Fresh Kava & It's Somewhat Mysterious Superiority.

[Edward]

I used to use instants exclusively since they tasted better, had no prep time involved, no room for error and worked well with less side effects. They got too expensive over time, the normal 2 tsp recommendation was too little to feel any effects. I would need about 2 tbsp with most, per "shell" and would use 3 or 4 of them. The effects come on faster and stronger than medium grind but don't last as long either. Not really good for getting a krunk effect but definitely better for being out and functional while using it.

I went back to medium grind due to cost savings, the vast variety and the muscle relaxation is much stronger. I feel like instants pack more of a kavain punch. I've mostly used GHK Moi and Mahakea but also like BKH green quite a bit. I used to use a lot of Shaman and Fire Island but the Fire Island hasn't been as strong as it was a few years ago. Cream of Vanuatu was also great. The only thing I didn't like was the strength batch to batch was always different (some weaker/stronger than others) but I've found the same to be true for medium grind.

I'm really surprised so many people are saying they need to use so much instant, for me it's the exact opposite, the more I drink it the less I need. 2 tablespoons per shell sounds absolutely huge! 2 teaspoons is acceptable for one shell for me and I'll do 2 or 3 shells a night.

 

[gork]

I think Judd's instant green comes the closest to fresh that you can get in terms of instant kava. Fresh kava is for sure a different beast than dried. When I drank fresh kava for the first time, I pretty much instantly understood how people could drink it without gagging or without a chaser. It just doesn't taste bad. More like a green tea flavor than my normal grog Mississippi mud water.

Hmm isn't KavaTimes fresh? Something about litteraly vacume sealing it after harvest.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Hmm isn't KavaTimes fresh? Something about litteraly vacume sealing it after harvest.

Freshly sealed dry kava, but not the same as fresh kava, which has never been tried.

 

[gork]

Freshly sealed dry kava, but not the same as fresh kava, which has never been tried.

Aah. Then I might simply be mistaken about that part. Perhaps they'd consider adding Fresh to their list? if that's even doable

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Aah. Then I might simply be mistaken about that part. Perhaps they'd consider adding Fresh to their list? if that's even doable

Unfortunately fresh kava is perishable and poses problems with shipping times. It's also heavier because it still has it's water weight and requires much larger packaging when people do attempt to ship it (frozen), which all increases the cost. -_-

 

[gork]

Unfortunately fresh kava is perishable and poses problems with shipping times. It's also heavier because it still has it's water weight and requires much larger packaging when people do attempt to ship it (frozen), which all increases the cost. -_-

AH! Huh. I didn't know that.

 

[Palmetto]

Many biochemicals are rapidly degradable at room temperature , especially in the presence of oxygen. Even plastics have some oxygen permeability, the rate depending upon their material and thickness. Freezing is usually the best way to halt chemical reactions, especially when you're unsure of the exact chemical or reaction.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I eventually got so old I learned to just eat tomatoes in August and September and October, but go really really ape on them. I'll do that with fresh kava as soon as I get off the boat in Vanuatu. I'll probably crash under a tree the entire time I'm there. Till then, medium grind will have to do. To everything, turn turn turn.

 

[Palmetto]

Here's my fear of fresh kava at a nakamal in Vanuatu,
it might be made with questionable water that would send me under the nearest coconut tree for 8 hours with no toilet paper.

 

[kastom_lif]

Coconut husks work pretty well when toilet paper is finished

 

[Hitch]

All, I was Googling fresh kava as part of my love for Pacific Roots Kava (I’m hoping they come back again).

This thread was fascinating to read through. I’m wondering... have we gotten any closer to discovering the magical compounds in fresh kava that make it better than dried kava? Perhaps more research has been done since the publication of the paper that was cited at the start of the thread?

I’ll do some digging myself to see what I can find!

 

[Groggy]

The availability of fresh kava came a long way, since the beginning of this thread.

 

[Kavaguy]

I see that many on this thread refer to a kava as having "clean effects." Could anyone elaborate on what clean effects are?