God, that third shell is brutal.

[Ligermeat]

Shell 1:

"That was pretty bad, but at least I'll feel it."

Shell 2:

"Oh sweet mother of Buddha!, Why?"

Shell 3:

*barf*

Yes friends, I often want to redose da kava, but the taste keeps holding me back. What can be done about this, and how can I overcome this dark side of the root?

 

[LunaKava]

Citrus, ginger and coconut water will change the flavor to a less earthy taste but you can't completely mask the kava root taste completely. If the taste is holding you back you may need to just acquire a taste for it, similar to the first time you drank coffee. During most of my kava sessions I eat fruit, i'll usually eat around 1/4 of a pineapple or other citric fruits.

 

[24601]

I never make it to shell 3. If I try, my results are usually the same. It's not the taste that does me in though, my stomach just can't handle that much kava.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Sheer fortitude and will power. I notice the same effect, they get increasingly repulsive as the night progresses. Hawking and spitting the lingering kava off your tongue helps the lingering bitterness, quickly followed by some sour cream, or something vinegary...even flavorful tomatoes seem to cut the flavor better than a lot of things. Mushing a bite of a peanut butter cup around your tongue also works.

 

[theGrogfather]

How big are said shells? I feel mine I brought back from Fiji are smaller than the norm around here. Maybe that's why I handle the taste, and to be honest I don't mind it. Straight down the hatch usually produces less taste for me though, although the first shell or two I do a quick swish to give my whole mouth a numb

 

[Ligermeat]

How big are said shells? I feel mine I brought back from Fiji are smaller than the norm around here. Maybe that's why I handle the taste, and to be honest I don't mind it. Straight down the hatch usually produces less taste for me though, although the first shell or two I do a quick swish to give my whole mouth a numb

Mah shells are about a 1 cup each, with about 20-30 grams of root per shell. And no, I don't actually own any half coconut shells .

 

[theGrogfather]

Mah shells are about a 1 cup each, with about 20-30 grams of root per shell. And no, I don't actually own any half coconut shells .

Damn, that explains it. Mine are probably 1/3 that size. I wonder if this is why it's taking me so long to get krunked? Used 8tbsp in 2 cups water today, plus a second wash. Same thing last week and felt awesome but didn't quite reach that euphoric state tonight... Yet

 

[24601]

Even the thought of swishing kava around in my mouth makes me shudder.

 

[theGrogfather]

@Ligermeat I've read that @EQ has a whole 'chase station' setup for his taste masking. He might have some input.

Even the thought of swishing kava around in my mouth makes me shudder.

Now that I'm well into kavaland I am definitely not enjoying the taste anymore

 

[Ligermeat]

I've heard stories of Fijians who sustain their rooted mindset well into the night by drinking 10-20 shells. Where the heck does it all go?

 

[theGrogfather]

Thats exactly how I started out my kava journey. Spent 6 months in Fiji, joined a field hockey team and every weekend it was grog time well into the night. Maybe this is why I get confused with how little it takes most people here to feel it...or maybe I'm still in an RT phase as I took a 3 year hiatus once coming back from Fiji. Feeling very relaxed now though.
And yea we peed a lot haha. I've had about 15 of my smaller shells tonight

 

[EQ]

Try really hot water preps. Release the nasty. Make thick sludgy mud. Drink that for a couple weeks and become a tank at normal mixes.
No chaser today on some Borongoru. Not even a little gag. Not even a frown.
I have become a warrior.
With the sludge I can't drink without a chaser. The other day some shot out of the bowl onto the counter and it was mud not liquid.
Seriously. Get used to that. And your tolerance will go up.
I've puked 3 times. All in the past 2 weeks due to sludge. Now normal mixes are a snooze.

General tips to help:
If feeling the gag, while drinking, hold in mouth and wait and hold your breath. Breath through nose, wait, and then swallow.
Never inhale through nose. Hypo ventilate through mouth.
If feeling crazy salivated, relax and spit repeatably and don't puke. Don't let the wet mouth build.
Chew sweet tart, spread sugar around mouth and drink.
Ice the bowl. Put in fridge. Freeze glass. Can freeze glass with ice in it. The ice should freeze to the glass.
Don't think about taste. Honestly have had the gag kick in not by drinking but just by thinking about drinking more.

 

[Edward]

I don't have a problem with the taste but I find any more than 2 or 3 shells in a session gives me a lot more nausea. I've tried splitting it into 4 or 5 smaller shells but that just doesn't work for me. Also I like the intense rush of a good strong shell hitting your system. I always start with how many shells I want per night and measure out the right amount of liquid into my blender. 2 or 3 cups. Then I add as much root as I think, 4 to 8 tablespoons depending on the strain, how many shells it's going into and how strong an effect I want. Then I chug my first, wait 45 mins to an hour for that to be in full flow then chug the rest. If I'm going for 3 then I'll wait another 45 mins to an hour. I find 2 nice strong shells gives me what I want from kava and minimises the nausea. If I do go for 3 shells I often find I struggle to eat anything at all afterwards.

 

[verticity]

Mah shells are about a 1 cup each, with about 20-30 grams of root per shell. And no, I don't actually own any half coconut shells .

20-30 grams per cup is extremely concentrated. You could try diluting that in half, or even in quarters with water. Of course you have to drink more liquid that way, but it is less gag-inducing when it is dilute. Also, citric acid containing drink mix can help.

 

[Squanch72]

What works great for me is making the root in V8 Splash orange pineapple instead of water. That goes down easy. Or just adding powdered or liguid concentrate orange Tang after prep.
I am usually fine drinking Fiji or Tongan root with just a water chaser but I was shelling some Vanuatu Waka and I always find Vanu root pretty darn hard to drink without a chaser. I am trying to cut back my sugar intake so last night I remebered I had some Nellie and Joe's key lime juice in the frig. So I shot a squirt in the shell and gave it a swirl. It really helped. The tartness hits and keeps your tastes buds too busy to really notice the kava taste. I still did a water chaser but still it made the actual drinking the Vanu shells down very easy.

 

[Edward]

What works great for me is making the root in V8 Splash orange pineapple instead of water. That goes down easy. Or just adding powdered or liguid concentrate orange Tang after prep.
I am usually fine drinking Fiji or Tongan root with just a water chaser but I was shelling some Vanuatu Waka and I always find Vanu root pretty darn hard to drink without a chaser. I am trying to cut back my sugar intake so last night I remebered I had some Nellie and Joe's key lime juice in the frig. So I shot a squirt in the shell and gave it a swirl. It really helped. The tartness hits and keeps your tastes buds too busy to really notice the kava taste. I still did a water chaser but still it made the actual drinking the Vanu shells down very easy.
View attachment 5962

Oh, there's nothing nicer than a shell of peppery Vanuatu kava

 

[Edward]

I've not had a lot of Tongan kava but I find that very smooth.

 

[blindy107]

Tongans and Hawaiians are easier to tolerate typically. Strains from Fiji or Vanuatu are the only ones that have given me nausea.

I agree with @EQ. Just power through. I used to mix with chasers and nambys but I just got too full. Now I just dilute to about 8-10tbsp in 3-4 cups of water with two washes. That's 5-6 shells in roughly and hour for me.

 

[blindy107]

You know what suppressed the taste best for me was raw cinnamon powder added to a drink. Usually like mango nectar or something. Just wound up being my dinner sometimes.

 

[Deleted User01]

@Ligermeat. I use a 16 oz can of coconut water and maybe 4-6 oz of water to make a 16 oz bottle of kava (.75 cup of powder). I throw it in the fridge and get it cold. It goes down a lot easier when its cold and the taste is somewhat masked. I still gargle water after every shell but I don't dwell on it. DO NOT DWELL ON IT. Gargle and forget about it. Don't keep reminding your stomach or it will rebel against you. Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
@blindy107, that's a new twist on the smoothie. Excellent way to keep your girlish figure. I hate to admit it, but sometimes Kava gives me the munchies. Perhaps a habit left over from my much younger years.