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The coffees of the Far East are more buttery, with less acidity than most other coffees. They are generally heavy-bodied, almost syrupy, and have a much more “earthy” feel and taste to them than most other coffee varietals.First up is Indian Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, an intriguing (and intriguingly named) coffee from the historic micro-region of Baba Budan in Karnataka, the state formerly known as Mysore. This is India’s highest grade of coffee. This shade grown coffee is intercropped with spice trees to give it its distinctive aroma of warm spices. This coffee yields a wonderful distinctive brew low in acid with a spicy, earthy flavor and an extremely rich finish. This is a pure joy to pair with any kind of deep bodied, dark Virginia blend. Try it with some of Mac Baren’s No. 1 or McClelland’s 2020 – Matured Cake.

In my opinion, there is no finer coffee anywhere in the world than Indian Monsooned Malabar This coffee is exceptionally smooth, mellow and full-bodied in the cup with a pleasant earthy flavor. It is called “monsooned” because the green coffee beans sit out in the weather before processing. I am completely and hopelessly in love with this coffee, not in small part because it is the perfect accompaniment to almost all light Virginia/Perique tobacco blends, particularly Escudo. No matter what has gone wrong, or how bad a day I have had, a cup of Monsooned Malabar and a bowl of Escudo, and I am right as rain, and ready to give it another try.

Continuing on in our tour of Indonesia, we come to Java Jampit. This Indonesian bean displays flavor characteristics similar to the other coffees in the area, but usually has a lighter body and slightly higher acidity level, more common to coffees from the Americas. A perfect choice for those looking for the rich tastes and full body of an Indonesian coffee, but with more zing, for pairing with English style blends. Give this a whirl with a bowl full of McClellands 5100 or Peter Stokkeybe’s 1882 Mixture.

My favorite of New Guinea’s offerings, New Guinea Plantation A, is moderately rich and medium-bodied with a slight tartness and the low-key acidity that distinguishes all of the coffees of the Malay Archipelago and Indonesia. The tartness of this particular bean has a flowery (as opposed to fruity) note to it, that I think pairs it amazingly well with a nice soft Cavendish and/or Burley based blend. I have been known to pair this happily with bowlful of Stokkeybe’s Natural or Gawith and Hoggarths Burley & Bright. You don’t get a whole lot more basic than that!

Old Government Java was once one of the World’s great gourmet coffees until its disappearance during WWII. Fortunately it is now being revived. Aged 2 years to gain body, sweetness, and reduce acidity, it is heavy bodied, rich romantic, and darkly sweet. This is such an amazing coffee, filled with nuance and shifting character that it was extremely hard for me to pin down any one particular blend that really matched it perfectly. Each style of blend I tried produced very satisfactory results and each brought out separate characteristics of the coffee varietal. This is an excellent place to play around with combinations of tobacco – I have yet to find one that wasn’t good!

Sumatra Mandheling is the most famous of the Indonesian coffees, and is definitely among the worlds finest. It has the lowest acid level of all the world’s coffees and displays rich flavor and an extraordinarily full body. Heavy and syrupy with earthy under-tones, this delightfully sweet coffee has an earthy and herbal character and a full, heavy body. Pair it up with a stout English blend, like Rattray’s Accountant’s Mixture or perhaps some of Peterson & Sorensens English Blend.

Sulawesi (Celebes) Kalossi is yet another deep, delicious pool of Indonesian heavy-bodied elixir. Distinct from Sumatra in its zesty, warm-spice dimensions, Kalossi has a rich and complex flavor. It differs from neighboring coffees because of its slightly higher acidity, yet still maintains the full, heavy body and sublime aroma typical of the region. If it were not for the existence of Monsooned Malabar, I could happily drink this, and only this coffee, for the rest of my life. The round, full taste of this coffee works so well with English blends. I love it paired with Rattray’s Professional Mixture or G. L. Pease’s Caravan. There is something magical about the way this coffee interacts with Oriental leaf.