New here, obviously...

[Zaphod]

I have been seeing the phrase "microgrind or instant" a lot. And I'm wondering, is microgrind and instant both synonymous, or when they say "microgrind or instant" are they saying it as 2 different options ?

They should be different, although it appears some vendors are mixing the words causing confusion. Microgrind is literally taking the root and grinding it up super fine. You take the super fine (micro) grind and put it in water or juice mix it up and away you go. You are ingesting the whole root. Instant is the supplier has taken the root material mixed it with water and strained it just like you would with traditional preparation - then they us a variety of drying methods to remove the water and provide a dry powder. The real difference is with microgind you are consuming the full root, instant you are just consuming a dryed version of a pre-prepared full kava drink. Both are easy for beginners because all you do is put some in water and drink it up.

 

[Plantacious]

They should be different, although it appears some vendors are mixing the words causing confusion. Microgrind is literally taking the root and grinding it up super fine. You take the super fine (micro) grind and put it in water or juice mix it up and away you go. You are ingesting the whole root. Instant is the supplier has taken the root material mixed it with water and strained it just like you would with traditional preparation - then they us a variety of drying methods to remove the water and provide a dry powder. The real difference is with microgind you are consuming the full root, instant you are just consuming a dryed version of a pre-prepared full kava drink. Both are easy for beginners because all you do is put some in water and drink it up.

Thank you for the explanation.
There is one thing that confuses me, though. I'm curious ; if Microgrind is simply ground up finer, and not pre-prepared like the instant, how is it that one can just add water to the microgrind, just like the instant, if the microgrind hasn't gone through full prep ?
Also, I am seeing Medium Grind, as one of the 3 choices along with Micro and Instant on one website. So is "Medium Grind" just another fancy name for all the kava that requires full prep ?

 

[Zaphod]

Thank you for the explanation.
There is one thing that confuses me, though. I'm curious ; if Microgrind is simply ground up finer, and not pre-prepared like the instant, how is it that one can just add water to the microgrind, just like the instant, if the microgrind hasn't gone through full prep ?
Also, I am seeing Medium Grind, as one of the 3 choices along with Micro and Instant on one website. So is "Medium Grind" just another fancy name for all the kava that requires full prep ?

You got it right. Ingesting microgrind is the same as what some folks call "toss and wash" which is taking medium grind kava and just swigging it down with a mouthful of water. I should say some suppliers like GHK remove some material first before making their microgrind that potentially makes it easier on the stomach and not as much nausea.
Medium grind is the term used for kava that has been ground up but not as fine as microgrind and is used in traditional preparation. Typically you put it in a strainer bag add water to a bowl and knead it to extract the KLs and then drink it.
You can find a lot of the commonly used terms here: http://kavaforums.com/forum/wiki/kava-glossary/#kava-glossary

 

[Kavacoordinate]

@Alia I have been meaning to ask you about this. I am one of those who uses hot water to make my kava, although I realize it is not strictly traditional. But I also wonder what the traditional water temperature really is. Here in Colorado, the temperature of the "cold" tap water varies depending on the season. During the summer, the "cold" water is maybe 70 F. The water is colder than the outdoor temperature, which is about 90 right now, maybe because it is piped here underground from higher elevation where it is colder. And in the winter the "cold" water can get very cold, almost like ice water. So, my question is, what is the temperature of the tap water there in Hawaii, and in the other islands where they drink kava? I'm guessing it's warmer than here.

hey man I had no idea you were in Colorado. So am I. Have you tried any of the kava bars over in the Denver metro area or the new one that just opened in the springs?

 

[verticity]

hey man I had no idea you were in Colorado. So am I. Have you tried any of the kava bars over in the Denver metro area or the new one that just opened in the springs?

I have not been to the ones in Denver. As far as I know their kava might be OK, but they sell K@, which I am not comfortable with. I'm not sure about Ohana, but I'm in NoCo so that's a bit too far away.