I have a bag of George Howell Kenya Karatu AB beans that I'm experimenting with. I'm using a Kalita Wave, and a Bonavita gooseneck with flow restrictor (bought from George Howell, fits electronic Bonavita kettles).

In all the pours I had approx 550g of water.

First try was 34g of beans, ground to 19c on a Baratza Preciso. Water temp 205 degrees, total brew took about 3 minutes 45 seconds. Coffee was a little on the weak side, but the taste was very good, very floral and enjoyable.

Second try was 38g of beans, ground to 20c, water temp 199 degrees (figured it was within range). Total brew again about 3 minutes 45 seconds. Coffee tasted good, but was very acidic, (if that's the right way to describe a very round taste, not necessarily sour or bitter) it was hard to taste any floral notes, or fruit notes, but the cup was enjoyable, though I'd tire of drinking it for more than a cup or two.

Third try was 35g of beans, ground 35 grams at 19c and sifted out 1.7 grams of fines. Water temp 204 degrees. 3 minutes 45 seconds again, coffee was less acidic than the second try but more acidic than the first. Coffee didn't taste as weak as the first try, but the flavors I enjoyed seemed more muted in this cup.

I'm curious what you guys would suggest I try next, I could try a couple different things now, but wanted opinions from folks who have been at this longer than I have!

I would only change one aspect at a time. It will not only help you dial in your brewing, but it will also help you understand the affect each aspect has. I noticed you changed a few items at one time (amount of coffee, grind size, water temp)

Recommend starting point:

Ratio... 1:16.6 (if you continue to use 550ml of water, then use 33.1grams of coffee)
Water temp...195-205 (I would not focus too much on this aspect imo)
Grind size for kalita wave...The coffee grind size will be between Medium and Medium Coarse. See the Coffee Grind Chart for a visual explanation.

http://ineedcoffee.com/coffee-grind-chart/

Also good links
http://ineedcoffee.com/kalita-wave-coff ... -tutorial/
http://brewmethods.com

Thanks for the helpful info! I have found that different beans call for different coffee/water ratios. What tastes good for one coffee tastes terrible for another.

I think my grind settings are fine, looks like it's around medium grind from the picture in the chart you linked to. I do notice the presence of fines though, which Baratza says is more or less normal. It's enough to slow down the drain of the Wave, but grinding coarser leads to a sour taste, underextracted coffee.

If temp is the least important variable, I'll play around with the other variables and see what I come up with. One thing that confused me is that 34g of coffee to 550g water seemed a little bit watery, though it's more than the 33.1 grams of a 1:16.6 ratio. And to compound that, my brew went down more slowly than the 3:00 - 3:30 I've seen mentioned around here, which has left me very curious!

I brew Kenyan coffees cooler than others. 192-190 specifically.

195-205 is quite a big variance in temp for brewing a coffee and could lead to changes in taste and extraction rates over a series of brews. Whilst brew ratio and pouring technique probably have a big get influence I'd would want to be within a closer temp range each time to discount its effect on the end cup.
I agree dont try to change too many things at once . I'd try and set a stableish starting temp for your water though....

I should have been more clear... I agree 195-205 is a large range. I would pick a number somewhere in that range and stick with it. I find that the water temperature plays a very small roll when compared to the other aspects (assuming you are within the above range). I was merely saying it would be the last one I would try and "tweak" because it has the least affect on the final cup (again assuming you are within range).

In fact all the the above parameters I gave are starting points. Everyone has a preference and it's much easier to find yours when you only change one item at a time to help you understand the affect each has on the final cup.

I've settled on 44g coffee and 725g water as a sweet spot to get the flavors I want. Water off the boil seems to bring out astrigency in the coffee. 200f seems to be just right - any lower and the coffee starts to taste more watery. Still experimenting.