Just got a bag yesterday. Trying it today. It's got to be the most pleasant tasting kava I've every had. I feel like the smoky notes are real though - and I have a decent amount of experience with that from single malt scotch days. I loved those smoky Islay malts. This wasn't really intended as a review, just a question. But it's a really nice strong kava - seems to be easier on the stomach than anything else I've had.