You never forget your first time.

[Ilikemudkips]

Hi! My name is Evelyn and I'm new to kava. I've been reading through the kavapedia along with other posts on this site and am extremely excited to go kavatose into blissful kava perfection but, being the perfectionist try hard I am, I've got one more question. If you all could try kava the first time once again with all the knowledge you've got today, what would you do and how?

 

[Kalm with Kava]

Welcome Ilikemudkips! I'm sure you'll get all kinds of great answers here but I think the general consensus will be researching quality. It's becoming less of an issue recently with vendors being more diligent on testing and kava supplying countries stepping up to control exports but there is undoubtedly quite a few people who were put off by kava at first by having bad experiences with Tudei or ineffective products.

Personally, I was extremely lucky when I was introduced to kava by a roommate who brought back a huge portion of stump and roots from his travels. We hacked it up in the kitchen, ground it down, and relaxed into the night. For years I tried to replicate that experience with the limited supply available online at the time before anyone knew of all the differences.

Now we are blessed to have sites like this with real world reviews of almost every kava product available. With all the reading you've done, I'm sure you're in for some great experiences

 

[Edward]

Hi! My name is Evelyn and I'm new to kava. I've been reading through the kavapedia along with other posts on this site and am extremely excited to go kavatose into blissful kava perfection but, being the perfectionist try hard I am, I've got one more question. If you all could try kava the first time once again with all the knowledge you've got today, what would you do and how?

Spot on above but one thing I would say is once you've got yourself some good root don't be afraid of mixing up a good strong batch. The temptation and possibly the natural thing to do is to be cautious with your first use of a substance and use a small amount. With Kava this is almost always going to guarantee a mild effect. It will take time to work out your optimum dose for the effects you desire but to start off with give it a good go and adjust from there. I think this could well be the cause of a lot of "reverse tolerance". Depending what kava you get go in with about 4 tbsps. That's not horrendously strong of most kavas but most people will at least something from that. Most

 

[Edward]

Sorry, couldn't edit the above for some reason. Most people go for 1 tbsp to be cautious and don't feel a whole lot, well no wonder.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

@KalmwithKava Luckily, I ordered my first batch from your site due to hearing great things about you. Your sample pack actually, due to not knowing exactly what I wanted. I can't wait for UPS to get here. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Thank you very much for the response.

@Edward Thanks for the tip. I read about reverse tolerance but, I wasn't sure how much I needed to battle it without it being overkill. I'm looking to have some good times while dulling my ADHD, anxiety, and PTSD. I'm guessing to stay near the higher dosages? Anyways, thanks again.

I'll be sure to post my experience as soon as UPS kicks off the ol dust and gets the move on.

 

[Deleted User01]

I would have snorted Micronized instead of fooling with Kava Pills and powder. Ok, ok, maybe not snort it but I think I could have gotten there faster by drinking Micronized which was probably not available to me at the time. That being said, every Kavateer must learn how to blend and knead the traditional way. And I still do that once in a blue moon.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

@Deleted User01 Snorting that sounds painful. I didn't think about micronized. Looks like kneeding is in my future. Do you notice a particular difference in effect between traditional and micronized?

 

[Deleted User01]

I was joking about the snorting. I think one person did it a long time ago and ended up in the emergency room. Kiddies, don't do this at home. Micronized suits me very well. My theory is that if you get good maca less (fiber less) kava, you are ingesting the full spectrum of kavalactones. In my case, I get results immediately. That being said, some people cannot stomach micronized. And some people feel that slowly kneading the kava is therapeutic in itself. Also, micronized is more expensive. Good luck with whatever you decide. Just make sure you buy your kava from the outstanding list of vendors on this forum.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

@Deleted User01 That makes a lot of sense. More kavalactones, less not kavalactones. This time I picked up a kit from Kalm with Kava but, I'll have to give micronized a try.

Speaking of kavalactones, I've read of some using an emulsifier such as milk, coconut milk, or other additives in an attempt to maximize the effect. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Deleted User01]

I never used milk. It's hard enough to drink Kava tea but adding milk would send me straight to the vomitorium. Then back for more. When I make tea the traditional way, I use coconut water. But I mainly do that to make the kava tasted better. I use like 3/4 coco water to 1/4 reg water. If you want to go whole hog to this. Put the kava in a blender, add liquid at about 130 degrees. Blend it for a minute. Then dump it in your strainer. The temp will have come down to 120 or so. Now knead it. Blending is good, 120 degrees is good so you are doing the maximum possible to extract kavalactones. When you are done, add half as much liquid to the remains and squeeze again. That's called a second wash and insures that you get your moneys worth.

P.S. I just put a tablespoon of micron in tiny dixie cup, went to the bathroom, added water, and stirred with a small chopstick. Gulp, gulp, gulp and I'm back at my desk. That's why I do micronized and I'm sure instant would work too. It's convenient for how and when I use it.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

Might as well go whole hog. You only get one first time. The coconut water sounds tasty and, I've heard of the "earth in a cup" kind description of a rather "acquired taste". I'm a little afraid of mixing too much in fear of watering down the kavalactones and therefore the desired effect. Blending before kneading makes sense due to surface area. Although there is an allure to the dixie cup method. Sounds like a great way to make the old level grinding a bit more chill.

 

[Ricardo Piquant]

Might as well go whole hog. You only get one first time. The coconut water sounds tasty and, I've heard of the "earth in a cup" kind description of a rather "acquired taste". I'm a little afraid of mixing too much in fear of watering down the kavalactones and therefore the desired effect. Blending before kneading makes sense due to surface area. Although there is an allure to the dixie cup method. Sounds like a great way to make the old level grinding a bit more chill.

I'm one who actually loves the taste and smell of proper good kava. Seems like a lot of people don't like earthy flavors. For smell .... Good kava smells beautiful and so comforting. It's fascinating that what I find as a genuinely beautiful and emotionally affecting aroma smells like shit to my friend who won't try it ever just because of the smell. So weird. Anyways, bula!

 

[Ilikemudkips]

I'm normally cool with earthy flavors so, I'm a bit on the fence about flavor augmentation. I think I want to try it with simply the coconut water mentioned above. Earthy smells I really like though. I've yet to smell actual, properly prepared kava but, I've heard it's nice.

 

[Groggy]

I'm normally cool with earthy flavors so, I'm a bit on the fence about flavor augmentation. I think I want to try it with simply the coconut water mentioned above. Earthy smells I really like though. I've yet to smell actual, properly prepared kava but, I've heard it's nice.

Welcome to the forums, I am not going to sugar coat it it tastes like mud, but coconut water pairs nicely with it or just throw it down ice cold. I think you'll be happier in the long run with traditional prep also having an aluball doesn't hurt.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

Thank you. This is already the best community. So, throw it down ice cold and coconutty. An aluball sounds shiny. I want one.

 

[fait]

I have mostly done kava using the Aluball and shaker. You'll find that some brands of medium grind kavas will shake better than others. It's all a matter of experience. If you don't find out for yourself that a given grind doesn't shake as well, someone on these here forums will be able to weigh in. For example, I got some Honokane Iki from @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava. The makas are much bigger than the other stuff I've purchased so far. Shaking it in the Aluball did not extract much kavalactone-rich sediment to make for a potent bev. However, I used a coffee grinder to grind my bag of Hono and I got excellent results with the resulting powder. The makas (no idea if I'm spelling this right) are much smaller and manageable for the Aluball.

Now, if you plan on going the traditional preparation route, you may not need to grind the Honokane Iki or any of GHK's kava. If GHK's grind needed work, I'm sure a lot of the veterans would've spoken up long ago and I would've had a better idea of what I myself was getting into before purchasing.

Also I can't emphasize enough how great the Hono is. I will be drinking more in an hour or two before bed!

 

[theGrogfather]

Tough question to answer really. After lots of trials with dosage, prep methods, shell timing and meals, I've come a great place where I know how my body reacts with different Kava's, been able to pick the strains I enjoy and can make a session last many hours. The knowledge here helped me get started but then you've got to experiment and see how the root meshes with your body.
If your sample pack comes with the Loa Waka, I'd recommend trying that for your first time. Very strong, tastes good and has great balanced effects.
I hope your first session goes great, Bula

 

[fait]

If your sample pack comes with the Loa Waka, I'd recommend trying that for your first time. Very strong, tastes good and has great balanced effects.
I hope your first session goes great, Bula

I can attest to a good time with Loa Waka.

 

[Edward]

Speaking of kavalactones, I've read of some using an emulsifier such as milk, coconut milk, or other additives in an attempt to maximize the effect. Any thoughts on this?

Milk all the way! Coconut water does nothing but alter the taste.

 

[Zaphod]

Don't eat. Don't Eat. Don't EAT! I started with microgind from GHK - great choice by the way. It took me 3 days of use before my aha moment. First night I had about .5 TBS, second night 1.5, and third 2-3 TBS all at once when it finally hit. In addition to upping the dose I came back on this forum and looked up all the advice I could find - and the main one was have an empty stomach. Last meal preferable 3-4 hours ago. So on day three with a good 4 hours after lunch I slugged down my GHK Mahakea and my world changed!

Good luck!