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Girlfriend and I are new kava users! Hello to All

J

jack bauer

Newbie
We are new kava users, (I have dabbled in the past) and just wanted to make a post to introduce ourselves to the community. I've checked out the new user section and have read quite a few articles and post about it.

A little bit about ourselves. We are both in our mid 20's and have decided to try and use kava for its therapeutic effects. Both of us are leaving the lifestyle of heavy nightly drinking and in the process we are both dealing with slight anxiety and the inability to sleep (mostly due to the fact we would pass out drunk every night). This is our second night sitting back and relaxing with a glass of kava instead of liquor and we both have felt positive affects. With that being said, I do have a few questions about the process of preparing and consuming kava.

I'd like to first describe the process on how I have prepared it tonight and would love any advince on what I am doing or how to improve this process.

We use coarse kava root from mountianroseherbs.com (pic attached)

For two people
5 cups of hot tap water
1/2 cup of coarse kava
This goes into the blender and blended for 5 mintues on low speed
After 5 minutes on low I bump up the speed to high and blend for another (1) minute and 30 seconds.
After blending, Strain through a tea strainer
Enjoy (we normally have a glass warm ((taste does bother us)) and put the rest in the fridge to drink throughout the evening)

I have a slight feeling there is too much water. I want to be able to have 3 or 4 glasses (per person) instead of just 1 strong glass because it helps us simulate the process of having multiple drinks and still allows us to have that social drinking experience we are used to.

So what am I doing wrong (lol) and how can improve the experience? Again we would like to try to keep the social drinking aspect where we can have a few glasses over the course of a few hours.

Has anybody have experience with this brand?
How much should I buy to get through two weeks? (I understand this will vary due to tolerance)

Thanks in advance to everybody who takes time to stop by and say hello/ give advice. Also a shout out to the Mods for making this one of the most useful forums I have come across.

Thanks J and M
 

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TheKavaSociety

TheKavaSociety

New Zealand
Kava Vendor
Hi J and M,

I think you might indeed be using too little powder and too much water. The standard, Pacific Islands-style, recommended ratio is 1:3-4. I personally use 0.5cup (50g) per 2 cups of water per session. If I were you, I would use 1 cup per 4 cups of water. I don't bother with the blender, I just knead it hard for 10-15 minutes. I understand your point about having multiple drinks (that's what they do in Tonga! They dilute their kava with pleeenty of water), but I think that you can just have multiple small servings of kava (ideally in coconut shells). 2 cups of water is roughly 3-4 shells (this really depends on the size of your shell, of course).
Also, have you ever considered trying some proper, noble micronized kava? (like the one sold by @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava )? You don't need to knead or blend it at all. It is more expensive than medium grind, but if you are ever tired of preparing kava, you should consider giving it a go.

Cheers,

Henry
 
Steve Mariotti

Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
Welcome @jack bauer and girlfriend!

I applaud your redirecting from alcohol to kava. I think you'll find it really satisfying. I haven't had any alcohol in almost 5 months. Not because I don't like alcohol or wanted to stop drinking it, but because I find kava so much better for all the same reasons I drank alcohol.

Henry's right-on for ratios. For two people, 1 cup of ground root to 4 cups of water will be perfect. I recommend getting a good nylon straining bag like the nut milk bags that they sell on Amazon. It's easy to use and cleans up well.

The important thing when extracting kava the traditional way is to get lots of pressure on the kava. Blenders work at reducing particle size and releasing the kavalactones that way, and some swear by them, but I love traditional prep. Soaked root kneaded in a bag for a good 15 minutes (great for building grip strength and forearm strength, btw.) until thoroughly squished and squeezed out.

I'm not familiar with mountain rose herbs as a vendor, and while that's a cool bottle, I think you'll find the vendors that frequent the Kava Forums to be an eye opening experience. You can't go wrong with any of the ones listed in our vendor section of the forums.

Keep at it, you and your girlfriend will be very glad you did, I assure you. It may take some time (1 week, 2?) but it's worth it.
 
J

jack bauer

Newbie
Steve,
Great reply!! You make plenty of good points. I am the type of person to prefers to do it the most traditional way and then tweak if necessary. We really appreciate the support and again are really happy to be apart of this community.
 
TheKavaSociety

TheKavaSociety

New Zealand
Kava Vendor
jack bauer said:
Henry,
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to start using the ratio you suggested. I wanted to mention that the kava kava root I have is not in powdered form. Would it be best to grind it to a power and then use?

Link to product:
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/kava-kava-root/profile

We are going to buy a lb of a different brand (in powered form) this weekend. Looking forward to improving my method.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

Yes, I think grinding it would certainly help. But I guess it's just easier to simply buy powdered kava from a reputable vendor. :)
 
Bradley666

Bradley666

Kava Enthusiast
I agree with Henry ,
It sounds like your using whole root for the most part, which in a blender, with enough water, would probably work...
but....I think you would be "shocked" when you reach out a little, take a closer look at the kava vendors listed under the
vendors section, I would almost bet, anything u buy from the vendors here, would be 10 times fresher, 10 times stronger and if u order the med grade powdered root, and kneed it in a big bowl for 10-15 minutes "which is way more traditional" then a blender :) I would bet money, you would be VERY happy getting some really good powdered kava root and re-trying! Either way, let us know how everything works out for you! :)
 
Kava_Bob_40

Kava_Bob_40

Kava Curious
I started out using coarse root kava from MRH and that stuff can be slightly euphoric while calming. When you get a certain amount in you the effect can be valium-like without the drunkenness. Mind focus is increase also.

That tea version from MRH doesn't require kneading or squeezing. Just steep. I have been using the fine root powdered version from MRH. The powdered stuff I use where I prepare it traditionally has a much different effect than the tea does. They both relieve stress but the effect is different. Like having two different medicinal drinks on hand. I like the taste of the coarse root tea version.
 
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