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Powdered Kava Review FijiFreshKava Lewena Powder

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
Hey all, I recently purchased some FijiFreshKava after reading some of the the other Kava Forums members' reviews, and I'm very pleased to report that this was an excellent purchase. Not only did it ship fast (only a few days from CA to NY), but is probably one of the best tasting and effective Kavas I've had to date.

I began by preparing this Kava according to the "stronger" preparation method of 1:1 tablespoons of powder to cups of water, specifically for this first batch I used 2 tablespoons and 2 cups of water. Given that I refrigerate my water, I took the 2 cups in a measuring cup and microwaved it for 60 seconds on the default "high" setting which brings the temperature of it to a tepid warm. My thinking is that the traditional method of preparation is outdoors in a warm climate, so using a similar temperature water brings the experience to being as authentic as I can in my kitchen.

I used a rubbing and grinding type of motion for about 5 minutes in and out of the water, flushing the water through the bag often. Here is what the mixture looked like after finishing (notice the spots of what I believe are the kavalactones floating on the top):
pic1.jpeg


Also, here is what it looked like after pouring it into a glass. Note, I use the double-pour method, since the kavalactones like to stick to the bottom of the bowl. This means, I pour once into the glass I am going to use, then pour a bit back into the bowl. I swoosh that around for a couple of seconds, then pour the remaining Kava back into my glass. This captures and removes everything from the bottom of the bowl. As you can see, it has a very fresh look to it:
pic2.jpeg


Overall, this is probably the best tasting Kava that I've tried to date (personally, and subjectively). I would describe the taste as being very "clean", in that it tastes like a plant and less like the ground it was grown in which I have found with other Kavas with the exception of GHK which also has a very "clean" tasting kava to me. I've become used to keeping a chaser nearby (a sip of coffee or a lemon wedge, usually), but to my surprise and to my pleasure, after drinking the first bowl, no chaser was needed and it tasted great.

One more note on my prep method; coming from other brands which suggested brewing their Kava with 4 cups of water to approximately a half cup of Kava powder, I was hesitant to attempt my first brew with the first recommended brew of 1000mL to 2 Tbsp since this, to me, would likely be much weaker than I was used to. Given that I've also had stomach troubles in the past with Kava in general other than with Lowena/Lewena, I decided to compromise and go with the stronger variation of 1:1 as I described above. As far as potency goes, even for being a lewena was pleasantly potent and heady. I found myself immersed in my work and extremely focused on answering emails as well as writing this post, entranced in kindness and feelings of wellness all over. Being someone who tends to run at 200% nearly 24/7 and doesn't normally enjoy experiencing life at a slower pace, this drink is just the elixir of relaxation that I need.

Kudos to the FijiFreshKava team, this is a fantastic product and I can't wait to make and try more! Bula, friends!
 

AlexisReal

Kava Enthusiast
Hey all, I recently purchased some FijiFreshKava after reading some of the the other Kava Forums members' reviews, and I'm very pleased to report that this was an excellent purchase. Not only did it ship fast (only a few days from CA to NY), but is probably one of the best tasting and effective Kavas I've had to date.

I began by preparing this Kava according to the "stronger" preparation method of 1:1 tablespoons of powder to cups of water, specifically for this first batch I used 2 tablespoons and 2 cups of water. Given that I refrigerate my water, I took the 2 cups in a measuring cup and microwaved it for 60 seconds on the default "high" setting which brings the temperature of it to a tepid warm. My thinking is that the traditional method of preparation is outdoors in a warm climate, so using a similar temperature water brings the experience to being as authentic as I can in my kitchen.

I used a rubbing and grinding type of motion for about 5 minutes in and out of the water, flushing the water through the bag often. Here is what the mixture looked like after finishing (notice the spots of what I believe are the kavalactones floating on the top):
View attachment 10817

Also, here is what it looked like after pouring it into a glass. Note, I use the double-pour method, since the kavalactones like to stick to the bottom of the bowl. This means, I pour once into the glass I am going to use, then pour a bit back into the bowl. I swoosh that around for a couple of seconds, then pour the remaining Kava back into my glass. This captures and removes everything from the bottom of the bowl. As you can see, it has a very fresh look to it:
View attachment 10818

Overall, this is probably the best tasting Kava that I've tried to date (personally, and subjectively). I would describe the taste as being very "clean", in that it tastes like a plant and less like the ground it was grown in which I have found with other Kavas with the exception of GHK which also has a very "clean" tasting kava to me. I've become used to keeping a chaser nearby (a sip of coffee or a lemon wedge, usually), but to my surprise and to my pleasure, after drinking the first bowl, no chaser was needed and it tasted great.

One more note on my prep method; coming from other brands which suggested brewing their Kava with 4 cups of water to approximately a half cup of Kava powder, I was hesitant to attempt my first brew with the first recommended brew of 1000mL to 2 Tbsp since this, to me, would likely be much weaker than I was used to. Given that I've also had stomach troubles in the past with Kava in general other than with Lowena/Lewena, I decided to compromise and go with the stronger variation of 1:1 as I described above. As far as potency goes, even for being a lewena was pleasantly potent and heady. I found myself immersed in my work and extremely focused on answering emails as well as writing this post, entranced in kindness and feelings of wellness all over. Being someone who tends to run at 200% nearly 24/7 and doesn't normally enjoy experiencing life at a slower pace, this drink is just the elixir of relaxation that I need.

Kudos to the FijiFreshKava team, this is a fantastic product and I can't wait to make and try more! Bula, friends!
I know what you mean about the sediment af bottom of the drinking vessel.

I mostly stir it up with a spoon, but have also tipped more kava in the loosen and withdraw that sediment.

Surprised you exert your lovely kava to the denaturing, structure altering affects of a microwave though. Most people would just use fairly warm water for the kneading process.
 

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
I know what you mean about the sediment af bottom of the drinking vessel.

I mostly stir it up with a spoon, but have also tipped more kava in the loosen and withdraw that sediment.

Surprised you exert your lovely kava to the denaturing, structure altering affects of a microwave though. Most people would just use fairly warm water for the kneading process.
Apologies if my method was confusing; I microwave the refrigerated water prior to adding the kava powder to it to warm it up. Otherwise I find that the extraction process doesn't go as well with the cold water.
 

AlexisReal

Kava Enthusiast
Apologies if my method was confusing; I microwave the refrigerated water prior to adding the kava powder to it to warm it up. Otherwise I find that the extraction process doesn't go as well with the cold water.
Thanks for claryfying, no apolagies necessary. I just feel that using a microwave in any form is inconducive to getting the best nutritional and medicinal benefit from anything consumable.

I would also include water in that too. The natural crystal structure of the water will be altered, disrupted, denatured by the microwaves, I would suggest.

We don't actually have a microwave here, but I just flick our kettle on for X amount of seconds if I want lukewarm or slightly hot water ever.

Thanks again for explaining that and hope you are having a good night.
 

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
Thanks for claryfying, no apolagies necessary. I just feel that using a microwave in any form is inconducive to getting the best nutritional and medicinal benefit from anything consumable.

I would also include water in that too. The natural crystal structure of the water will be altered, disrupted, denatured by the microwaves, I would suggest.

We don't actually have a microwave here, but I just flick our kettle on for X amount of seconds if I want lukewarm or slightly hot water ever.

Thanks again for explaining that and hope you are having a good night.
Absolutely!

Scientifically speaking, I would have to disagree on the part about water; it doesn't have a crystalline structure until it is frozen (with the exception of amorphous ice from rapid cooling), and microwaves wavelengths are too large to ionize (or break the subatomic bonds) of molecules, which is why all it does is cause them to vibrate more than they are already (since every subatomic particle is in constant motion, or else they would be at -273 degrees C, also known as absolute zero), and thus causes them to heat up more than the temperature that they are already at.

That being said, heat itself can cause damage and denaturization to certain proteins and other molecules which is why I would not heat the Kava myself since the effects of heat on the chemical constituents of it has not been well studied or understood and I wouldn't want to start experimenting with that myself without the proper measuring equipment! :)

Good to hear that you too are warming your water, it seems to be a fairly common way of preparing Kava and I'm glad to see others are also doing the same.

Have a good night! :)
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
Good to hear that you too are warming your water, it seems to be a fairly common way of preparing Kava and I'm glad to see others are also doing the same.

Have a good night! :)
The absolute purists would say room temp water only, but they have to concede the tropics are much warmer than our typical room temp in the states ;)
 

fueledbykava

Kava enthusiast
Their waka is incredible too!
I just tried the waka last night, and ended up making a second batch after the first! I was going to write another review, but it honestly seemed very similar in effect to that of the Lewena, though perhaps slightly more heavy. Loved it!
 
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