New to Kava

[love2driveinct]

I ordered some Drink Root Kava from amazon. This is the description:
Premium Instant Raw Kava Powder by DrinkRoot - Non-Drowsy Kavain Heavy Vanuatan Kava - Anxiety Releasing and Euphoria Inducing Vanuatu Kava Tea "Raw Connoisseur Blend"
It could be pretty crappy stuff, but the reviews were good and it wasn't too pricey. Will try it later this afternoon/evening.

 

[The Kap'n]

I ordered some Drink Root Kava from amazon. This is the description:
Premium Instant Raw Kava Powder by DrinkRoot - Non-Drowsy Kavain Heavy Vanuatan Kava - Anxiety Releasing and Euphoria Inducing Vanuatu Kava Tea "Raw Connoisseur Blend"

https://www.fakespot.com/product/ce...ant-kava-tea-raw-connoisseur-blend-4g-pouches

Let us know how it goes. Right now they have some fake reviews, so be sure to read deeply and not skim over those 1 stars.

What bothers me is that they're 4 gram packets and they're claiming 2-3 servings per pack. That tells me that either A. This stuff is the most non-noble kava you can find or B.) It's a scam. the listing isn't truthful.

The only way to get 2-3 servings out of 4 grams of material is if it's a concentrated extract (18-20%kl content. Based on a serving being 250mg). Something's off about it. Again, be careful.

Edit: Also, they're saying that 4 grams of their product is equal to 112 grams of dried root.

Edit2:

Question:
how many mg of kavalactones per packet?

Answer:
Hello! The current blended batch in the Amazon warehouses as of 12/27, is an average 6.6~7.7% kavalactones by volume, so you're looking at 264.8mg~308mg per pack. The newly harvested batch coming in is awaiting HPLC testing before release, but anecdotal evidence suggests it to be slightly higher in overall kavalactones, or a slightly lower Kavain/DHM ratio (Not by much), due to a noticeable acute physical onset. Seeing as how the new plants are cut from the same area, we are betting the numbers are more dependent on the former rather than the latter, as it is unlikely the ratio will fluctuate much.

Okay, here we go. Each pack is actually equal to about the standard 250mg dose. So, even with the listing being less than truthful, the reality is that you'll probably feel something off of one pack, I just wouldn't expect to be floored by it. A standard medium grind at 30-40 grams will net you around half a gram of kavalactones on the low side.

Price Comparison:
Drink Root - $4.00 per gram
Bula Kava House 11 Year Waka - $0.19 per gram
Both can be consumed the same way, and have about the same KL percentages (If BKH isn't MORE)

 

[love2driveinct]

Thank you Kapmcrunk for your detailed response -- I do appreciate it. I'm not sure why I ordered these, other than ease of use, and maybe some impatience while waiting for my other shipments to come in (I did not know they were coming so quickly).

Anyway, I drank half a packet at 5:00 and the other half at 5:20. It tastes like dishwater. I prefer the KWK that I tried last night (Boronguru) and especially the night before (Puoni). I'm feeling mild effects compared to the KWK, which is interesting because I did not space the KWK close enough together like I should have. We'll see if I feel any different in a bit. Having some lemon ginger tea right now because I feel a tiny bit queasy.

I'm not sure that I will ever make it the traditional way because it's so involved. I'm a mom with a husband and three kids. Not sure I want to explain this all to them just yet, and the prep would be hard to hide. I think they'd all wonder why I'd want to drink something that obviously tastes nasty -- the only explanation for it is one I'm not ready to give.

In addition, and I know everyone has their sob story hahaha... my epileptic dog is on a complicated regimen of diet, supplements, and medication. It is a project every day keeping up with all that he needs. Plus I take a whole bunch of vitamins and supplements that have to be taken at different times of day, etc. I want kava to add to my life in a wonderful way, and if it ends up being a chore, I want it to be a chore I enjoy. Hopefully I will get to that point someday, but for now, simpler is better for me. AluBall is my next purchase!

 

[The Kap'n]

Thank you Kapmcrunk for your detailed response -- I do appreciate it. I'm not sure why I ordered these, other than ease of use, and maybe some impatience while waiting for my other shipments to come in (I did not know they were coming so quickly).

Anyway, I drank half a packet at 5:00 and the other half at 5:20. It tastes like dishwater. I prefer the KWK that I tried last night (Boronguru) and especially the night before (Puoni). I'm feeling mild effects compared to the KWK, which is interesting because I did not space the KWK close enough together like I should have. We'll see if I feel any different in a bit. Having some lemon ginger tea right now because I feel a tiny bit queasy.

I'm not sure that I will ever make it the traditional way because it's so involved. I'm a mom with a husband and three kids. Not sure I want to explain this all to them just yet, and the prep would be hard to hide. I think they'd all wonder why I'd want to drink something that obviously tastes nasty -- the only explanation for it is one I'm not ready to give.

In addition, and I know everyone has their sob story hahaha... my epileptic dog is on a complicated regimen of diet, supplements, and medication. It is a project every day keeping up with all that he needs. Plus I take a whole bunch of vitamins and supplements that have to be taken at different times of day, etc. I want kava to add to my life in a wonderful way, and if it ends up being a chore, I want it to be a chore I enjoy. Hopefully I will get to that point someday, but for now, simpler is better for me. AluBall is my next purchase!

You're on the right track! I totally understand not wanting to get all involved first off. When I began I didn't tell anyone about it, not even my wife due to not wanting to have to explain myself at the moment (times have changed ). Kava is something that does require a bit of work to get the amazing effects that are posted regularly, but the beauty of it is that you can ease in, instead of jumping head first. Instant kavas are excellent for this purpose. They'll give you the "cliff's notes" version of kava. Medium grind traditional prep in a strainer bag is by far the strongest and most reliable way of making and consuming kava. Coming in at a close second would be the aluball. Third would be instant and extract products. They lack some of the pure punch you get from traditional kava. So you're dead on for getting the best kava with the least effort going for an aluball. You'll enjoy that. If you want to pair it with some kava that will work no-questions-asked get some kava supreme to go along with your aluball.

 

[love2driveinct]

Can you build up RT while trying different varieties, or do you have to stick to one kind?

 

[love2driveinct]

I have only tried one kava from Solomon and it is very strong and very heavy. Good kava, but really quite strong and heavy. You might want to go carefully at first.

Tried it tonight. I want to save the KWK instants for the weeknights, which tend to be busier at home. Tonight we are having leftovers and lounging around.
As recommended on the fit-recovery website, I took 1/2 tsp in some water. Then 20-30 min later I did it again. Then 20-30 min later I did it one last time. I had slight numbness on my tongue, but no other effects at this point, so far.

 

[love2driveinct]

Can you build up RT while trying different varieties, or do you have to stick to one kind?

Piggybacking on my own question, but I was also wondering if more is better as you are working on RT? Or should I just stick with consistency?
This morning I decided to go for it with Puoni Ono at 7:30am. I figured that's about as empty of a stomach as I'm going to get after not having eaten since last night. I've done two glasses of 2 tsp instant each, 20 minutes apart. Should I go for a third, and then just stop there and go about my day? Or should I stop at two glasses?

 

[love2driveinct]

I decided to go for a third cup. I couldn't wait any longer to decide. Having a nice cup of coffee with cream now. Will report back!

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Piggybacking on my own question, but I was also wondering if more is better as you are working on RT? Or should I just stick with consistency?
This morning I decided to go for it with Puoni Ono at 7:30am. I figured that's about as empty of a stomach as I'm going to get after not having eaten since last night. I've done two glasses of 2 tsp instant each, 20 minutes apart. Should I go for a third, and then just stop there and go about my day? Or should I stop at two glasses?

1. I think more is always better with kava if you mean more varieties of kava consumed. But not more volume consumed in too short a period of time.

2. Drink as many shells as you like, but make sure you don't drink too much at any single time I mean at a single draught not in a single morning or evening, one or two shells at a time at most which might be anywhere from 100 to 500 ml of regular strength grog (rules are different for weak or strong grog, be careful with strong grog as it is easy to quickly overshoot your target), and space them out by 20 - 30 minutes and you can do that for hours, many of us do. And listen to how you feel. If you feel at all bad, wait longer before the next shell, till you feel better. If you don't feel better, call it quits, drink water, enjoy a good night's sleep and try again tomorrow or whenever you feel up to it. Oh, and drink water whatever you do.

3. In a way RT and kava is like potty training a child. If they are ready for it, you can train them in an afternoon, like it was nothing. If he's not ready, it can take months, maybe even years, and lots of hassle and tears. How do you know f you are ready? Well, if it happens, then you're ready. For me it took 2 months of daily drinking kava in small doses before I crossed over. My son crossed over the very first time he had his very first shell. So people are different and it's not genetic.

 

[love2driveinct]

I decided to go for a third cup. I couldn't wait any longer to decide. Having a nice cup of coffee with cream now. Will report back!

No real effects. Numb tongue for a few minutes. Slight queasiness. I think I did feel a little bit lightheaded for a short time. Now I feel completely normal. I will need to keep plugging away at this RT. Hope to do the same thing tomorrow. Should I take some more kava this evening? Or is that enough for one day? (6 tsp of instant)

 

[love2driveinct]

1. I think more is always better with kava if you mean more varieties of kava consumed. But not more volume consumed in too short a period of time.

2. Drink as many shells as you like, but make sure you don't drink too much at any single time I mean at a single draught not in a single morning or evening, one or two shells at a time at most which might be anywhere from 100 to 500 ml of regular strength grog (rules are different for weak or strong grog, be careful with strong grog as it is easy to quickly overshoot your target), and space them out by 20 - 30 minutes and you can do that for hours, many of us do. And listen to how you feel. If you feel at all bad, wait longer before the next shell, till you feel better. If you don't feel better, call it quits, drink water, enjoy a good night's sleep and try again tomorrow or whenever you feel up to it. Oh, and drink water whatever you do.

3. In a way RT and kava is like potty training a child. If they are ready for it, you can train them in an afternoon, like it was nothing. If he's not ready, it can take months, maybe even years, and lots of hassle and tears. How do you know f you are ready? Well, if it happens, then you're ready. For me it took 2 months of daily drinking kava in small doses before I crossed over. My son crossed over the very first time he had his very first shell. So people are different and it's not genetic.

As always, thank you for your helpful reply. I will keep plugging away, but for now I will stick to the two varieties of KWK instant and not fool with the Top Extracts product or the Drink Root packets. So I'm thinking I could do 2-3 glasses of Puoni first thing in the morning, and then 1-2 glasses of Boronguru in the evening before dinner?
I suppose I should just bite the bullet and order the AluBall and some medium grind already. I have to go back and see what you guys recommended to me for a first grind -- ok, Kavafied Kava Bati, Supreme, and Boronguru were the three that came up. I'll do a little shopping and see what I can come up with. Am I wrong to think I can get through RT faster if I switch to medium grind in an AluBall, instead of fooling around with the instant? What about adding Gaia capsules to my day? (I ordered the 75mg per capsule from Gaia Herbs. Thought they might be nice to try, especially if I have a day where I know I'm not going to be able to fit in any drinking kava. I realize they are kinda lame, but I'm hoping it would be better than nothing.)

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

As always, thank you for your helpful reply. I will keep plugging away, but for now I will stick to the two varieties of KWK instant and not fool with the Top Extracts product or the Drink Root packets. So I'm thinking I could do 2-3 glasses of Puoni first thing in the morning, and then 1-2 glasses of Boronguru in the evening before dinner?
I suppose I should just bite the bullet and order the AluBall and some medium grind already. I have to go back and see what you guys recommended to me for a first grind -- ok, Kavafied Kava Bati, Supreme, and Boronguru were the three that came up. I'll do a little shopping and see what I can come up with. Am I wrong to think I can get through RT faster if I switch to medium grind in an AluBall, instead of fooling around with the instant? What about adding Gaia capsules to my day? (I ordered the 75mg per capsule from Gaia Herbs. Thought they might be nice to try, especially if I have a day where I know I'm not going to be able to fit in any drinking kava. I realize they are kinda lame, but I'm hoping it would be better than nothing.)

I'm not sure that any of that makes a difference. I really don't know. I suspect that anything over a certain minimum for KL loading, say 1 or two shells a day, might be wasted. It won't hurt you, but you might be spending money to feel nothing when what you were going to get out of it that day was already accomplished with the first shell or two.

How about this? Drink a shell or two every day for two weeks and then test out your ability to feel strong effects. For a week up the single amount by 1/2 TBS, i.e. the first day make 1 TBS grind grog, the next day 1.5 TBS, the third 2 TBS, and so on, until you feel kava singing to you. It should happen by 4 TBS or before (those are all quantities given for medium grind, I have no idea what they would translate to in instant or micro but I'm sure it would be a lot less, so adjust accordingly. Someone experienced would know, I just drink medium grind). Then you could scale back. I find that process can be for cathartic for some people, it certainly was for me. For others, it doesn't do squat, but it might be worth a try if that is what you are trying to achieve.

 

[Zaphod]

I'm not sure that I will ever make it the traditional way because it's so involved. I'm a mom with a husband and three kids. Not sure I want to explain this all to them just yet, and the prep would be hard to hide. I think they'd all wonder why I'd want to drink something that obviously tastes nasty -- the only explanation for it is one I'm not ready to give.
!

I think a bunch of us started this way - i.e. not wanting to disclose it to our significant others, or others who might judge. Once I knew this was the answer to what I was looking for I knew there was no reasonable way to keep it "hidden". Now my wife occasionally joins me (I drink daily) in a big old glass of kava when she has had a particularity stressful day or has some muscle aches that will not go away.

I have never had much luck with instants, or extracts. Even when they were effective they were a markedly different experience than traditional prep or microginds. If this is something you want to continue you should definitely look at moving to traditional prep and/or an aluball. In the meantime, I would highly recommend microgrinds over instants. In my opinion they are much stronger and 2-3 TBS will definitely make you "feel" the power of kava. Microgrinds are just as easy to prepare and drink as instants, and you can keep it hidden for now. I know instants usually recommend 2-3tsps but honestly at that level I almost felt nothing. I am not a strong believer in RT, I think you just are not taking enough. At least that was my experience. Like was mention above empty stomach, every 20 minutes until you reach a level where you are comfortable. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[love2driveinct]

I'm not sure that any of that makes a difference. I really don't know. I suspect that anything over a certain minimum for KL loading, say 1 or two shells a day, might be wasted. It won't hurt you, but you might be spending money to feel nothing when what you were going to get out of it that day was already accomplished with the first shell or two.

How about this? Drink a shell or two every day for two weeks and then test out your ability to feel strong effects. For a week up the single amount by 1/2 TBS, i.e. the first day make 1 TBS grind grog, the next day 1.5 TBS, the third 2 TBS, and so on, until you feel kava singing to you. It should happen by 4 TBS or before (those are all quantities given for medium grind, I have no idea what they would translate to in instant or micro but I'm sure it would be a lot less, so adjust accordingly. Someone experienced would know, I just drink medium grind). Then you could scale back. I find that process can be for cathartic for some people, it certainly was for me. For others, it doesn't do squat, but it might be worth a try if that is what you are trying to achieve.

Ok, that sounds like a good plan, thank you!

 

[love2driveinct]

I think a bunch of us started this way - i.e. not wanting to disclose it to our significant others, or others who might judge. Once I knew this was the answer to what I was looking for I knew there was no reasonable way to keep it "hidden". Now my wife occasionally joins me (I drink daily) in a big old glass of kava when she has had a particularity stressful day or has some muscle aches that will not go away.

I have never had much luck with instants, or extracts. Even when they were effective they were a markedly different experience than traditional prep or microginds. If this is something you want to continue you should definitely look at moving to traditional prep and/or an aluball. In the meantime, I would highly recommend microgrinds over instants. In my opinion they are much stronger and 2-3 TBS will definitely make you "feel" the power of kava. Microgrinds are just as easy to prepare and drink as instants, and you can keep it hidden for now. I know instants usually recommend 2-3tsps but honestly at that level I almost felt nothing. I am not a strong believer in RT, I think you just are not taking enough. At least that was my experience. Like was mention above empty stomach, every 20 minutes until you reach a level where you are comfortable. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I look forward to getting to that point, when I can come out of my shell, so to speak... or with my shell. hahaha
The instant I am taking is KWK Puoni Ono or Boronguru, and they call it a "Micronized Instant". They recommend 2-4 teaspoons in a glass. I've taken 4-6, 2 at a time spaced out, always on an empty stomach.
Do you think there are other Microgrinds that are better? I get confused when I try to figure out what is microgrind and what isn't. And are all microgrinds instant or do some need to mixed and strained?

 

[Zaphod]

I look forward to getting to that point, when I can come out of my shell, so to speak... or with my shell. hahaha
The instant I am taking is KWK Puoni Ono or Boronguru, and they call it a "Micronized Instant". They recommend 2-4 teaspoons in a glass. I've taken 4-6, 2 at a time spaced out, always on an empty stomach.
Do you think there are other Microgrinds that are better? I get confused when I try to figure out what is microgrind and what isn't. And are all microgrinds instant or do some need to mixed and strained?

Hmmm, good question. I just looked at KWK's site and Mike does seem to mix terms (as we normally define them here on the Kavaforums) and it is not clear if KWK micronized/instant is just microgrind or an instant that has then been finely ground. @Kalm with Kava can you answer that? Either way I would up the dose. When I started with microgrind I started with 2-4tsps on the first day, doubled it on the second and then finally on my third day I took closer to 2-3TBS and a bit more after that for it to really kick in. After ~9 months of using GHK's microgrinds at ~3TBS I switched to traditional prep and aluball and never looked back.

 

[love2driveinct]

Hmmm, good question. I just looked at KWK's site and Mike does seem to mix terms (as we normally define them here on the Kavaforums) and it is not clear if KWK micronized/instant is just microgrind or an instant that has then been finely ground. @Kalm with Kava can you answer that? Either way I would up the dose. When I started with microgrind I started with 2-4tsps on the first day, doubled it on the second and then finally on my third day I took closer to 2-3TBS and a bit more after that for it to really kick in. After ~9 months of using GHK's microgrinds at ~3TBS I switched to traditional prep and aluball and never looked back.

Ok. I will try using more next time. Hopefully @Kalm with Kava can clarify for us soon.

 

[Zaphod]

Oh I will add a bit of explanation as we normally use the terms on Kavaforums:
Microgrind is dried kava (like medium grind) but just ground to a much, much finer powder. Some vendors remove the more fibrous material ahead of time but it is the full root ground really fine. You still just mix with water and drink like an instant.

Instant is a product that has been prepared like a traditional kava. They mixed the ground root with water, then they strain it to remove the larger particles. After that the instant is dried to remove the water leaving a powdery substance. Same with microgrind you just add it to water, mix, and drink.

 

[Kalm with Kava]

Hmmm, good question. I just looked at KWK's site and Mike does seem to mix terms (as we normally define them here on the Kavaforums) and it is not clear if KWK micronized/instant is just microgrind or an instant that has then been finely ground. @Kalm with Kava can you answer that? Either way I would up the dose. When I started with microgrind I started with 2-4tsps on the first day, doubled it on the second and then finally on my third day I took closer to 2-3TBS and a bit more after that for it to really kick in. After ~9 months of using GHK's microgrinds at ~3TBS I switched to traditional prep and aluball and never looked back.

Thanks for the purchase @love2driveinct and question @Zaphod - We list our micronized / instant as such to help new people to kava know this is in fact an instant product that doesn't need any additional preparation but also to include the information it is micronized kava not a true "dehydrated instant" product. As for the process, it differs from most micronized in the fact it's not simply kava root that has been round very finely (makas and all). We actually developed a couple of processing methods to filter out most of the makas and leave behind most closely what you would get from traditional kava and filtering with a strainer bag. But again, it's not instant as in the dehydrated kava juice either. Hope that helps and let us know if there's any other questions!

 

[Intrepidus_dux]

These are all great suggestions and info. The only thing I can add is if you start to get a little nauseous, eat a baby carrot or two. Those seem to help me lately with strains that are a but more tough on my stomach. Also a couple baby carrots doesn’t ruin the kava feeling. I believe some drink ginger beer for it. I haven’t tried that method yet.