Alternative Consumption Methods?

[slamduncan]

Hey all!

I'm having trouble drinking Kava. I have a bag of micronized Kava and have found that mixing it with chocolate milk is the best way to drink it right now, but I still have a rough time getting it down without setting off my gag reflex. I was wondering if there are any other ways you can think of to take Kava.

In addition to drinking it, I've tried mixing it with chocolate milk, freezing it, and then trying to swallow chopped/mashed bits like a pill. Doesn't work too well. I've also considered making my own capsules from it, but with the amount of Kava it takes for me to feel anything, I'd end up making and taking something like 70 pills. I saw the thread about rectal administration...I'll pass on that. Any suggestions welcome!

 

[kavadude]

Mix with water only
Pinch your nose and drink it all
Wash your mouth out with carbonated beverage of choice (I use unsweetened seltzer water), spit it out then drink some more then swallow it. The spitting seems to be better at clearing out some of the sediment that lingers for whatever reason


This is what I've been doing for a long time and it works for me

 

[kavadude]

You might also try some of these recipes: http://kavaforums.com/forum/forums/kava-lounge.14/?prefix_id=10

 

[violet]

Mix with water only
Pinch your nose and drink it all
Wash your mouth out with carbonated beverage of choice (I use unsweetened seltzer water), spit it out then drink some more then swallow it.

Once it's bottoms up don't breathe until you're done. I do this too and it helps a lot. Getting hit with full on kava flavor scares me off from being able to drink much more. I personally don't like mixing it into a recipe, it seems like adding flavor just makes the kava taste worse. I think milk is a good helper to get it down. My preferred carbonated chasers are apple seltzer, orange soda, and root beer.

I think it is a little easier to drink traditional prep shells because if there's any grit it's so fine it doesn't make a difference.

 

[slamduncan]

Thanks, I'll check out some of those recipes. There's one involving miracle fruit that looked promising.

I always plug my nose when I drink it but it doesn't seem to help, especially when it hasn't mixed totally and I get a little chunk of powder.

 

[kavadude]

What brand is it? I know Chris's are supposed to mix pretty well with water but I haven't had any micronized in a long time.

 

[violet]

Oh no not chunks . Try spinning a whisk between your palms to mix it, a cup with a blender ball, or best yet (but maybe a little overkill) an immersion blender.

 

[Groggy]

I also find that pineapple juice is a wonderful flavor masking ingredient, you can either chase it with it or mix the grog with it. If the taste really bothers you, do a 1/2 and 1/2 mix. Pineapple juice almost gets rid of the taste entirely.

 

[GussWest]

I use an aluball as a timed-release mechanism with micronized kava. Gently shake until I get the desired concentration. Try drinking the kava a bit more diluted. This helps reduce my gag reflex tremendously.

 

[slamduncan]

What brand is it? I know Chris's are supposed to mix pretty well with water but I haven't had any micronized in a long time.

BKH 11 Year Waka. I've just been trying to mix it in a shaker bottle. I think with the amount it takes for me to feel something, it's hard to get it all mixed. I'm going to try capsules tonight, I made some earlier today. And I ordered some miracle fruit tablets, so I'm interested in seeing how those work.

I use an aluball as a timed-release mechanism with micronized kava. Gently shake until I get the desired concentration. Try drinking the kava a bit more diluted. This helps reduce my gag reflex tremendously.

I'll look into this, thanks!

 

[Kimmer]

Report back on the miracle fruit, please. Would be amazing if it made kava taste good.

 

[kavadude]

I've done capsules before. It works fine but I also have no issue swallowing like 12 pills or whatever. I stopped doing it because drinking kava doesn't bother me that much any more. Follow it up with a glass of water to avoid nasty kava/capsule burps from the capsule dissolving

 

[chandra]

Personally I think traditionally prepped kava tastes better than micronized. You may have to dilute it and drink more liquid to get where you want to be. You can put it under your tongue, and it gives you an instant heady effect, but the taste is still rough.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

If its tough to drink the micro ... 11 year waka is the toughest in my opinion but all micros are gross to me ... After about a year of drinking kava daily ... I gave up on thick grog.. I literally tripple maybe even quadruple strain my kava after i make it and if i have micro .. I mix it with warm water stir .. Then take a strainer and keep pouring over and squeeze out the oils and do that over and over untill there is nothing but water and oils no kava particles at all... This doesnt reduse potency to the point that its not worth it. I find it very worth it and i even stopped needing a chaser 90 percent of the time because its just so smooth and easy to drink.

Or easier way .. Get a fijian strainer bag and pretend your micro is just regular medium grind ... Then next time buy medium cause its less expensive lol

 

[slamduncan]

If its tough to drink the micro ... 11 year waka is the toughest in my opinion but all micros are gross to me ... After about a year of drinking kava daily ... I gave up on thick grog.. I literally tripple maybe even quadruple strain my kava after i make it and if i have micro .. I mix it with warm water stir .. Then take a strainer and keep pouring over and squeeze out the oils and do that over and over untill there is nothing but water and oils no kava particles at all... This doesnt reduse potency to the point that its not worth it. I find it very worth it and i even stopped needing a chaser 90 percent of the time because its just so smooth and easy to drink.

Or easier way .. Get a fijian strainer bag and pretend your micro is just regular medium grind ... Then next time buy medium cause its less expensive lol

I started drinking micro because of the convenience and also because I found it easier to drink, flavor wise. Using medium grind and a strainer bag, the drink was a lot more bitter and I could still taste it even with my nose plugged. With micro, at least the flavor wasn't as squeezed out into the liquid. But then there's the texture problem...

Capsule update: I tried taking it through capsules. Unfortunately, with the capsule size I bought, it took 96 capsules for 4 tbsp. Which is ridiculous...but I still did it. It worked, and there was no bad taste, but it also made my stomach pretty upset. Probably because I also ate 96 beef gelatin capsules. Not a great idea.

Miracle fruit update: The tablets work for making lemon juice drinkable, but the recipe I found with water, lemon juice, and kava was pretty gross. Especially the aftertaste. Maybe if the drink were so overpoweringly sour it could mask the kava powder. I used about 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp kava. Rougly. It went down fine, although it wasn't mixed that well. But the aftertaste was pretty bad.

 

[24601]

I use micro, and mix a tablespoon with about a shot's worth of juice, and then toss it back and immediately rinse my mouth with more juice. Still tastes horrible, but that's the easiest way for me. I agree that the texture is gross.. it's like drinking really soft mud.

 

[kavadude]

You want 00 sized capsules.

Also perseverance. I used to have to psych myself up to drinking kava, listening to metal and running around screaming like a powerlifter juicing up for a 3x bodyweight deadlift, now it's pretty easy and painless for me.

 

[slamduncan]

I use micro, and mix a tablespoon with about a shot's worth of juice, and then toss it back and immediately rinse my mouth with more juice. Still tastes horrible, but that's the easiest way for me. I agree that the texture is gross.. it's like drinking really soft mud.

I'm thinking this might be the easiest method. Less liquid = less I have to drink.

You want 00 sized capsules.

Also perseverance. I used to have to psych myself up to drinking kava, listening to metal and running around screaming like a powerlifter juicing up for a 3x bodyweight deadlift, now it's pretty easy and painless for me.

Yeah, I realize that now haha. Maybe if I hadn't been drinking kava when I ordered it...

Anyway, the easiest method I've found so far is just mixing in like 2 tbsp in with about a cup of soy milk and flavored coffee creamer. I just happen to have soy milk and spiced latte flavored coffee creamer, I'm sure normal milk and any other flavor would be fine. The creamer does a decent job of masking the flavor and since I'm only adding 2 tbsp rather than 4 or 5 in one drink, the powder mixes well.

 

[ThreeCardMonty]

Got home today and found BKH 11 year in the mail. This is my first experience with micro. Guess I'll just try the Aluball timed release method mentioned above and drink some juice afterwards.

We'll see. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[blindy107]

I agree with the hold your breath and chase method. I have to do it when I get to like shell number 7 or 8 on "one of those nights"

Also mango nectar, kava, dash of cinammon. Wonderfully easy.