I recently got to try some special single cultivar batches of kava from the island of Santo. Santo's most popular daily kava is Palarasul and we don't see it very often on the international market. In addition to the rareness of the kava, it is also being produced in small batches, with a quick turn around from being in ground to in mouth. On top of that, it has been properly peeled, like other premium kavas such as 5-Star & Nambawan...a practice that is much more common to native Ni-Van drinkers than it is for the kava sold internationally.
The first standout feature of this root was the deceptively mild scent. There was none of the familiar pungent and piney Vanuatu scent in there. It was a very mild scent, slightly bready, slightly creamy with a little hint of earthy kava to it. The flavor is quite similar, but with a slightly more noticeable earth and pepper kick, very easy to drink. I didn't need to hack and spit at all, to try to get the taste off my tongue. These peeled kavas make for a delightfully light coloured powder and beverage, with a light scent.
I was expecting it to be a mild, one-sided 'heady' experience judging by it's appearance, scent and taste. However, the remarkably pleasant effects I achieved even off just the first shell, let me know there was more going on with this kava than I expected. It was definitely the lighter/headier cultivar of the Santo grown roots I sampled, but it was significantly effective and still somewhat balanced enough for me completely enjoy it. It isn't a physically heavy experience, but it offers a nice warm, dreamy mental sedation effect combined with a contented headiness and bit of that loose swirly feeling behind your eyes. It was very reminiscent of some of the good nakamal kava I got in Vanuatu...and similar to some of the stand-out effective balanced-leaning-heady kavas that were around 4 or 5 years ago.
Surprisingly, the chemotype and KL% were pretty average, but the effectiveness was significant compared to the majority of kavas I've been drinking over the last couple years. So between the roots being well peeled, the quick turn around from harvest to consumption, my general receptiveness for Vanuatu kavas and the mysterious unknowns of kava...something made it more effective and enjoyable than it might look on paper.
If you get the chance to try some of this and you're willing to pay the premium price to do so, you won't be disappointed. Also, the peeled production of the roots seems to diminish some of kavas negative side-effects quite a bit, which leads to an overall more enjoyable experience.
The first standout feature of this root was the deceptively mild scent. There was none of the familiar pungent and piney Vanuatu scent in there. It was a very mild scent, slightly bready, slightly creamy with a little hint of earthy kava to it. The flavor is quite similar, but with a slightly more noticeable earth and pepper kick, very easy to drink. I didn't need to hack and spit at all, to try to get the taste off my tongue. These peeled kavas make for a delightfully light coloured powder and beverage, with a light scent.
I was expecting it to be a mild, one-sided 'heady' experience judging by it's appearance, scent and taste. However, the remarkably pleasant effects I achieved even off just the first shell, let me know there was more going on with this kava than I expected. It was definitely the lighter/headier cultivar of the Santo grown roots I sampled, but it was significantly effective and still somewhat balanced enough for me completely enjoy it. It isn't a physically heavy experience, but it offers a nice warm, dreamy mental sedation effect combined with a contented headiness and bit of that loose swirly feeling behind your eyes. It was very reminiscent of some of the good nakamal kava I got in Vanuatu...and similar to some of the stand-out effective balanced-leaning-heady kavas that were around 4 or 5 years ago.
Surprisingly, the chemotype and KL% were pretty average, but the effectiveness was significant compared to the majority of kavas I've been drinking over the last couple years. So between the roots being well peeled, the quick turn around from harvest to consumption, my general receptiveness for Vanuatu kavas and the mysterious unknowns of kava...something made it more effective and enjoyable than it might look on paper.
If you get the chance to try some of this and you're willing to pay the premium price to do so, you won't be disappointed. Also, the peeled production of the roots seems to diminish some of kavas negative side-effects quite a bit, which leads to an overall more enjoyable experience.
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Dosage: 8 Tbsp Kava : 3 Cups Water
Preparation: Traditional
Effects: Balanced leaning strongly toward heady.
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