What is the optimal mircron size

[ApéroNoble]

Runding says, "I'm all about the 80 micron nut milk bag. Cost ~$10 on amazon and works great. I even use it on micro these days and I've noticed a huge difference in nausea/gas after not doing the 'ol micro toss n wash."

I have experimented with several sizes from 25 to 120. I would think hose, tees, socks etc would be fairly larger than 120. What would be the highest micron size one could use without letting in any negative components of root powder

 

[Kava Steve]

good question, you probably don't want to use my 1 micron water filters

in other words I don't know the answer but I too would like to know considering you can buy any micron filter material on amazon and sow up some bags for cheap

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I think it's a personal line that's drawn, the level at which you consider a certain amount of sediment to be too much.
...and some people are more impervious to it, it seems... also take consideration of when super-straining is too much of a kavalactone/effect loss...for the individual.
I wish I knew what the microns were for stuff I strain with, for reference.

 

[CactusKava]

Runding says, "I'm all about the 80 micron nut milk bag. Cost ~$10 on amazon and works great. I even use it on micro these days and I've noticed a huge difference in nausea/gas after not doing the 'ol micro toss n wash."

I have experimented with several sizes from 25 to 120. I would think hose, tees, socks etc would be fairly larger than 120. What would be the highest micron size one could use without letting in any negative components of root powder

Hey there, @ApéroNoble , @Runding here.
I still think the 80 micron bags are the way to go, and the bags I include with any Cactus Kava order actually come with a 75 micron bag. However -- like @sɥɐʞɐs mentioned, it's a personal opinion. I get nausea from kava very easily, so I've got to be careful about the root I use and how much sediment I drink. 80 microns does it for me, and nylons are good for others. I really don't think you can have a one size fits all for the largest micron size before you start getting ill effects.

 

[ApéroNoble]

I suppose the only negative components of a noble root powder would be the makas, perhaps I should've posed the question as, approximately what's the highest micron for say the average medium grind which would not allow any makas through.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

I suppose the only negative components of a noble root powder would be the makas, perhaps I should've posed the question as, approximately what's the highest micron for say the average medium grind which would not allow any makas through.

Depends on the grind.

When I started with Kava, I used paint strainer bags which gave me a digestive pachinko machine all night and I lost sleep. I switched to a finer bag (220 micron) and still got the makkarena all night. I switched to 80 micron nut milk bag and it was better. Then I finally switched to 25 micron nylon monofilament biodiesel filtration bags and never looked back.

Interestingly, though, after nearly a year of kava consumption, the 220 micron bags that Melo Melo uses don't bother me at all any more, so there MUST be some digestive acclimation over time. For most people anything below 200 is probably fine. Keep in mind that the finer the mesh, the harder your work during kneading and straining. Of course, on the flip side, the creamier and more palatable the grog. After 25 micron traditional prep, micronized tastes like the wild west.

 

[ApéroNoble]

How big is the smallest maka wet not dry, therein shall our answer lie

 

[kavadude]

Keep in mind that the finer the mesh, the harder your work during kneading and straining. Of course, on the flip side, the creamier and more palatable the grog.

FWIW you can just make it with a ziploc bag filled with water and a rolling pin. So you still have the final straining step, but you're not having to squeeze your hands off to work it. I find this also reduces the amount of sediment in the final drink by a lot.