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Noname
You can get 2-3 decent shells from makas (used kava). @Krunkie McKrunkface has more info on this
I've been throwing away perfectly good kava ?!
I wouldn’t frame it in those terms. If you are getting what you want and/or need from your kava then you’re fine.I've been throwing away perfectly good kava ?!
If you do it right each shell you produce should be of equivalent strength, though of different character, because the kavalactone profile will be different with each wash. Also, unless you only drink one type of kava, the makas accumulated in the freezer will be of different varieties, so those 3rd through 6th washes will have a mongrel character, and the more varied the mix the better, IME.That probably explains why some "kava bars" have really weak kava.
I bet they re-use their kave 5 times or more, to be cheap.
now that I can tell you. I have experimented and had sessions from only 1st wash, only 2nd wash, only 3rd, etc and here are my results:I wonder how a kava session from only makas would feel?
with all due respect, I don't see how that makes any sense. It started out dry and you got kavalactones my macerating after rehydrating. Even if you knead till dry, why couldn't you again get kavalactones after rehydrating? Until all the kavalactones that you could get are gone?For me, I wouldn't waste my time on it. I go by the feel. If it's dry I've gotten everything I wanted out of it. No sense kneading a dry ball of root.
the way you are talking about it, I still have a really hard time understanding what you mean. I do know, because I've done it a zillion times and do it at least twice a week, is that with what started out as two dry cups of medium grind, after being used for a couple of washes, I can aggregate and knead those makas 4 times to make a total of one gallon of grog. Or more. But a minimum of one gallon.@Plantacious
I am referring to basically used medium grind root (makas)that has been used to make the kava only and then put aside for later to make shells out of the non used up makas. The makas have kava in them. How much till you get all the kavalactones? Depends on how much makas you have. I'd say one tablespoon of makas =1 shell.
I didn't mean dry like powder, I meant that the wet, kneaded Kava was wrung to the point of feeling dry, which is what I use to base whether or not to attempt a second wash. If it doesn't feel oily anymore I figure my job is done.with all due respect, I don't see how that makes any sense. It started out dry and you got kavalactones my macerating after rehydrating. Even if you knead till dry, why couldn't you again get kavalactones after rehydrating? Until all the kavalactones that you could get are gone?
What I find is you can go back to the well again and again, up to a point, and that point is at around 6 or 7th wash. But all my root gets at least a 6th wash. The key, I believe, is in having sufficient critical mass of makas to get grog out of. You need to have a big bag of makas on that third wash if you are going to get anything at all out of the 6th wash, it's economies of scale. But that is easily dealt with by simply accumulating makas in the freezer from 1st and 2nd washes until you have a big enough volume.
I think if you simply re-rehydrate again you will find you can get more, but it may need to be aggregated with other makas. If you start with just 4 TBS of grind, e.g., you can really only get a couple of washes before it plays out, maybe three at the most, but if you add it to a whole bunch of other makas you can get more out of it. This is especially so, I find, if you use the AluBall for the first two washes and then switch to trad prep kneading with a bag for the 3rd through 6th washes.I didn't mean dry like powder, I meant that the wet, kneaded Kava was wrung to the point of feeling dry, which is what I use to base whether or not to attempt a second wash. If it doesn't feel oily anymore I figure my job is done.