I keep forgetting this but occasionally it works out that I'll pour some of my morning coffee or tea into some kava later in the day. straight black coffee in kava helps divert the kava bitterness to coffee bitterness, still bitter but better than just kava. Earl Grey tea is excellent for masking the taste. also make sure it's cold. the warmer the kava the worse the flavor. made some warm KWK Fiji Loa last night and it was wretched (meaning potent). makes me think that's what warm shoe polish must taste like...anyway this morning it had been in the fridge overnight and the flavor is hardly noticeable. cold makes all the difference, really.