Fiji vs Vanautu kava? Is there a distinct difference?

[jonas]

I have only tried Vanautu kava so far and I greatly enjoy it, however I came across an opportunity to purchase some Fiji Kava and it was described as 'more potent.' Now my ultimate question is: is there a definitive difference between kavas from these two islands, or is that irrelevant in the face of the type of kava? Do both islands yield 'noble' kava? I've heard that Vanautu has strict rules on only exporting noble kava, so does this mean it's more likely to find non-noble kavas coming from Fiji?

Well, a bunch of questions here - sorry for that. All in all, I'm just curious what your experiences have been with Fiji vs Vanautu kavas and if there was a chief similarity between all kavas from each island, or if its solely up to the 'type' of kava... thanks!

 

[Deactivated Account]

I've only ever had those 2 & Tongan.

Fiji can 'on the floor' kava as well as 'drop it into the garbage disposal' It's always very hit & miss for me.

 

[Crunked]

Fijians regard Vanuatu kava as 'very strong'. I was recently in Fiji where I purchased 7 or 8 kavas from the Nadi kava market. The effect ranged from barely detectible to quite good, but in every case more kava was required than I would use to achieve a similar effect with Vanuatu Borogu. The situation is further complicated by Fiji apparently being a major importer of Vanuatu kava. So kava you purchase as being Fijian may be Noble, maybe not, may be Fijian, maybe not. It depends on how much you want to spend and how lucky you feel in taking a ticket in the Kava Lottery.

Buying from a reputable vendor would be your best course.

 

[Deactivated Account]

Buying from a reputable vendor would be your best course.

Good advice !

 

[yepimonfire]

All fiji I've had is kinda like a balance between head and body, but never weak. I wouldn't say vanuatu is stronger, but rather more sedating.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

 

[kavadude]

I would agree with whats been said above. Kava is a sterile cultivar which means you aren't going to get too much variation in kavalactone content between strains, and I would say that Vanuatu kavas tend to be stronger. Fiji kavas generally get to us without any specific strain name either, which is kind of annoying. (and nearly all of them are labelled waka -- what are they doing with all the leftover basal roots! anyway..). But there is plenty of quality fijian kava out there.

 

[Prince Philip]

I would agree with whats been said above. Kava is a sterile cultivar which means you aren't going to get too much variation in kavalactone content between strains, and I would say that Vanuatu kavas tend to be stronger.

Kava has cultivars. Kava reproduces by clone cuttings. This means selective pressures do exist, but those pressures are human pressures, as humans now control the life cycles. New cultivars exist due to clonal mutations.

In Vanuatu, chemotype tends to be important. Kavain is King! But in Fiji, the cultural emphasis is on total kavalactone content. Thus, Fijian kavas tend to be higher in Methysticin.

 

[kavadude]

It's my understanding that clonal mutations are very rare. It's not like farmer X can set out and say I'm going to select for high kavain or methysticin or so on.

 

[Prince Philip]

How rare do they have to be? We have three thousand years of human activity. If your average kava plant is harvested at 4 years of age, we're talking about seven hundred and fifty generations, minimum. Seriously, read "Kava, the Pacific Elixir" and then we'll talk.

Tell you what, go to Vanuatu and argue that their export laws are unscientific bullshit because clonal mutations are very rare and therefore all kava is more or less the same, so "tudei" is a cultural distinction and that chemotypes are a scientific conspiracy like evolution, gravity, heliocentrism, germ theory and relativity.

 

[Prince Philip]

It's my understanding that clonal mutations are very rare. It's not like farmer X can set out and say I'm going to select for high kavain or methysticin or so on.

 

[kavadude]

Is that not referring to the domestication of kava?

@Gourmet Hawaiian Kava would like to hear your thoughts on this

 

[Deleted User01]

I remember reading somewhere that the islanders would take the somatic mutations that they liked and they would replant them. By continually doing this, they ended up with with what we now call Noble kava. But I'm talking over 3000 years. I also remember reading that the Fijians might do 10 or 20 shells a day. So perhaps they like weaker Kava so they can drink more. Kinda like horsing down a 12 pack of Bud Light.

 

[Prince Philip]

A thing doesn't have to be common. Carl Sagan said, "the secrets of evolution are time and death," but he left out islands. You can read more about the importance of islands to evolution in fellow Frummist Richard Dawkins's book "The Greatest Show on Earth."

But, all of the truly important information to demonstrate that Fijian and Vanuatu cultivars have diverged is in the book "Kava, the Pacific Elixir" by Vincent Lebot.

 

[Prince Philip]

I should probably mention the founder effect. Founder effect is why Hawaiian kavas are all Noble by default and why most Amish are bipolar. When a group becomes isolated from the main group, whatever conditions are present in that initial isolation tend to be magnified.