Need a new strainer

[Nils]

So I know you guys use a variety of clothes as a strainer. I'm looking for one that will let some sediment through but not too much. My current strainer is very old and I get pieces of kava root floating at the top of my kava now (which by definition can't be sediment since sediment is something that sinks to the bottom).

 

[kavadude]

I had a Bula Kava House strainer (RIP) and a Kule'a Kava Farm strainer that is quite a bit larger. Both of them are fine, no complaints about either. Don't clean the BKH one with boiling water.

 

[The Kap'n]

Get 3 nylon paint strainers (Or use the ones from N@H) and use two for a while, then when the holes start widening up on it, use the 3rd (triple it). It'll last you for months, and it does allow some sediment through.

 

[Deactivated Account]

Ladies stockings. Its all i will use myself.

 

[violet]

I'm pretty hard on strainer bags myself. In the first few uses I can easily blow out doubled paint strainers and jelly strainers, even with careful squeezing. I'm worse on ladies stockings. I recently killed my BKH strainer bag, it was awesome and stood up really well to my "abuse." Yesterday I bought a 1/4 yard of chiffon, it seems to have a nice weave with a small amount of give to it, very similar to the BKH strainer bag. I still need to clean up the edges and wash it before use, I'm looking forward to trying it out.

 

[endwatcher]

Im thinking about making my own to violet.
All the ones I buy from the venders blow out super quick.

I tihnk I could do a better stitching job.

And, I too am pretty rough with em.
I likes me my kavalactones!

 

[HeadHodge]

Get 3 nylon paint strainers (Or use the ones from N@H) and use two for a while, then when the holes start widening up on it, use the 3rd (triple it). It'll last you for months, and it does allow some sediment through.

When you use three strainers, are you putting each one inside the other? It's probably a dumb question, but I saw a video (somewhere) where he used three strainers, but one after the other, sequentially.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

yeah, one inside the other. the strainers in that video had a finer and finer mesh as he went down the line.

 

[violet]

@endwatcher It's definitely cost effective, a 1/4 yard of the fabric I'm using was less than $3, can get it cheaper if you have a local big-box craft store (like Joann's) with a 40% off coupon. I should be able to get 4 bags out of the 1/4. My only hang up is the stitching, any material is going to be weaker wherever holes have been placed through it. Although to be fair, I have never blown out a strainer bag at the stitching, always somewhere in the fabric

I believe my BKH strainer would have lasted longer, except when I made the move to hotter water the bag became permanently starched. No amount of soaking and laundering would soften it up, I think it just split from the stiffness.

 

[KavaJefe]

Since we're on the subject of strainers, I'd like to get some view points on something. I've always used knee high stockings as strainers and I seem to get a lot of sediment through. For instance tonight my second strain left a ton of mud in the stocking. Do most of you prefer a lot of the sediment in your drink or do you try to get out as much as possible. Seems to me the more sediment that is present leads to more nauseating effects. Any thoughts?

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

more sediment is stronger but more likely to lead to nausea and possibly also kava dermopathy quicker. some people don't get nausea as easy as others and some strains don't cause nearly as much nausea. in the end you just have to balance these ideas to your own preference and capability. many days of experimentation will lead you where you wanna be.

 

[KavaJefe]

Yah shakas, personally I've found that some sediment is a good thing, but if I get too much then the tumbling stomach and spinning head comes on strong. Was just curious what others preferred, but of course it being kava that makes total sense that it would be different for everyone. I haven't noticed the dermopathy thing with kava before, but I've heard of others that have, so I guess I should consider myself lucky. Although I haven't been a daily drinker of kava until recently so maybe I should knock on wood...lol

 

[kavadude]

I'm curious what you guys are doing to these poor strainers, I am pretty hard on mine and will often twist the crap out of them and have never broken a fijian strainer.

Same on the sediment. A little is fine, a lot is bad, in fact I have some kava that is so finely ground I've been wringing it through a muslin bag because I can't drink it otherwise without destroying my skin.

 

[The Kap'n]

See, what you do is put the kava in your strainer, place it under the wheel of your car, and floor it with the parking break loosely engaged. Works 100% of the time, 0% of the time.

 

[HeadHodge]

Works 100% of the time, 0% of the time.

I love math. Math never lies.

 

[Nils]

How much sediment is let through with the Fijian bags from BKH compared to the N@H strainers?

 

[HeadHodge]

How much sediment is let through with the Fijian bags from BKH compared to the N@H strainers?

I use both

The N@H nylon lets a lot of coarser stuff through than the Fijian.

The sediment at the bottom of the bowl after using the Fijian is pretty fine. While when drinking from a batch using the nylon, streaks of root that passed through the strain cling to the sides of my glass. I also think I started getting some derma from drinking it that way. So I stopped.

It's lot harder (takes longer) to strain with the Fijian. So one thing I found to make it easier, is that I do the nylon first and then use the Fijian last to make it go a lot faster.

 

[Deleted User01]

I use the Grain Bags that Home Brewers use to Steep their grains. Luckily they don't have to knead them. Get the fine nylon mesh ones. They are built to stand up to boiling water and 1-10 pounds of grain. I have been using the same one for about 6 months with no problems. That being said, I better check it because tears can occur with abuse. Especially if you get a coarse thorny Kava. I think the first time I bought Koniak it was like that.

 

[HeadHodge]

I use the Grain Bags that Home Brewers use to Steep their grains.

Do you have a link to one you would recommend?

 

[Deleted User01]

Here are some examples at austin homebrew. If you go nylon, get the extra fine. One of them has a drawstring. At the bottom, they have one made of muslin. I normally shop at our local shop but now you got me looking on the net. I would like one that completely covers the pot I use for Kneading (assuming I don't switch to blending per the Oil in my Kava post).
Northern Brewers and Midwest supply also sell these kinds of things. If you buy one, please tell me what you think of them versus other types. I have always used these because I have them in stock (since I'm a home brewer).

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_33_403
http://www.midwestsupplies.com
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing