Bolivia: Pedro Flores, Dry Fermented Washed

Espresso at 85/100 is the second-highest match for Pedro Flores, and the recipe reflects this confidence: a ristretto-viable ratio of 1:1.3-2.3, grind at 270μm (+20μm coarser than default espresso), temperature at 90°C (-3°C for dark roast). The coarser grind relative to default is critical — fresh medium-dark beans outgas CO2 aggressively under 9-bar pressure, and too-fine grinding at this roast level compresses the puck further, increasing channeling risk and leading to inconsistent shots. The 22-28 second window captures the sweet spot where the malic acid brightness and Strecker-derived biscuit character extract before the longer-chain bitter polyphenols. Bolivia's Catuai at 1,500m has slightly lower concentrated solubles than higher-altitude lots, making the shorter ratio (ristretto range) practical — less water means extraction completes before the cup tips bitter.

AeroPress at 84/100 is the third-highest match for Pedro Flores. The mechanism is compression plus pressure: the plunger's mechanical action forces water through the coffee bed under mild pressure, extracting more fully than immersion alone but with less intensity than espresso. Temperature drops to 82°C (the lowest hot-brew setting, -3°C from the already-lowered dark roast baseline), which is meaningful — at 82°C, the lower temperature slows extraction of the heaviest bitter compounds that accumulate in dark roast development. The 420μm grind (+20μm from default) combined with the short 1-2 minute total time gives a controlled extraction window. The 1:12.8-13.8 ratio produces a concentrated cup that amplifies the biscuit and fruit notes without requiring the machine pressure that espresso demands — a good choice when espresso isn't available.

Clever Dripper at 83/100 combines the best aspects of immersion and percolation for Pedro Flores: the valve-controlled drain means the coffee steeps fully before draining, eliminating the flow-rate variability of V60, while the paper filter delivers a cleaner cup than French press. For medium-dark Bolivian Catuai, this matters — the full-immersion phase extracts the toffee-weight Maillard compounds and residual malic acid brightness without the bitterness risk of continuous-pour turbulence. Temperature drops to 91°C (-3°C from default) and grind opens to 550μm (+20μm) for the same reasons as all dark roast recipes. The 3:00-4:00 steep window at 1:15.8-16.8 extracts the Strecker-derived biscuit character fully before the bitter compounds dominate. Compared to French press, the paper filter removes some oils but gains clarity — which actually makes the red apple note more distinct.

Moka pot at 82/100 extracts Pedro Flores via 1.5-2 bar steam pressure — far less than espresso's 9 bar, but enough to create a concentrated brew that amplifies all the medium-dark Catuai's characteristics. The grind is set at 370μm, coarser than true espresso (+20μm from Moka default), because tighter grinds at Moka's lower pressure risk stalling flow and scorching the bed — the slower extraction at lower pressure makes overextraction of bitter compounds more likely, not less. Pre-boiling the water before loading the bottom chamber is particularly important here: cold water in the base means the grounds sit over rising steam as pressure builds, effectively re-roasting the already medium-dark Bolivian Catuai. The short 4-5 minute window and pre-boiled start protect the biscuit note and residual fruit character that the existing narrative identifies.

French press at 82/100 makes more sense for Pedro Flores than V60 or Chemex despite similar scores to Clever Dripper, because immersion brewing doesn't rely on filter porosity for body — the metal mesh passes oils and fine particles directly into the cup. Medium-dark Catuai from Bolivia benefits: the reduced lipid content at this roast level reaches the cup intact, and the residual acidity — contributing to the red apple and redcurrant notes — softens pleasantly in the extended 4-8 minute steep rather than reading sharp. Temperature is set at 93°C (the highest of the non-pressure methods, practical for coarse-ground immersion where higher temp is needed for even saturation), and grind opens to 1020μm (+20μm from default). The ratio at 1:14.8-15.8 is slightly tighter than lighter roasts — medium-dark yields fewer solubles per gram, so the recipe compensates by using marginally more coffee relative to water.

The Kalita Wave's flat bed and three small drain holes create the most even water distribution of the three pourover options — pulse pouring hits a flat bed with uniform flow resistance rather than V60's angled cone. That extraction evenness matters for Pedro Flores at medium-dark, because the narrower soluble window (roasting reduces total extractable yield) means uneven extraction is more punishing here than it would be on a light roast. Temperature drops to 91°C and grind opens +20μm for the same reason as the other paper methods: protecting against bitter compounds overextraction. The ratio at 1:16.8-17.8 is the widest of the pour-over options, appropriate for the flat-bottom's slightly more complete extraction. The red apple malic acid character that survived medium-dark roasting shows up in the Wave's balanced cup — not as prominently as it would in a Clever Dripper, but present and clean.

The V60's steep cone and fast-draining design reward the brewer's technique but punish body-light roasts with body-light results. At medium-dark, Pedro Flores already has diminished volatile aromatics compared to a lighter roast, and the V60's paper filter removes whatever oils remain — the combined effect is why this scores 69/100 here. The recipe compensates with a -3°C temperature drop (to 91°C) to slow extraction of the bitter compounds that accumulate at medium-dark development, and a +20μm grind coarsening to prevent overextraction of the roast-developed bitter compounds. The 1:15.8-16.8 ratio is slightly tighter than default to compensate for the reduced soluble yield that medium-dark roasting creates. The fruit brightness from the Catuai variety — specifically the malic acid character — is visible but narrow at this roast; the V60's clarity lens shows it clearly, just with less supporting body than French press or Clever Dripper can deliver.

Chemex scores 65/100 for Pedro Flores — the lowest of the nine brewers — because of a specific physical mismatch: Chemex's bonded paper filters are 20-30% thicker than standard filters, trapping more oils and fines than any other paper method. At medium-dark, Pedro Flores's Catuai already has a reduced pool of extractable lipids compared to lighter roast levels, and Chemex removes most of what's left. The result is a cup that emphasizes clarity at the expense of the structural weight that makes this roast level interesting. Temperature is set at 91°C (down 3°C from default) and grind is coarsened +20μm to protect against overextraction of the roast-amplified bitter compounds, but neither adjustment can recover the body that the filter removes. the biscuit note — a Strecker degradation product — tends to read lean and dry rather than rich through Chemex's filtration.