Should I be taking my Kava with a fat source?
Personally, I think that having an empty stomach is more useful in terms of potency than trying to take it with a fat source. I have gathered from the posts on the forums that these days (as opposed to 17 years ago when I did my first round of kava drinking), there is far less certainty among kava drinkers that a fat source increases potency significantly. Back in the late nineties, it was frequently touted that lecithin added to blender prep greatly increased potency. These days, I don't get the sense that that really panned out, otherwise I think a lot more people would be doing it. That being said, however, I have made kava with milk (dairy) instead of water and do think it made a difference. Nevertheless, I don't think I care for the difference. I think it made it stronger, but also made it less balanced and more heavy. Other than the fact that it made it a bit more drinkable, I have not felt inclined to use milk again for reasons of potency. Personally, I don't think it is necessary to mess with a fat source. Plus, if you do it wrong (like dumping a bunch of olive oil in your grog), it can taste pretty horrible. Of course, there is little to lose in trying something like coconut milk. But my personal opinion is that there is no reason to mess around with a fat source in the mixing of the kava. I do agree that a fatty meal is better than a bunch of grains after drinking kava to avoid reducing the effects, though, again, some have found the addition of the fatty meal to be less than pleasant, while others have enjoyed the "boost" of effects it seems to give. Its really up to you, but I personally think it isn't necessary.
At best it should be the difference between feeling strong effects and effects a little stronger or weak effects and effects tipping toward moderate. It is
not, in my experience, something that should make the difference between feeling nothing and really feeling the kava.