What grind do you prefer?

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Hi everyone, I was wondering what kind pf grind you all like the best. There are a few different grinds.
1 coarse grind, with big chunks of the kava and a little powder, this needs to be strained
2 med or find grind that needs to be strained
micronized powder, this powder is ground real fine and when you drink it, you can taste the grit a bit, even though it is like baby powder you still feel the powder in your mouth.
3 the instant that is made from drying the fresh kava juice and then grinding the dry kava to a ultra fine powder that for the most part dissolves in water, it does not have the particle taste or feeling in your mouth after drinking.
Do you folks like to strain the kava or do you like the simple quick way that the instant provides or even the micronized, you do not need to strain the micronized.
Tell me about your likes and dislikes when it comes to the preparation of kava. Thanks and aloha.

Chris

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I think a lot of the long-time drinkers here prefer a medium grind that still needs to be strained.
Newbies show up and usually prefer instants/powders for quick consumption. I'm sure everyone would technically prefer micronized, but, most of us have come to the conclusion that it's equivalent to 'tossing-n-washing'...which seems to lead to dermopathy more quickly...and in some strains greatly exacerbates stomach issues. We also theorize that you may be consuming unwanted chemicals when you consume the entire root that would not normally get released with a traditional aqueous extraction.

 

[Deleted User01]

I totally agree with Shakas. There has been so much Dermopathy blamed on toss and wash that nobody wants to ingest powder if they don't have to. I freaked out the other day when I boiled the Kava because it looked like powder was squeezing thru my strainer. And I look at my bottles in the fridge and I can see a layer of sludge at the bottom. Maybe that's just Kava fudge and maybe it ain't. I haven't had the dermo problem yet and I'm doing everything in my power to avoid it. I vote medium grind for everyday use.

P.S. But I am going to be more than happy to sample the Micronized stuff. Moderation in everything and all should be well. Perhaps the ease of ingestion would make it road trip Kava. I'm curious for sure.

 

[BULABUCK]

Medium for me as well.

 

[kavadude]

I've never had a grind that I would call "too coarse." I really dislike micronized kava. Real instants are fine too.

 

[violet]

I can echo all the previous responses, except I personally stay away from the micronized stuff due to dermopathy issues.

 

[kavalover]

As a long term drinker I do prefer micronized kava, I feel like I get more out of it and I prefer toss and wash, and soupy kava over more watery strained kava. More potency for less has been my motto lately.

 

[Bert07]

I don't really have a preference. As of now, I do like my brew very gritty so I'm guessing if I had to choose I would lean towards a finer grind for that reason. The only minor dislike I have is the large chips of root in my grind that get in the way when I strain and knead. They're almost splinter-like chips, particularly found in Koniak and probably others I am not aware of yet.

 

[The Kap'n]

I never can seem to deal with the micronized grinds. They make my skin go crazy. I prefer something of this sort.

Some large pieces with predominately medium coarse and a sprinkle of fine grind. Magnifique!

 

[infraredz]

I too prefer a medium grind. I know the thread is old, but if you haven't voted already, there is a poll that I started a while back.

It'd be good to get some of the new member's responses to that since I think vendors might be curious what us users prefer. If nothing else, data and percentages are always good

http://www.kavaforums.com/forum/threads/how-finely-ground-do-you-like-your-kava.1452