What about the more obscure cultivars available in Hawaii?

[Palmetto]

I've read a little about several kava cultivars grown in Hawaii, whether originally from there or not, but there is scant information on the effects of Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Kumakua, Honokane Iki, Hiwa, Akau Huli, Ava Lea, Rahmedel, and Rahmwanger. Does anyone have experience with these? I am saddened that I lost all my Papa Ele Ele cuttings, but I do have 6 other Hawaiian cultivars growing, plus 2 other piper species as well.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

I've read a little about several kava cultivars grown in Hawaii, whether originally from there or not, but there is scant information on the effects of Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Kumakua, Honokane Iki, Hiwa, Akau Huli, Ava Lea, Rahmedel, and Rahmwanger. Does anyone have experience with these? I am saddened that I lost all my Papa Ele Ele cuttings, but I do have 6 other Hawaiian cultivars growing, plus 2 other piper species as well.

Where do you live? I might be able to help with cuttings if your on the Big Island.
Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Kumakua, Honokane Iki, and Hiwa are all Hawaiian, the others you mention are not from Hawaii. All of the kava varieties you mentioned are Noble. The effects to me are great for all of them, though I am not one to give a good description on the effects but I will say that the Rahmedel from Pohnpei is the best they have to offer, this plant has a lot of power, for example if you wanted to talk to the Chief and he did not want to talk or listen to what you had to say, well all you have to do is to harvest a Rahmedel and toss it in front of the Chief then he has to listen to you. A friend of mine in Pohnpei told me that if you stole something from someone and they caught you and you gave them a Rahmedel plant then all is forgiven. It is also interesting to note that in Pohnpei in 1987 over 97% of the kava grown there was Rahmwanger not Rahmedel. I personally like the Rahmedel better than the Rahmwanger. The Ava Lea is also a very good kava that I like a lot, this one is from Samoa.
Let me know if you have any questions and I might be able to go into more detail for you. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Atticus]

Where do you live? I might be able to help with cuttings if your on the Big Island.
Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Kumakua, Honokane Iki, and Hiwa are all Hawaiian, the others you mention are not from Hawaii. All of the kava varieties you mentioned are Noble. The effects to me are great for all of them, though I am not one to give a good description on the effects but I will say that the Rahmedel from Pohnpei is the best they have to offer, this plant has a lot of power, for example if you wanted to talk to the Chief and he did not want to talk or listen to what you had to say, well all you have to do is to harvest a Rahmedel and toss it in front of the Chief then he has to listen to you. A friend of mine in Pohnpei told me that if you stole something from someone and they caught you and you gave them a Rahmedel plant then all is forgiven. It is also interesting to note that in Pohnpei in 1987 over 97% of the kava grown there was Rahmwanger not Rahmedel. I personally like the Rahmedel better than the Rahmwanger. The Ava Lea is also a very good kava that I like a lot, this one is from Samoa.
Let me know if you have any questions and I might be able to go into more detail for you. Aloha.

Chris

Chris... stories like these would be so cool on your website. It would be amazing if you had an extra tab with Kava stories and tidbits. You have a wealth of knowledge that alot of folks would love to read about.

 

[Palmetto]

Hey Chris,

I appreciate your responses. I know you prefer heady kavas. I think I prefer something in between heady and balanced. I keep hearing people raving about Tongan kavas, but out of two I've tried, I liked neither.

Now the barrage of questions:
The only Vanuatu kava I've seen you mention was Borogoru. Is there another you like a lot? Considering they have the majority of the world's kavas, there must be a few you love.
You've also mentioned Rahmedel several times. Is it your favorite kava? I think Ed said he's growing it, so you must also have it too.
I wonder if Papa Ele Ele might be wonderful. Are you likely to harvest it soon?
Which are your favorite heavy kavas, and why?
Which fast growing and disease resistant kavas are also high in kavalactones and have pleasant effects?
Out of all the experts I've talked to, I've heard varying responses to their favorite kava. Jerry K. said Mo'i and Nene. Ed said Honokane Iki, Papa Kea, and Hanakapi Ai. I've seen you mention Hanikapi Ai and Papa Kea. Any others?

Have a nice day

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

I think for me that is one of the things I like about kava, there is so many different kava's that will give some different effects. Keep trying all the different kava you can find, at least the known good noble ones.
I have sold one other Vanuatu Kava at one time, but I only focus on Borogu right now. I do have some other kava from Vanuatu that I like, they are Kelia and Pia, Small Hand is another good one.
I remember in the 1980ies when I used to get a lot of kava for personal use from Vanuatu, my friend over there would send me some real good varieties that I loved, when the kava boom started I noticed that other kava coming out of Vanuatu was not as good as my friend would send me, I take it that this was when they started to mix tudei kava with noble kava.
Yes Rahmedel is a very good kava that is on par with the best of them, it is a heady kava with some body effects too, kind of like Mahakea but better. Yes Ed does grow that Rahmedel and so do I.
I think you will love the Papa Ele Ele and the Puu Puu too. I was thinking of harvesting some Papa Ele Ele soon so you will get a chance to try it out.
I guess I do not have a favorite heavy kava so much because I do like the heady kava but I have to say that I do like the Papa Kea for a heavy effect.
When it comes to kava the long internode varieties will grow faster than the short internode kava.
There are some kava that can take disease better than others but for Noble kava they are all about the same. I have noticed that the Papa Kea will get shot hole from the Phoma fungus sooner than the others will. Both Ed and I have noticed that if you feed the kava real good that it does help to keep the plant from getting sick. The highest kavalactones seems to come from the Mahakea and Papa Kea but others can get a high kavalactone content too, it depends on how you feed the kava. Kava likes food and is a high energy plant. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions, aloha.

Chris

 

[Palmetto]

@Gourmet Hawaiian Kava So out of all the cultivars I have growing, I have 1-3 of Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Papa Kea, Hiwa, Pana Ewa, Honkane Iki, and Nene. I am tempted to think that I should wait 3 years before I can harvet an immature plant (in my climate), but realistically, I should try each first from a vendor's powder. I lost Papa Ele Ele by oversoaking it, but it is one of my higher choices to try next.....BUT, the way you describe Rahmedel,......are you planning on harvesting that anytime soon? My other top choice would be the elusive Avini ute. I've been looking for sources for that this week. Two years ago, it would have been easier, but the botanical garden in tahiti shut down. I suppose if a wanderer were to show up with a pair of clippers....but it's too far away for me anytime soon. I'm waiting to hear back from a farmer in the Marquesas who supposedly grows it. I suspect it is the ancestor of Mohikana, as you say.

As far as Papa Kea, I thought it was strong, but I had trouble going to sleep, compared to many other kavas. Not sure why. Some kavas make me creative, but Papa Kea made me feel dull temporarily. The kavain level is through the roof, but I suspect the methysticin is too high to fully enjoy the kavain. I do like your Hanakapi Ai as a balanced kava. Maybe not as strong as Papa Kea, but more nuanced.

Going back to an earlier question from you, I live in Southeastern Virginia, which might seem cold by your standards, but several palm species can be grown here, as well as citrus. I have learned a lot of tricks for growing subtropical things through the winter, so eventually I'll try to grow kava as a semi dieback perennial. Some of my tricks I've used for 20 years on ornamental plants through the winter might be useful to protect against phoma (Papa Kea especially).