Kamwangi AA, Washed, Kenya

The Kalita Wave matches the V60 at 88/100 with a slightly coarser 510μm grind versus the V60's 480μm — the flat-bottom design compensates for the coarser setting through more even water distribution. For SL28 and SL34 from Kirinyaga's 1,700-meter Kamwangi station, the Kalita's even extraction addresses a specific risk: bright acidity and bright fruit acidity extract in different phases, and uneven extraction produces cups that taste simultaneously sour (underextracted citric) and flat (overextracted malic) rather than the integrated black currant cordial and rhubarb balance the bean is capable of. The flat-bottom geometry means every ground particle receives uniform water contact time, giving the slow-roasting SL28 variety an equal opportunity to dissolve both its bright fruit acids fractions. At 93°C and 20g dose for 335g water (1:16.8), the recipe maintains the mild ratio increase that medium-light roast requires for adequate strength.

The Chemex at 86/100 scores 2 points behind the V60 and Kalita, with sour (score 50) and thin (score 50) equally weighted as the primary risks. The Chemex's thick paper filter strips oils aggressively — for this washed Kenya, that means the bright fruit acids structure is fully exposed without oil-buffered mouthfeel to soften it. The result can taste more austerely acidic than the same bean in a V60 unless the ratio and grind are managed carefully. The recipe uses the same -1°C, -20μm, and +0.5 ratio adjustments as the other pour-overs: 28g at 441g water, 93°C, 530μm. The Chemex's slower drawdown (3:30–4:30) compared to the V60 provides more contact time for the dense SL28 and SL34 beans to dissolve, which helps extraction completeness but also means thin is equally high-risk — the thick filter's oil stripping reduces perceived body in a cup that at medium-light roast has less body to work with.

AeroPress at 85/100 scores 3 points below the top pour-overs, reflecting the brewer's different interaction with SL28's acid character. The recipe drops to 84°C — 1°C below the medium-light baseline already adjusted for roast, and 9°C below a default AeroPress temperature — because at fine grind (380μm, finer than the V60's 480μm) under pressure, SL28's concentrated bright acidity extracts quickly and aggressively. The lower temperature suppresses the acid extraction rate, allowing the rhubarb (malic) and melted butter (Strecker diacetyl) compounds to develop in proportion rather than being overwhelmed by black currant cordial sharpness. The 1:12.8 ratio produces a more concentrated brew than pour-overs — SL28's acid intensity is amplified in the AeroPress's small-volume output, which suits drinkers who want the Kenya character focused, but explains why sour (score 35) remains a significant risk despite the lower temperature.

The Clever Dripper at 85/100 matches the AeroPress, with the hybrid immersion-then-paper-drain design offering a specific advantage for SL28 and SL34 from Kamwangi: the closed-shade fermentation in the original washed processing produced a uniform, sediment-free slurry that extracts cleanly in immersion without the fines management challenges Ethiopian naturals create. During the 3–4 minute immersion at 93°C, the dense SL28 and SL34 beans dissolve slowly and evenly — the Bourbon-group density that makes them extract slowly in a V60 pour-over is less of a limitation when the water isn't draining during extraction. The paper filter at drain time then removes the fine particles that the long steep can liberate from these large-bean varieties (WCR rates SL28 at 'large' bean size), keeping the cup clean and allowing the black currant cordial and rhubarb acidity to register clearly without sediment interference.

Espresso at 83/100 shows the highest sour risk of any brewer for this Kenya (score 55), which directly reflects SL28's bright acidity under 9-bar pressure concentration. The recipe adjusts to 92°C (-1°C from medium-light baseline) and 230μm (-20μm from default, consistent with the other brewers' finer adjustment). At espresso concentration, the bright acidity that reads as structured black currant cordial in a pour-over amplifies into something sharper and more challenging to balance — the 1:1.3–2.3 output ratio compared to pour-over's 1:15 means the same acid molecules are in a dramatically smaller volume. The thin risk (score 30) reflects the medium-light roast's lower body — at espresso, thin manifests as a watery shot with low viscosity rather than the heavy, syrupy body that a medium or dark roast Kenyan would produce. This bean works as espresso but requires precise extraction management.

Moka Pot at 81/100 represents the lowest pour-over/pressure brewer score for this Kenya, with sour (score 55) as the dominant risk matching espresso. The moka pot's steam pressure of 1.5 bar is far below espresso's 9 bar, but the near-boiling water temperature from the steam-forced extraction concentrates SL28's bright acidity in the same way — the output is 180g at 1:10 ratio, meaning significant concentration of the same compounds that make this bean's black currant cordial character so intense. The recipe runs at 99°C starting-water temperature (pre-boiled, per Hoffmann) with -20μm at 330μm grind — finer than typical moka settings to compensate for the medium-light roast's lower solubility. The rhubarb note (bright fruit acidity) is especially vulnerable to thermal stress at moka pot temperatures: above 95°C, the acidity can shift from clean to harsh, and the steam extraction can reduce the rhubarb and butter character in favor of concentrated citric sourness.

French Press at 79/100 is the second-lowest match for this Kenya, reflecting the tension between the metal mesh filter's oil retention and the washed processing's clean acid character. This Kenya's closed-shade fermentation and channel washing produced a clean washed profile where terroir and variety do the work — in the French Press, the metal mesh allows the fine particles from SL28 and SL34's dense, large beans to pass into the cup, adding sediment-based bitterness and texture that can muddy the black currant cordial and rhubarb clarity. The recipe runs at 95°C (-1°C), 980μm coarse (-20μm from default), and 26g at 384g water (1:14.8), with the steeper than default ratio compensating for the lighter roast. Sour (score 35) reflects the underextraction risk even at coarse immersion grind — SL28's Bourbon-group density means the 4–8 minute steep needs adequate temperature to dissolve Maillard compounds past the initial acid extraction.