Coconut Milk?

[KavaKitty]

So, my very first order of REAL kava is coming tomorrow; I ordered 1/2 lb. of Squanch (Joe, by the way, is an absolute doll and held my hand through the whole process; I'm so happy I found this forum before throwing good money after bad on Amazon). Now I have more annoying noob questions.

I've been reading a lot about coconut milk as part of a kava recipe. I saw a recipe on Chowhound that included coconut milk and unsweetened cocoa powder; needless to say, I'm not going to take Chowhound's advice on kava recipes, but it did sound tasty.

I've read that the kavalactones are fat soluble, and that the coconut milk, or soy lecithin, or something similar, makes them more readily available for absorption. Also, it sounds like it would taste really good. So, if I do that, how do I go about it? Do I prepare the kava in warm water then add it to the coconut milk and blend the whole thing, or do I knead the kava in the actual coconut milk? Or should I just say screw it and do it with plain old water and deal with the taste? It's not that I have an aversion to the taste of the root per se, I just think the coconut milk sounds delicious.

Thanks in advance for all of your help, and for your help thus far. I really am happy that I found this forum; lots of other forums treat kava as a sort of recreational thing, which is not what I'm about. I am really impressed with how you guys present this wonderful plant to the "outside world," keeping to the traditions and giving it the respect it deserves. You're the best!

 

[verticity]

I would recommend just starting with traditional preparation with hot water. Once you see how the "authentic" beverage tastes and effects you, you might want to experiment with adding different flavors, coconut water, juice, milk or whatever, because it does taste bad, but those mix-ins are definitely not essential to make a potent kava beverage. Theoretically emulsifiers like lecithin and fats would make the kavalactones more soluble, but that does not necessarily mean they will be made more bioavailable that way. Some people think it helps, probably most do not. I get best results with water (hot like I said). Sometimes I mix in something with citric acid like Crystal Light Lemonade mix to cover the taste, but mostly I just drink it straight. The time to consume fatty food is after you are finished drinking kava. So: drink it on an empty stomach, then chase with fatty and/or spicy food to intensify the effect.

 

[Edward]

I found coconut water to taste horrible with kava but I never tried coconut milk. These days I always mix my kava with semi skimmed milk. Verticity is right though, try it with straight water a few times and then experiment from there.

By the way I don't necessarily think that drinking with milk makes it any more potent. For me it's because my body doesn't seem to use all the kava to give me nice effects on the evening I drink it unless I drink it with milk. When I was drinking with water I would often drink milk the next morning and get a "kava bomb" going off in my stomach. It was the weirdest thing, as though I'd taken in the kava but it wasn't all used up straight away until I'd had the milk the next morning. Since then I have just mixed with milk and find I need less root to do the job and don't get an explosion the day after, just sometimes a nice kava glow that can last most of the day. I don't know if many other people experience the same as I do, or even if I started drinking with water tomorrow whether the same thing would happen but I have just got used to using milk so continue with it.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

I've been reading a lot about coconut milk as part of a kava recipe. I saw a recipe on Chowhound that included coconut milk and unsweetened cocoa powder; needless to say, I'm not going to take Chowhound's advice on kava recipes, but it did sound tasty.

That chocolate coconut milk would probably make an excellent chaser. I would recommend just using water or water/fruit juice if you cannot stand the taste. Kava has a strong taste and overwhelms just about anything you would mix it with. Kava made with plain water goes down easily, then having a tasty chaser is the best way to go, IMO. I've also tried kneading with a fat source and didn't find it to be any stronger and usually it tasted worse (lecithin ).

 

[YogaNatureLvr]

I use 1 part Thai Kitchen canned coconut milk to 2 to 3 parts Vtia Coco coconut water. (The canned coconut milk is much better than the carton variety.) Those brand names are the best I came up with after tasting through three or four brands.

Coconut milk on its own is too thick to knead kava into, but the above recipe works really well. Heat the liquid in the microwave to warm, not hot, then knead (or AluBall) your kava in the liquid. Delicious!

 

[Edward]

I use 1 part Thai Kitchen canned coconut milk to 2 to 3 parts Vtia Coco coconut water. (The canned coconut milk is much better than the carton variety.) Those brand names are the best I came up with after tasting through three or four brands.

Coconut milk on its own is too thick to knead kava into, but the above recipe works really well. Heat the liquid in the microwave to warm, not hot, then knead (or AluBall) your kava in the liquid. Delicious!

I'm guessing you could just thin the coconut milk out with some water too?

 

[YogaNatureLvr]

I'm guessing you could just thin the coconut milk out with some water too?

You could, but the coconut water gives a sweetness that balances really well with the coconut milk and kava. Also, the electrolytes in the coconut water seem to counteract the dehydration effects of the kava.

 

[KavaKitty]

I went with water, lol. I tossed 4 tbsp. of Squanch Waka in the blender, added 1 cup of warm water, blended on low for 2 2-minute intervals, then squeezed the hell out of it in a flannel bag (which came with a set of pillow cases and which I had because I recycle EVERYTHING). Chilled the liquid then downed it. I've had K@ tea and nothing tastes worse than that, so the kava went down beautifully. I'm happy, to say the least. I wanna marry @Squanch72 by the way, lol.

 

[Edward]

I went with water, lol. I tossed 4 tbsp. of Squanch Waka in the blender, added 1 cup of warm water, blended on low for 2 2-minute intervals, then squeezed the hell out of it in a flannel bag (which cane with a set of pillow cases and which I had because I recycle EVERYTHING). Chilled the liquid then downed it. I've had K@ tea and nothing tastes worse than that, so the kava went down beautifully. I'm happy, to say the least. I wanna marry @Squanch72 by the way, lol.

I think we can say the kava is working then... I want to marry everyone after a good heady shell.

 

[verticity]

I went with water, lol. I tossed 4 tbsp. of Squanch Waka in the blender, added 1 cup of warm water, blended on low for 2 2-minute intervals, then squeezed the hell out of it in a flannel bag (which came with a set of pillow cases and which I had because I recycle EVERYTHING). Chilled the liquid then downed it. I've had K@ tea and nothing tastes worse than that, so the kava went down beautifully. I'm happy, to say the least. I wanna marry @Squanch72 by the way, lol.

The flannel might be too fine for maximum extraction. You might want to try a nut milk bag, like the ones Cactus Kava ships with orders, or single or double layered knee high nylons, for better results.

 

[KavaKitty]

The flannel might be too fine for maximum extraction. You might want to try a nut milk bag, like the ones Cactus Kava ships with orders, or single or double layered knee high nylons, for better results.

Aren't nylons finer than flannel? I've been told I could also use a T-shirt or cheesecloth, there seems to be a huge range in materials for strainers. If I go with the nylins, should I get the support kind? Regular knee highs or pantyhose seem like they would be too flimsy for the task. Or am I just over-thinking it like I do with everything?

 

[24601]

I used a t-shirt when I first started drinking kava. If I remember correctly, it worked well enough. I cut a circle out of a t-shirt and put the kava in the centre, then tied it closed with a string. I use nylons now, the support kind. I sometimes use regular nylons but they are flimsy and seem to let more sediment through.

 

[Kimmer]

Nylons may be finer but they have more give. I use them religiously (or not). I meant to toss a couple pair of knee-high nylons in your package.

 

[verticity]

Aren't nylons finer than flannel? I've been told I could also use a T-shirt or cheesecloth, there seems to be a huge range in materials for strainers. If I go with the nylins, should I get the support kind? Regular knee highs or pantyhose seem like they would be too flimsy for the task. Or am I just over-thinking it like I do with everything?

Flannel is a thick fabric so I think it would be hard to squeeze all the good stuff through it, but nylons are stretchy, so they are very porous, but also very strong (They are made out of Space Age Polymers after all).
I use ordinary knee-high nylons like this (not the support kind). I actually nest two stockings inside one another for better filtration. But one stocking will give a more potent drink, if your stomach is not super sensitive:
Amazon productI use the following steps:
1) Rinse the nylon so it is wet first. That makes it easier to scoop the powder in without a cloud of powder going everywhere.
2) Put some kava (for me, typically half a cup) in the toe of the stocking, and kind of wind the rest of the nylon around, so there is a little ball of kava at the toe, with the rest of the nylon forming a "stem" you can hold onto.
3) Put 4 cups of hot water in a bowl, and squeeze the kava in the stocking underwater for 10 minutes. The hotter the water is, the better it works. I use hot tap water which is about 130 degrees F (not boiling or anything). I wear gloves, for two reasons: so my hands can tolerate hotter water, and to prevent the bad effect kava can have on the skin of your hands. (It gives you the hands of a 90 year old man, as @Kapmcrunk says) These are the kind of gloves I use:
Amazon productI like the X-Large size because my hands are relatively large, so they are a little loose on my hands. Obviously you can get the size appropriate to how big your hands are. If you are Donald Trump, that would be the Small size, of course.

 

[Aranel]

I went with water, lol. I tossed 4 tbsp. of Squanch Waka in the blender, added 1 cup of warm water, blended on low for 2 2-minute intervals, then squeezed the hell out of it in a flannel bag (which came with a set of pillow cases and which I had because I recycle EVERYTHING). Chilled the liquid then downed it. I've had K@ tea and nothing tastes worse than that, so the kava went down beautifully. I'm happy, to say the least. I wanna marry @Squanch72 by the way, lol.

Have you tried using juice instead of water? Although the taste of kava isn't so terrible IMO, it still is nice to juice it up every once in a while. I love using the Aluball method of prep mainly because it's easy and quick. Oh and sorry but Squanch72 is pretty much already married. lol So glad you enjoyed the Kava though!

 

[moff000]

I just go with warmish water and have a drink of juice at hand as a chaser!
Slightly off topic.... I hope kavakitty is ok after her loss?

 

[kastom_lif]

Fan of white cotton t shirt material here. It's easy to obtain and easy to wash.

As for fats in your kava, if it's good stuff there should be some yellow oil in the body. Adding coconut cream to the second squeeze might help stretch it. When I want a KICK though, I have a hot meal after the first couple of shells.

For wasemaot, pineapple chunks and citrus wedges are hard to beat. Sweet + acid is a good kava palate cleanser.