What's new

Sipper vs a Chugger ?

Kavashua

Mmmm Kava
I could never get any positive benefits from sipping. I tried it but I don’t think I was ever getting enough kavalactones to produce an experience, so I’ve chugged ever since. I guess it’s just another one of those “different body chemistry” situations where some people will be able to sip and others are forced to chug
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
I chug the first 600-700ml and space shells after that, maybe 30 minutes apart but I will still chug those later shells. The only time I sip it is if I want to actually taste the kava which I may do on the first shell of a new kava for me.
 

Pakavalolo

Kava Curious
I did the reverse and started off sipping Kava when I was new to it and did get great effects. The problem was that I lost track of my consumption that way, and thus, my hydration. When I slam shell by shell I can feel the Kava right away and my body can give me feedback quicker on how it feels. If I start getting a slight headache, I know I need more water so I drink more and dont have my next shell until it goes away. This has worked very well for me so I dont stray from it. Chugging gets easier too as you drink more Kava.
 

Plantacious

Kava Enthusiast
I did the reverse and started off sipping Kava when I was new to it and did get great effects. The problem was that I lost track of my consumption that way, and thus, my hydration. When I slam shell by shell I can feel the Kava right away and my body can give me feedback quicker on how it feels. If I start getting a slight headache, I know I need more water so I drink more and dont have my next shell until it goes away. This has worked very well for me so I dont stray from it. Chugging gets easier too as you drink more Kava.
For me, this is hard to conceive, because it seems like if you chug, you run the risk of over-doing it and becoming nauseous.
For example, let's say that all your body can handle at the end of your session, is just half of another shell.
But if you chug another whole shell, you've bypassed your body's warning that you've had enough, and gone into excess which can make you sick.

Can one of the chuggers explain to me why this isn't an issue ? Because based on my understanding and experience with kava, my above description seems to make a lot of sense.
 

Kavashua

Mmmm Kava
I do get more nausea this way but the kava overshadows it and in the end it’s still a pleasant experience. On the other hand if I sip I don’t get much of an effect at all. For me to actually get to the point of sickness I really have to down a lot of grog.
 

Pakavalolo

Kava Curious
For me, this is hard to conceive, because it seems like if you chug, you run the risk of over-doing it and becoming nauseous.
For example, let's say that all your body can handle at the end of your session, is just half of another shell.
But if you chug another whole shell, you've bypassed your body's warning that you've had enough, and gone into excess which can make you sick.

Can one of the chuggers explain to me why this isn't an issue ? Because based on my understanding and experience with kava, my above description seems to make a lot of sense.
You're right in that that is how I find my upper limit. I always find for me personally though, that going one shell over can be remedied by drinking more water. After you become familiar with that point, it becomes easier to avoid. You will already know where you're sweet spot is after a while. I tend to pour myself bigger shells in the beginning of a session and smaller shells toward the end for that very reason.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
For me, this is hard to conceive, because it seems like if you chug, you run the risk of over-doing it and becoming nauseous.
For example, let's say that all your body can handle at the end of your session, is just half of another shell.
But if you chug another whole shell, you've bypassed your body's warning that you've had enough, and gone into excess which can make you sick.

Can one of the chuggers explain to me why this isn't an issue ? Because based on my understanding and experience with kava, my above description seems to make a lot of sense.
Usually when kava is nauseating the nausea is hanging around through most of the session. If it only comes on due to too much consumed, you learn spot the signs along the way and can adjust as needed. If near the end I feel like half a shell is all I need then I can just pour half a shell. That usually doesn't happen to me because unless it's the first time trying a kava, I'll get to know what to expect from each shell based on it's volume and how strong I prepped it. Chugging is what's recommended because kavain effects are very time and dose sensitive. If it trickles in or you don't get enough in a short period of time it will blunt the effects or completely weaken the experience. Chugging the dose all at once also lets you feel the subtleties of the buzz more as it plays out.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
I do get more nausea this way but the kava overshadows it and in the end it’s still a pleasant experience. On the other hand if I sip I don’t get much of an effect at all. For me to actually get to the point of sickness I really have to down a lot of grog.
Same here. If it's good kava (and lately that's been a big if), the effects will overshadow the nausea. If I were to sip it I wouldn't get the heady kavain buzz. When I first started with the weak KKF kava I did more sipping but only because it was so low in KLs/kavain that chugging wouldn't make the experience any better. Whenever I get kava like that now, it gets blended into Nangol, Stone or Supreme until it's gone.
 

the_wilderness

Kava Enthusiast
I'm a strange case where I have to chug everything I want in one go, or I get nauseous. I can have exactly the same amount halved into two sessions, and it will make me sick.
Always experimenting to see if my body shifts on this, though, as I'd love to be able to stretch out a session a little longer. I do have quite a large quantity to be able to feel it...just weird body chemistry.
 
Top