What makes the 100 micron one of the best strainers or is that just your personal preference? I know a lot of medium grinds vary but I've noticed the makas are all about the same size or at the very least don't get much smaller than a certain size, if I am wrong in thinking that please let me know, and I'm also under the assumption that you pretty much want everything except the makas. So is there a certain micron size that is just small enough to keep all makas out but allow everything else through? Perhaps if that were possible to figure out then sifting to get everything but the makas could be a possibility unless some of the makas do get ground more finely than most of the visible ones or if there is something else we don't want that is in the med. grind besides the makas.
Has anyone ever played around with TDS of prepared kava using a variety of different strainer types, micron sizes, prep methods etc to see what yields the best results? To go a step further detecting the overall and individual amounts of kavalactones in the finished result of each method? Do all kavalactones have the same level of extraction with all methods of preparation. Could some kavalactones be better or more easily extracted under certain conditions than others?
On a related note has any research been done on the impact of water TDS and its make up and their effect on extractions? I know with coffee water composition plays a huge role in extraction of the various compounds; some at lower temps, some at higher temps, some higher/lower with different water compositions, some come out at lower contact time and some at higher. (If anyone is interested in reading up on that check out this link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080526072324/http://www.big-rick.com/coffee/waterfaq.html Its a very good read)
This stuff has been experimented with here, there's anecdotal conclusions for some stuff but there are also actual studies for other things you mentioned.
As for the strainer, the durable 100 Micron strainer is my personal preference after more than a decade of preparing kava and using many types of strainers along the way. I would bet that it would be equally as favorable to anyone that uses it, although it wouldn't make much of a difference to people who are already using something similar. While a lot of the grinds you've come across may look similar, there are occasionally some that are much finer and other that are super chunky. In such cases, it's better to have a variety of strainer sizes for optimum control over your beverage...but it's not necessary and a 100 micron or similar will always work.
I've spent a lot of time using paint strainers that were probably 200 Microns, they would let bigger stuff in and sometimes have some maka fibers floating in my drink. It could be a bit stronger, but also lead to quicker and harsher dermopathy...and of course more stomach issues, which detracts from the experience.
On the other end of the spectrum, I've also used an 80 micron strainer, which makes a nice clean beverage, but always diminished the potency of the kava when I used it. When I got the 100 micron, I found the perfect balance of sediment/potency.
The strainer isn't going to make a difference in which kavalactones are extracted. There are studies that show how well each kavalactone is extracted into water, some extract better than others. Obviously, solvents like ethanol and and acetone have better extractions. There is also a study that shows how variations in the preparation affect the overall kavalactone percentage in the resulting beverage.
The strongest is fresh, undried kava, prepped in hot water, using a blender or by hand. With dry powder, hot water also results in a slightly stronger beverage than cold water, but not as strong as using fresh kava.
There was also a fad for a while where adding lecithin, oil or fats of some kind was supposed to make a stronger drink.
It was never significant enough for any one to definitively say if it works or not. I flip flop on it, sometimes I add some oil when I'm kneading the kava and feel like I get a slightly stronger experience...but not always.
