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Kava Preparation AluBall tips, tricks and cheats

currentbun

currentbun

Kavacidal Maniac
So, I've learned that if you tilt and kinda suction one of the lower screens on the AluBall when you remove it from your freshly-made kava, you can get those last precious drops that remain when you unscrew your ball to release. That's my tip.

Question. I dumped what was in the ball after my second wash and added another full ball to the second wash and shook it up. It seemed like a good idea and it was pretty awesome (my mouth and lips have been number for like 10 minutes) but am I somehow wasting kava or if all the kavalactones have been released (just sticks in the ball now) then no worries?

:D I have no idea if that made sense ::awesomesmiles::
 
Crunked

Crunked

Proselytizer
1. Shake for at least 60 seconds.
2. Use 2 Aluballs.
3. I weigh the kava and water going into the bottle so I know how much to expect the last shell to weigh. If it weighs 80 ml and I know it should weigh much more, I can usually get an extra 35-40 mls out of the bottle by rotating, tapping, and horizontally shaking the bottle. Too good to go down the sink. The extra amount will vary according to how absorbent your medium grind is.
 
Groggy

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
currentbun said:
So, I've learned that if you tilt and kinda suction one of the lower screens on the AluBall when you remove it from your freshly-made kava, you can get those last precious drops that remain when you unscrew your ball to release. That's my tip.
Click to expand...
I have learned if I mix 1/2 cup of root the traditional way, I can get really, really krunked, that's my tip ;)
J/K - I love my aluball too lol...(and I only have one)
Seriously though, when I fill the aluball with root, I put a little trickle of water in there before i close it, makes the first wash faster and easier to mix. :)
 
currentbun

currentbun

Kavacidal Maniac
Crunked said:
1. Shake for at least 60 seconds.
2. Use 2 Aluballs.
3. I weigh the kava and water going into the bottle so I know how much to expect the last shell to weigh. If it weighs 80 ml and I know it should weigh much more, I can usually get an extra 35-40 mls out of the bottle by rotating, tapping, and horizontally shaking the bottle. Too good to go down the sink. The extra amount will vary according to how absorbent your medium grind is.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, I should have been more clear and specific. I only have the one ball. I drank first and second washes.
I did the second wash and put it in the fridge to cool while I drank the first wash. When I took it out, instead of drinking it, I decided to put a fresh ball of kava in with it and shake the hell out of it.

About your #3, I've (so far) found that when I open the ball to clean it, there's always a little bit of water in it and everything else is gone but the "sticks". I'm talking about drops, literally, probably less than 10 ml. :D No wasting allowed here.:giggle:
 
TheKavaSociety

TheKavaSociety

New Zealand
Kava Vendor
I would just warn people against trying to "press" the powder with their finger or some spoon when they try to squeeze out all the liquid from an open ball once they are done with the shaking. This seems to be the main reason why people's aluballs get ruined as you might apply way more force than the fine mash can survive..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dino9832

dino9832

Kava Enthusiast
I LOVE my Aluball! I use it daily. Sometimes for a morning dose. Almost always for lunch. And then it's traditional prep at night.
I use slightly hot tap water from the sink. Shake, rattle, and roll for 2 minutes.

Then *and here's the secret* I swing the cup up and down in an arc, using centrifugal force to get the last bit of water out.
Note: Make sure you have plenty of space! Whacking your cup on a hard object might crack it!
Note2: Making full circles resulted in smacking myself in the forehead once. Don't ask. :confused:

I also do a second wash. It comes out pretty clean. I feel like I'm getting most of the "stuff" out of the root.
 
Squanch72

Squanch72

Kava Vendor
Sort of like @dino9832 I have started to lay my shaker bottles horizontal and roll the ball in a circle inside them, less abuse on the Aluball and still get plenty strong washes. I roll :) for three minutes per wash. I use these as my shaker bottle. You can really get the aluball rolling going in the wider Coleman jug. I could probably get 3 aluballs in the Coleman for horizontal rolling.
blender.jpg
coleman.jpg
 
Squanch72

Squanch72

Kava Vendor
I have really learned not to overfill with root it so it doesn't concrete on me as I call it. That is why it is nice to have two aluballs with just about 1/4 headroom left at the top of the fill half of one aluball. I guess that is two tablespoons but I use teaspoons since they are easier to work with and not spill root.
 
IammGRooT

IammGRooT

ShakeYerKavaMaker
@Winpig "Seriously though, when I fill the aluball with root, I put a little trickle of water in there before i close it, makes the first wash faster and easier to mix."

What exactly is happening here? I'm referencing this exact prelude to when making a fresh pot of Herba Mate tea..just be4 running the hot water over the capture screen into the pot, a tad bit of cool water 1st wakes the mates compounds...
Sounding exactly same pre-prep but not at all same thing:: "makes the first wash faster and easier to mix"?? It's packed in a ball? Please explain ...:smuggrin::whistle:
 
E

EQ

Atman
IammGRooT said:
@Winpig "Seriously though, when I fill the aluball with root, I put a little trickle of water in there before i close it, makes the first wash faster and easier to mix."

What exactly is happening here? I'm referencing this exact prelude to when making a fresh pot of Herba Mate tea..just be4 running the hot water over the capture screen into the pot, a tad bit of cool water 1st wakes the mates compounds...
Sounding exactly same pre-prep but not at all same thing:: "makes the first wash faster and easier to mix"?? It's packed in a ball? Please explain ...:smuggrin::whistle:
Click to expand...
In a Mate set-up the cold water is said to act as a shield against the first rush of hot water to protect the nutrients.

Putting a bit of water in the ball could help. Soaking some water in there initially would add mass and create more force in smashing the kavalactones out of the root.
 
Groggy

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
IammGRooT said:
@Winpig "Seriously though, when I fill the aluball with root, I put a little trickle of water in there before i close it, makes the first wash faster and easier to mix."

What exactly is happening here? I'm referencing this exact prelude to when making a fresh pot of Herba Mate tea..just be4 running the hot water over the capture screen into the pot, a tad bit of cool water 1st wakes the mates compounds...
Sounding exactly same pre-prep but not at all same thing:: "makes the first wash faster and easier to mix"?? It's packed in a ball? Please explain ...:smuggrin::whistle:
Click to expand...
I meant that when I use the Aluball, after I put the 2-3 tbs of root in, there is enough room to put a bit of water in it before I close the aluball. I found that way made the mixing faster & more efficient. I have also put the root in, close it and ran a a bit of water over it before I put in the shaker. Hope that makes sense, lol...I am a wee bit krunked atm...
 
IammGRooT

IammGRooT

ShakeYerKavaMaker
Yeah I haven't used mine yet but confusing me cause from the looks of it just all this sounds counter-intuitive cause the dam thing has a mesh screen precisely for water to strain though!! Haha :wacky:..Meh..find out soon enough..thnxs.
 
I don't know

I don't know

Kava Enthusiast
I had to start using the Aluball in a shaker bottle as well. The bottle that is comes with is not well made. But, the ball itself works really well. I do get a lot of sediment from the Aluball. Is it the same when you prepare the traditional way or is there less sediment?
 
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