extraction of the bright fruit and berry acids against the risk of pulling harsh bitterness. The pulse-pour technique keeps even saturation across the flat bed, helping the SL28/SL34 acidity resolve into clean, juicy brightness rather than sharpness.

The AeroPress lands at 82/100 for this Kenyan — its main limitation is that the 85°C temperature dampens the delicate aromatics responsible for the cloudberry note, which are sensitive to thermal conditions during extraction. That said, 85°C is correct here: it prevents the intense SL28/SL34 citric acidity from over-extracting under pressure and turning sharp. At 330μm, the grind is significantly finer than filter methods to compensate for the short 1–2 minute contact time — the higher surface area accelerates extraction so that roast-developed sweetness and cacao nib roast-developed sweetness can catch up to the fast-extracting acids. The 1:12.5 ratio produces a more concentrated shot suitable for AeroPress's immersion-plus-pressure mechanism. The paper filter removes cafestol, keeping the cup clean despite immersion contact.

The Clever Dripper matches the AeroPress at 82/100 — it combines paper filtration with immersion contact in a way that produces reasonably clean extraction of SL28/SL34's citrus-driven profile. The paper filter preserves the clarity advantage over French press, while the immersion phase before draining provides more contact time than a straight pour-over at comparable grind settings. At 460μm and 94°C, the recipe sits between the V60's flow-dependent extraction and the AeroPress's pressure-assisted mechanism. The 1:15.5 ratio matches the V60 and Chemex targets; the Clever's longer immersion means you're not dependent on pour technique to hit that contact time. For SL28/SL34 specifically, the immersion phase helps even out extraction across the high-density particle distribution typical of light-roast Kenyan.

Espresso scores 81/100 for this Kenyan — viable, but demanding. The 180μm grind reflects the same -70μm offset used across all brewers for this bean, meaning this is already finer than default espresso to compensate for the light roast's lower solubility. At 93°C, you're pulling temperature down 1°C from the filter recommendation to give some buffer against the intense SL28/SL34 acidity becoming overwhelming under 9-bar pressure. The 1:2.4 ratio is longer than a traditional Italian ristretto — this is intentional for light roasts, as the longer output volume forces more extraction to happen, pushing past the fast-extracting acid phase. Preinfusion is important here: the dense, light-roasted SL28 puck needs time to saturate evenly before full pressure hits, or the SL34's citric acidity concentrates in channels.

The Moka Pot lands at 79/100 — it works, but the steam-pressure mechanism creates specific challenges for this Kenyan. At 1-1.5 bar (compared to espresso's 9 bar), extraction is less efficient and more heat-dependent. The recipe compensates with 100°C pre-boiled water and a 280μm grind — the finest of any hot-brew method except espresso, necessary to achieve adequate surface area in the short contact window as water pulses through the basket. SL28/SL34's intense citric acidity concentrates easily in the moka pot's low-water-volume environment: the 1:9.5 ratio reflects this, but strong sour notes are still a realistic outcome if grind distribution is uneven. Pre-boiling the water is especially important here — starting with cold water means the grounds cook under rising steam temperature before extraction begins, degrading the cloudberry delicate aromatics before they can extract.

The French Press scores 76/100 — the lowest match among hot-brew methods for this Kenyan. The core problem is the metal filter: it allows oils and colloidal fines to pass freely, and the cloudberry and mandarin zest notes of this light Kenyan are aromatic volatiles that fare better in a cleaner liquid matrix. The 930μm grind is significantly coarser than filter methods to avoid over-extracting the fines that are unavoidable at French press grind settings. The elevated temperature at 96°C compensates partially — the higher extraction rate drives more extraction from the coarse particles before the extended 4–8 minute steep concentrates fines-derived compounds excessively. The +0.5 ratio adjustment to 1:14.5 reflects the light roast's lower solubility; you need more coffee to reach target TDS through a metal filter.