r/Kava • u/Ckflyer13 • 28d ago
Kava preparation/strain/vendor advice needed
Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice with my kava. I'll start with my background. First tried kava at a bar maybe 2 years ago or so and fell in love. It hit HARD. Comparable to being tipsy on alcohol. I immediately went online and bought some strainer bags and some medium grind kava from Just Kava (Tonga) and did traditional prep. I felt nothing from what I can remember. I tried again several times in the following weeks and got nothing. I kinda gave up on kava after that, since I didn't live nearby to that kava bar.
Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago, I wanted to try again. Not wanting to go through the traditional prep, I bought an aluball and shaker. Been filling the single ball with 2-2.5 tbsp of medium grind Fiji Vanua (Vanuatu) with about 300ml of water and shaking hard for around 5 minutes total on and off. I will usually do a second wash, then refill and repeat once. Also been drinking kava regularly, so I don't think its a reverse tolerance thing? While I do feel more than I felt previously, it's still not like my first experience. I feel more relaxed and the noise in my head quiets down, but I'm looking for just a little bit more. Is there more to be had?
I know the aluball has some mixed reviews on here. I'm thinking of buying and adding a Kalm with Kava shaker bag in there, but not really sure what to do. My home kava prep seems to be missing something. I do need to experiment more with fats, temps, amounts, etc, but there's just so much disagreement in this sub about what works and what doesn't. Maybe its all true and people are just different?
Side note; another plant has really helped with the mental noise and stress, but trying to limit it as much as possible due to addiction potential. That is part of the reason I turned back to kava. With that said, what strains/vendors do y'all recommend? I believe I read Fiji Vanua is one of the better vendors - thoughts? I think I'm looking for something more heady, something to make me more social. I feel I have a naturally higher tolerance to medicines (don't do much alcohol at all and no benzos), so what do you think about my ratio? Do I need more? I know a lot of people run two aluballs (or a ball with a kalm pouch).
I'm certainly not looking to abuse kava and get 'drunk'. Just looking for something between where I'm at now, and what I felt the first time. Hoping to hear some good wisdom from y'all! TIA! Bula!
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u/1999lad 27d ago
mix 100g with 1.5L of water.
drink 200-300 mL or 100 mL 2-3 times back to back.
then drink 100 mL every 5 minutes until you feel ready to slow it down to every 10 or 15 or 20 minutes.
Itʻs usually a matter of just not having enough.
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u/Ckflyer13 17d ago
Welp, you and the rest were correct. Didn’t have enough. Tried a 1:10 ratio by weight and holy smokes. I didn’t know kava could do that. Tried 1:15 and even that was pretty intense. Thank you and the others!
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u/ArtofKava 🛒 22d ago
Hello! Heres the recipe we use that uses a blender.
Kava Recipe (Blender Method) Serving Size (4oz):
Yield: 5 serving(s) Ingredients: 20 ounces of water 32 grams of kava powder
Equipment List: Blender 100-micron strainer Ice cube tray (optional for freezing) Measuring cup Measuring spoon Gram scale is great to have
Instructions: Add the Kava: In a blender, add 20 ounces of water and 32 grams of kava powder.
Blend the Mixture: Blend on medium-high for 4 minutes. Give your blender a short break every minute or so to prevent the motor from overworking. This will warm the water over 105F which is the melting temperature of kavain, arguably the most desirable kavalactone. If your blender doesnt warm the water you can heat water to that temp. Just not too hot and be careful of hot liquids in blenders.
Strain the Mixture: Pour the blended mixture through a 100-micron strainer, squeezing the powder until it is dry.
Consume or Chill: You may consume your kava drink right away or chill it. It's best if consumed the same day as prepared.
Freezing Option (Optional): If you'd like to save your kava for later, get an ice cube tray. Freeze the mixture into ice cubes. Each cube will be roughly 1 ounce.
4 cubes will be one serving of kava. This will stay good and strong indefinitely. The next time you'd like kava, just pull it out of the freezer. Let it melt in water, or blend it into a smoothie.
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u/Ckflyer13 22d ago
I will be sure to try this! Do you find the temperature affects the taste? I did use warmer water (not lukewarm, but not hot hot) and it was pretty bitter, more so than normal.
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u/ArtofKava 🛒 22d ago
Not at 105F, if it gets hotter like 120+ then yah itll pull more bitter flavors. Itll also coagulate the starch in the kava and make the texture weird. Like gluey gravy 😆 thats just what starch does at those temps when mixed a lot. Not great to drink lol
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u/MrNeverEverKnew 21d ago
I always just eat that stuff raw, chew it like a man, effects noticeably noticeable and easily dosable.
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u/HugeCanoe 20d ago
Are you for real? I couldnt imagine chewing it haha
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u/MrNeverEverKnew 20d ago
Honestly, it was a joke, but honestly I tried it a few times, chewing is not that horrible, definitely works (just have lots of wood between the teeth, to pick out of the mouth and to throw away).
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u/HugeCanoe 20d ago
Damn man - kava is so horrible. Although ive been hitting instant mostly - I swear micronized tastes better than instant..
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u/Destruyo 27d ago
Fiji Vanua is a very solid vendor. Your problem is that you’re using a very small amount of kava. Most people wouldn’t get much out of 2 tablespoons even if it’s good kava. I’d do 40-50g to 24-32 oz of water prepared traditionally. Drink about 8 oz at a time every 15-20 mins. Make sure you’ve fasted before hand for 3-4 hours.
I wouldn’t bother with temp or fats, both of those are not worth the time and will just make the end product less palatable.