Have tried 25 kava's, and they all feel the same.

[Kavanaught]

This sounds crazy, but I have tried about 25 kava's, all the popular ones from BKH,KWK,N@H, Squanch, GHK, etc,but I experience the same effect from virtually all of them. I only noticed Stone to be stronger than the rest, but I have no idea what the difference is btw heady and body kava effects. And I am impressed by Kavasseur's palate, as he has a different impression of all the kava's he has reviewed. Has anyone noticed this, or is it just me? Do I need to get in touch with my feelings more? LOL.

 

[violet]

Sometimes it can be helpful sticking to a single type/cultivar in the early stages, until you get an appreciable feel for what that particular kava has to offer. It can help you see the subtle differences in the effects between different preps and varieties and give you the chance to get solid with traditional prep.

 

[theGrogfather]

Interesting experience. How would you describe the effects you feel?
I can definitely tell the difference between cultivars, however I've learned I can't trust reviews, or even chemotypes, for how a certain strain will hit me. They are good guidelines but kava is weird that way.

 

[Groggy]

This sounds crazy, but I have tried about 25 kava's, all the popular ones from BKH,KWK,N@H, Squanch, GHK, etc,but I experience the same effect from virtually all of them. I only noticed Stone to be stronger than the rest, but I have no idea what the difference is btw heady and body kava effects. And I am impressed by Kavasseur's palate, as he has a different impression of all the kava's he has reviewed. Has anyone noticed this, or is it just me? Do I need to get in touch with my feelings more? LOL.

how long have you consistently drank kava? 25 kavas are a lot, I am assuming at least a month?

 

[Kavanaught]

I will try to stick to one kava for a while. I would say kava makes the area behind my eyes feel pressure, and for the first half hr after I start drinking, I feel that I will get through my problems okay, but after that, tiredness just kicks in.

 

[Groggy]

Interesting experience. How would you describe the effects you feel?
I can definitely tell the difference between cultivars, however I've learned I can't trust reviews, or even chemotypes, for how a certain strain will hit me. They are good guidelines but kava is weird that way.

That's the beauty of the reviews, we all feel, taste and experience something unique, hence the need for a variety of reviews and/or interpretations of a kava strain. I don't think it's about trusting a review but rather getting an overall picture of the kava.

 

[Kavanaught]

Krunky, about a year now, drinking about 1/4 -1/2 cup powder several times per week, but in the past two months, daily.

 

[Groggy]

I will try to stick to one kava for a while. I would say kava makes the area behind my eyes feel pressure, and for the first half hr after I start drinking, I feel that I will get through my problems okay, but after that, tiredness just kicks in.

I'd go with your favorite for 2-3 weeks, cut the dose to 1/4 cup and you can go with 2 cups of h2o instead of 3. This is only a suggestion based on your other thread.

 

[Groggy]

Krunky, about a year now, drinking about 1/4 -1/2 cup powder several times per week, but in the past two months, daily.

Wow that's longer then I imagined.

 

[Groggy]

Always on an empty (totally empty stomach), as in more than 4-5 hours without food?

 

[NAMBATU]

I used to feel the same way until I tried Pouni Ono, and then I realised what "heady" means.

Very roughly, the light-coloured light-flavoured Fijian and Tongan kavas are heady and the more bitter, darker kavas from Vanuatu are heavy. There are lots of exceptions, but that's the gist.

 

[NAMBATU]

Also, generally you need to try a kava for a while to have any idea what it's like. N@H's Wow! snuck up behind me and knocked me out cold. I knew what the effects were supposed to be, but I had had it a couple of times before and didn't notice anything very special.

It probably took me a year to have any idea about the different effects of kavas. The only thing I noticed early on was that I liked Nene.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

To me, no two Kavas sing the same tune. I can always tell when I'm drinking the same Kava with a different label - by taste and effects. Oftentimes you'll find that vendors are selling the same Kavas with different names. But 25 Kavas? That's a lot of different kinds to buy and drink within one year. I would think you would have easily noticed the difference between a Borogu, Tongan white, Fijian Waka, Fijian Lawena, or a heavy peppery Vanuatu by now..

 

[Kavanaught]

Yes, always without food for 4 hrs.

 

[theGrogfather]

That's the beauty of the reviews, we all feel, taste and experience something unique, hence the need for a variety of reviews and/or interpretations of a kava strain. I don't think it's about trusting a review but rather getting an overall picture of the kava.

Great point, trust was not the best word as I do still use them often when deciding what to purchase, and perhaps I should be writing more to add to the pool of interpretations!

@Kavanaught maybe try a kava on the heady end of the scale for a while, as an afternoon session. I can't imagine tiredness kicking in with Moi in me.

 

[Kavanaught]

I just received some 24 Wave from Ozia originals. Lets see how it goes.

 

[Delicate Drunk]

Yeah, I pretty much agree. There might be some difference between varieties but they pale in comparison to the differences one particular variety of kava can have on me from one drinking session to the next. Sometimes a particular kava can have a powerfully relaxing effect and other times I will feel a bit jittery and euphoric. Sometimes the kava hits strong and other times it seems I can't drink enough to get the same effect. Sometimes I can feel a bit sick, and other times not at all. But strong kava is much nicer than weak kava, of course, and some kavas will stick with you longer into the next day where you still feel a tired/relaxing feeling.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I find I really only have 4 modes of kava feeling. 1. had some kava and know I did but that's about it but it's good for me 2. gently mellow 3. heavier mellow but not krunk and 4. krunk. I find I can gear the variety and prep to any of those 4 desired feelings quite reliably. Of course, some kavas shine more for different modes, and then others are equally suited for all four. But I always know what my options are and how to achieve the desired effect, and what my time frames are and what to expect with a a lot of accuracy. I did a lot of experimentation with varieties and preps and amounts and liquid quantities and such to reach that point, but I'm pretty confident I am there now. A lot of that involved some pretty anal retentive attention to details, but the pay off is now I have a great deal of leeway and fudge factor I can play around with with confidence. I learned to colour within the lines and now I can colour anywhere on the page. Or, in the case of Squanch, all over the walls, or I can pull a Jigglypuff and colour your face.

 

[Odourman]

That's the beauty of the reviews, we all feel, taste and experience something unique, hence the need for a variety of reviews and/or interpretations of a kava strain. I don't think it's about trusting a review but rather getting an overall picture of the kava.

We all work in different ways. Kava really shows that.

 

[Odourman]

Even early on, when I started with kava, I noticed difference.