Guatemalan specialty coffee defaults to light roast — most lots from this origin are pulled close to or shortly after first crack. Las Palomas is deliberately pulled further. At medium roast on a washed Huehuetenango lot at 1,875m, the chemical consequences stack up in a specific direction.
The chlorogenic acids that dominate the brightness in a light roast don't survive a medium profile intact. As roasting pushes through development, CGAs lactonize and then degrade, with CGA lactones — which account for 60–70% of perceived bitterness at light-to-medium roasts — peaking around 230mg/100g before dropping off. At medium, you're moving past peak CGA lactone formation toward the Maillard sweet spot, where melanoidin formation accelerates. Melanoidins make up 10–18% of roasted coffee dry weight and are the primary driver of body and mouthfeel. A medium roast from 1,875m material — already dense, high-soluble beans — produces a cup with more body and more structural weight than the same lot taken light.
The Bourbon variety is part of this. Bourbon roasts slower than most cultivars, reaching first crack around 8:30–9:00 minutes versus 7:30 for Typica or Ethiopian heirlooms. That extended Maillard-to-first-crack interval builds more melanoidin content before development even begins, which is why medium-roasted Bourbon-based lots often carry richer body than medium-roasted Typica lots at the same degree.
The multi-variety composition — Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra — means slightly different bean densities and first-crack timing converging in the same roast, which the roaster has calibrated for the medium endpoint. The high altitude builds soluble density that gives the medium roast enough material to work with, preventing the flatness that can hit medium-roasted lower-grown lots.
The AeroPress's 83°C temperature for this medium-roasted Guatemalan is notably low — lower than any filter method on this bean. The mechanism: AeroPress immersion extracts compounds more completely at lower temperatures than continuous-flow methods because contact time isn't dependent on flow rate. At 370μm (30μm below neutral) in a 1:13 ratio with full immersion, the extraction is controlled by steep time rather than packing pressure or pour skill. For a multi-variety Guatemalan medium, this matters: the AeroPress doesn't expose variety-density differences the way a pour-over does. The 1-2 minute steep is sufficient because medium roast has already reduced bitterness relative to light roast — you're not fighting aggressive chlorogenic acid extraction at 83°C.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C, to 84°C. AeroPress at 83°C extracts slower — if your 370μm grind runs coarse on a particular grinder, sour notes indicate you're still in the acid-dominant extraction phase. A 22μm adjustment significantly increases surface area in this tight-ratio setup.
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g; switch to a metal filter. AeroPress paper micro-filters strip the oils from this washed Guatemalan medium — unlike natural or honey process beans, there's no fruit-derived body compensation. Metal filter passes those oils directly.
The Clever Dripper's immersion-then-filter design sits between French press and pour-over for this washed Guatemalan medium. Immersion during steep allows the Bourbon fraction's dense structure to fully release Maillard compounds — contact time isn't governed by flow rate. Paper filtration then removes the insoluble solids and fine particles that would add grit to French press without adding significant flavor. At 500μm and 92°C (identical to the Kalita Wave setup), the approach differs in mechanism: the steep phase gives Las Palomas Medium extra time to release its medium-roast complexity before the drawdown. Bourbon-group density interacts with medium roast in a specific way — in the Clever Dripper, the extended contact time exploits that density more fully than a continuous-flow brewer at the same grind setting.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C. In the Clever Dripper, sour from a medium-roast washed Guatemalan suggests the steep phase didn't bring the Bourbon fraction's Maillard compounds into solution. Increase steep time to the 4-minute end of the range before adjusting grind.
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g. The paper filter in the Clever Dripper removes oils that the immersion phase extracted — washed processing means no fruit-derived body backup. Tighter ratio compensates, and the immersion mechanism ensures that extra dose actually extracts fully.
Las Palomas Medium's multi-variety composition — Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra — creates a specific challenge for the V60: each variety responds slightly differently during roasting, meaning the roaster has hit a calibrated endpoint that averages across those differences. In the cup, that translates to a slightly less predictable extraction curve than a single-variety bean. The V60's technique-dependence means pour consistency matters more here than on a single-variety lot. At 470μm (30μm finer for altitude) and 92°C, the recipe targets medium-roast Bourbon group behavior — 8:30-9:00 first crack timing means extended Maillard development and more body from roast development than a Typica-group bean at the same nominal roast. The 1:16 ratio for V60 supports the body that 1,875m Guatemalan washed medium develops.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C. Sourness on this multi-variety Guatemalan medium usually indicates the lighter-developing Caturra fraction isn't extracting fully alongside the denser Bourbon. Finer grind brings all varieties into the extraction window together.
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g; try a metal filter. Las Palomas at medium roast has Maillard-built body from the Bourbon fraction — if the cup tastes thin, the melanoidin-rich oils are being caught by paper and you're not compensating with ratio. Metal filter passes more.
The Kalita Wave's flat-bottom geometry produces especially consistent extraction for multi-variety blends like this Bourbon-Catuai-Caturra lot. In a conical brewer, denser particles (Bourbon) tend to concentrate toward the bottom where water contact is longest; in a flat bed, all varieties experience roughly equal contact time per pour. This matters for Las Palomas Medium precisely because Bourbon and Caturra have different density characteristics — Bourbon is slower to first crack, Catuai is transitional, Caturra is standard Bourbon-group timing. The flat bed averages those differences more gracefully than a V60 would. At 500μm and 92°C with a 1:17 ratio, this is a forgiving setup. The pulse-pour technique (100g then five 50g pulses) prevents over-wetting the ridged Wave filter walls, which can collapse and restrict flow.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C. The Kalita Wave's even contact helps the Bourbon-Catuai-Caturra mix extract together, but sour notes mean the Bourbon fraction — densest of the three — isn't releasing its Maillard compounds. Finer grind and slightly higher temp close that gap.
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g. Medium-roasted washed Guatemalan at 1,875m has density to support a slightly tighter ratio. The Kalita Wave's flat bed means the issue is likely ratio rather than technique — straightforward to correct.
The Chemex's thick bonded filter has the most pronounced effect on a medium-roasted washed Guatemalan: washed processing means there are no honey/processing-derived compounds in the bean's flavor profile, so the oils that the Chemex strips are the primary body contributors. Medium roast builds melanoidins that light roast wouldn't — in Chemex context, that means the melanoidins that do make it through are the water-soluble fraction, while body-contributing compounds in the oils are filtered out. The 520μm grind at 92°C is wider than V60 to match the Chemex's slower drawdown. Huehuetenango washed lots at this altitude level tend toward brightness even at medium roast, and the Chemex's filter reinforces the clean, structured character of the cup rather than the textured character.
Troubleshooting
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g. The Chemex strips oil-bound melanoidins from this washed Guatemalan medium, and there's no honey or fruit-processing residue to compensate. A slightly tighter ratio is the most reliable correction — don't try to solve it with grind alone.
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C. Chemex drawdown is slow, but if grind is too coarse for the bean's density at 1,875m, water passes through too quickly despite the slower flow. Medium-roast Bourbon-group beans need the finer 520μm grind to extract fully.
Medium-roasted multi-variety Guatemalan at 1,875m produces espresso that operates in a specific flavor territory: the Bourbon fraction contributes the heavy Maillard structure characteristic of its slow-roast group, while Catuai's very high yield genetics means beans that extract faster under pressure. At 220μm and 91°C (-2°C for roast level), the recipe is calibrated to moderate that extraction rate disparity. The 1:2 ratio targets balanced extraction across a 25-30 second pull. CGA degradation in medium roast matters here because concentrated bitter compounds from roast development (the 60-70% bitterness contributor at light-medium roast) are now partially decomposed, reducing the astringency risk that the same Guatemalan at light roast would carry under pressure.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~10μm and increase temp by 1°C. Espresso sourness from this Guatemalan medium typically means the shot ran too fast through the multi-variety puck — the Catuai fraction packs less tightly than Bourbon, creating micro-channels. Even 10μm matters in the espresso grind range.
bitter: Grind coarser by ~10μm and decrease temp by 1°C. Medium roast already moved through peak CGA lactone formation on this Guatemalan lot — pushing harder under espresso's pressure conditions moves into dry distillate territory. Pull back slightly on both grind and temperature.
The moka pot extracts Las Palomas Medium at roughly 1.5 bar, producing a concentrated cup in the 1:10 ratio range. Pre-boiling water is the critical setup step: slow-heat extraction through the coffee bed as steam builds risks over-extracting the bitter compounds that medium-roasted 1,875m washed Guatemalan carries in its the bitter compounds that roasting has partially developed. At 320μm (30μm finer for altitude) and using pre-boiled water, extraction happens quickly and consistently once pressurized water reaches the basket. Bourbon-group variety behavior means this bean's dense structure extracts cleanly at medium-fine grind without the channeling risk that low-density varieties can show. The medium roast provides more body and less sharp brightness than a light roast would at the same moka ratio.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and confirm you're using pre-boiled water. The 1,875m altitude means this Guatemalan lot is moderately dense — without pre-boiled water, the slow steam heat phase under-extracts the Bourbon fraction before pressure builds, leaving only acids in the cup.
strong: Reduce dose by 1g or increase water by 15g. Moka pot's pressurized extraction from this medium-roasted washed Guatemalan extracts efficiently — the 1:10 ratio is already concentrated. A small adjustment prevents overstrength without losing the structural weight that medium development built.
Las Palomas Medium's medium density (medium, not very high like the Kanzu Rwanda) means French press extraction is somewhat more straightforward — less risk of surface-extraction-only at standard contact times. The unfiltered delivery preserves all body-contributing compounds in the oils from the medium roast's extended Maillard phase. For Bourbon-group beans, Hoos documents that slow MAI phase builds heavier body from roast development — at 1,875m, those are elevated further by high-altitude soluble density. French press preserves both. At 970μm and 94°C with a 1:15 ratio, this is a straightforward setup; the coarse grind at this temperature provides slower, cleaner extraction without the sediment issue that over-fine grinding creates in an unfiltered method.
Troubleshooting
sour: Grind finer by ~22μm and increase temp by 1°C. Sour in French press from this Guatemalan medium means insufficient steeping extraction. Try the Hoffmann approach — steep 4 minutes, then wait 5-8 additional minutes before pouring. The extra settling time extracts further without temperature compensation.
strong: Reduce dose by 1g or increase water by 15g. French press TDS runs higher than filtered methods at the same ratio because insoluble solids and oils add to perceived strength. For this medium-roasted Guatemalan, a modest adjustment to the dose-to-water ratio corrects overstrength cleanly.
Washed processing at 1,875m means Las Palomas Medium brings clean terroir expression without the fruit-fermentation complexity that naturals carry into cold brew. Cold water extracts significantly fewer acids than hot brewing, which for a medium-roasted washed Guatemalan means the already-moderate acidity becomes very subdued. What remains is primarily the sweet, chocolate-adjacent flavor range — the brown sugar and cocoa character that medium roast development creates comes through smoothly, while the bitter and harsh compounds stay largely unextracted at cold temperatures. At 870μm and 1:7 ratio, the concentrate setup targets a final drinking strength around 1:15 after dilution. The multi-variety composition (Bourbon-Catuai-Caturra) extracts relatively evenly in cold immersion — the pressure-flow differences that affect espresso are irrelevant here, and all varieties extract on the same diffusion curve.
Troubleshooting
flat: Grind finer by ~22μm and steep at 4°C instead of 2°C; check water mineral content. Cold brew from this washed Guatemalan medium is particularly susceptible to flatness because there are no natural-process fruit compounds to add interest — extraction must do the full work. Very soft water (below 100 ppm) significantly reduces extraction efficiency.
thin: Increase dose by 1g or reduce water by 15g. Cold water extracts melanoidins poorly, which is precisely the body-building compound that medium development on this 1,875m Bourbon-group lot produces. A stronger concentrate ratio is the direct fix — dilute less when serving.