I was thinking of having a kava night for some friends (none of whom have tried kava), but it might be a total washout if everybody is sitting around wondering why they're feeling no effects, not to mention, a painful waste of good kava! Is it almost always the case that 1st time drinkers feel little or nothing?
1st time with kava always = no effects?
- Thread starter kl.midas
- Start date
Not always. Of the 15 or so people I've given kava to many of them felt something. I can count the number of people that didn't feel anything on one hand and I don't need to use all those fingers either. In general the effects tend not to be that strong.(Really, they give me the impression it's just noticeable but not much beyond that.) In one or two cases it has turned them into giggly noodle piles. The results were very inconsistent though from person to person.
Give it a shot. See what happens.
Give it a shot. See what happens.
Ed!
Kava Enthusiast
I felt nothing the first time, but my wife was passing out after her very first shell. Literally falling out of her chair. She didn't like that so much, but there were clearly effects. So I think you'll find that it will affect some and not others if you do a kava night. If my wife's first experience had been with a group I'm sure that would have been a good bit of fun for everyone.
I've thought about doing a kava night too. I may at some point yet. I really wish I had some kava-drinking friends to have a shell with and hang. It's such a great social drink and I have no one to socialize with. I've even thought about creating a Meetup group, but then I was like "eh, I'm probably the only guy in St. Louis who drinks kava." I'm probably wrong on that, but I doubt there are too many actively looking to hang with other kava drinkers.
I say do it, but definitely don't use your top-shelf stuff. Then post back on how it went
I've thought about doing a kava night too. I may at some point yet. I really wish I had some kava-drinking friends to have a shell with and hang. It's such a great social drink and I have no one to socialize with. I've even thought about creating a Meetup group, but then I was like "eh, I'm probably the only guy in St. Louis who drinks kava." I'm probably wrong on that, but I doubt there are too many actively looking to hang with other kava drinkers.
I say do it, but definitely don't use your top-shelf stuff. Then post back on how it went
Buddhacide
Kava Enthusiast
I have wasted alot of kava trying to impress people. My two "standbby's currently are black bag and the paradise awa. New people always seem to get something off of those two. I think it has alot to do with the grains being so fine. My girlfriend has had kava around 10 times now and swears she never feels it, but I can tell by looking at her she is at least a little affected. I find that people really have to engage it and want to explore it. I've had so many idiots at like midnight drunkedly pulling on my coat tails to make kava for them for lack of other substances around the house. These are the same ones that talk about it being ineffective. You have to put effort into a kava experience. I find a person's willingness to engage is a huge factor in the results.
Several years of introducing kava to people, one on one has shown me that those people who have high tolerance to substances ( be it alcohol, meds, pot, etc) usually need a lot of kava at first (till their body fully recognizes the kavalactones and they FEEL it's effects, not just mouth numbing)
I'm talking about easily a few thousand people here, if not more, as a research pool. These are people I have personally met, one on one.
After the extracts were introduced, this theory of mine was easier to test. My usual line at the market is "have a free sample, walk around the market, and come see me afterwards if you feel anything" (we can give 60g to 100g in samples per day, on a busy day) ) unusually a gram or so, sublingually, and then they would make a full circle around the market and about half of the people would come back to report on their free sample.
Usually, those who have higher tolerances feel the numbing, that's it.
However, those generally sensitive to all substances, really FEEL the effects. I mean, we are talking about people who have never heard of kava, tried it just 10 minutes ago, and came back with a "it really works" type of response.
PS. The following is unrelated to this thread. Hijack alert (smiley: embarassed)
I'd like to share how people's responses to our kava and samples at that market made such a profound difference in our lives.
A few years ago, we acquired the financing which was needed to expand our business. This was before the website, before the experimental farm we set up, before we purchased the 30 HP in machinery to grind kava in a warehouse, before hunting down each and every one of the 13 Hawaiian cultivars of kava to be grown at our little farm, before setting up the nursery and fields of kava etc etc.
I was at a cross roads at the time. We had a flourishing food business along with the kava business (each was 50% of revenue with the dips being a bit higher actually) and it was really tough managing both.
Finally we had the financing to do either one WELL.
During this time, an charming elderly Japanese man (late 70's) walked by our table one market day and we gave him our usual schpeel about what kava is, what it does, which medications it should not be mixed with (something we emphasize with the elderly just to be sure there are no reactions) etc. He bought a bag and left.
Bear in mind, this was a time I was still undecided about keeping our dips business or not. We made a fantastic range of hummus at the time. Some of the flavors were: Wasabi Green Onion with Black Sesame Seeds, Hawaiian Pineapple roasted Jalapeno, Italian Sweet Basil and Sun Dried Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Dill, 7 Pepper Hot, Indian Curry etc. There were several more in there.
Two Whole Foods wanted everything we could produce. 7 KTA stores on the Big Island said the same thing. It was looking good.
A week or two later, this same Japanese man returned with the biggest smile on his face. He said he had arthirits and had a lot of trouble moving his arms.
After saying this, he started flapping his arms like a bird, in the middle of the market, smiling, saying "I can move my arms!" and "that kava is good" etc etc.
I had a tear in my eye and my jaw dropped. Shortly after, I disbanded the dips business (it's still for sale) and this dear old man was the sign I was looking for.
I had to be in this business if it did things like this for people, Period.
Over the years, we've heard every possible thing like " I got off sleeping pills" or "I used to take this med, or that med".
I even remember this elderly lady who regained her neck mobility after applying our muscle salve and she started looking left to right and left to right, saying that she'd not been able to so for without pain.
It's the many beautiful stories like these that gets us out of bed in the morning.
Thread Hijack over. (smiley: wink)
I'm talking about easily a few thousand people here, if not more, as a research pool. These are people I have personally met, one on one.
After the extracts were introduced, this theory of mine was easier to test. My usual line at the market is "have a free sample, walk around the market, and come see me afterwards if you feel anything" (we can give 60g to 100g in samples per day, on a busy day) ) unusually a gram or so, sublingually, and then they would make a full circle around the market and about half of the people would come back to report on their free sample.
Usually, those who have higher tolerances feel the numbing, that's it.
However, those generally sensitive to all substances, really FEEL the effects. I mean, we are talking about people who have never heard of kava, tried it just 10 minutes ago, and came back with a "it really works" type of response.
PS. The following is unrelated to this thread. Hijack alert (smiley: embarassed)
I'd like to share how people's responses to our kava and samples at that market made such a profound difference in our lives.
A few years ago, we acquired the financing which was needed to expand our business. This was before the website, before the experimental farm we set up, before we purchased the 30 HP in machinery to grind kava in a warehouse, before hunting down each and every one of the 13 Hawaiian cultivars of kava to be grown at our little farm, before setting up the nursery and fields of kava etc etc.
I was at a cross roads at the time. We had a flourishing food business along with the kava business (each was 50% of revenue with the dips being a bit higher actually) and it was really tough managing both.
Finally we had the financing to do either one WELL.
During this time, an charming elderly Japanese man (late 70's) walked by our table one market day and we gave him our usual schpeel about what kava is, what it does, which medications it should not be mixed with (something we emphasize with the elderly just to be sure there are no reactions) etc. He bought a bag and left.
Bear in mind, this was a time I was still undecided about keeping our dips business or not. We made a fantastic range of hummus at the time. Some of the flavors were: Wasabi Green Onion with Black Sesame Seeds, Hawaiian Pineapple roasted Jalapeno, Italian Sweet Basil and Sun Dried Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Dill, 7 Pepper Hot, Indian Curry etc. There were several more in there.
Two Whole Foods wanted everything we could produce. 7 KTA stores on the Big Island said the same thing. It was looking good.
A week or two later, this same Japanese man returned with the biggest smile on his face. He said he had arthirits and had a lot of trouble moving his arms.
After saying this, he started flapping his arms like a bird, in the middle of the market, smiling, saying "I can move my arms!" and "that kava is good" etc etc.
I had a tear in my eye and my jaw dropped. Shortly after, I disbanded the dips business (it's still for sale) and this dear old man was the sign I was looking for.
I had to be in this business if it did things like this for people, Period.
Over the years, we've heard every possible thing like " I got off sleeping pills" or "I used to take this med, or that med".
I even remember this elderly lady who regained her neck mobility after applying our muscle salve and she started looking left to right and left to right, saying that she'd not been able to so for without pain.
It's the many beautiful stories like these that gets us out of bed in the morning.
Thread Hijack over. (smiley: wink)
Thanks for the replies. I think I'll probably buy a high DHM strain and give it a go, if I get one or 2 people who enjoy it, that will do
I have a partly selfish motive in all this! I'm hoping that one or two may start buying kava themselves, so that we can swap and share different strains sometimes. There are so many kavas that I have on my list to try, but it's very slow progress getting through them
Adil, that's a wonderful story about the old Japanese man. Thank you for sharing it. I can imagine how it would be very rewarding to have your product put a smile on someones face like that I bet your dips were awesome too btw, I love hummus!
I have a partly selfish motive in all this! I'm hoping that one or two may start buying kava themselves, so that we can swap and share different strains sometimes. There are so many kavas that I have on my list to try, but it's very slow progress getting through them
Adil, that's a wonderful story about the old Japanese man. Thank you for sharing it. I can imagine how it would be very rewarding to have your product put a smile on someones face like that
I bet your dips were awesome too btw, I love hummus!
Hummus was an aspect of the dips business. Yea they were great!
We were so close to getting into the Fermented Kombucha business as well. Big into fermentation for good health!
Kava just won our hearts and we are most connected to it. So it won!
Maybe we'll revisit these other business's someday, for now we're just trying to keep up with you guys!
Cheers!
A.G
We were so close to getting into the Fermented Kombucha business as well. Big into fermentation for good health!
Kava just won our hearts and we are most connected to it. So it won!
Maybe we'll revisit these other business's someday, for now we're just trying to keep up with you guys!
Cheers!
A.G
I think the mood plays a big part in the experience - if everyone is waiting around to feel "something" then you are already at a loss. Play a game (like Jenga or something) have fun & talk story with your friends and enjoy...soon people will be having such a good time and the kava just becomes part of it. I though I love kava and it does great things - I have never found it to be the center of what is going on...the people themselves are really the center.
Buddhacide
Kava Enthusiast
I want to second the notion that previous drug history plays a role. However, in my experience (and we may be saying the same thin Adil), its the people with the most experience with other substances (particularly club type drugs) feel it most readily. The 3 friends that were the most immediately affected had lengthy histories. While the people that felt nothing tended to be younger with less history of use. But I think that sensitivity, as you say, is the key. More useage means that people are more sensitive to what they are suppose to be feeling. However, I also find that when kava first fully grasps you there is no speculation about placebo. They effects are loud and clear, lol.
kavalover
Outsider
Totally agreed Steve - some of my best kava experiences have been just chugging shells and enjoying a bonfire or card game with the family and close friends. Great times indeed. It's fun because at times you'll forget you even drank any kava, you're just having the time of your life with people you love - only later do you realize just how much fun that truly was! I wish I was around my relatives more often, kava really helps in building great memories to hang on to.
kl.Mental Alchemy
Newbie
I think it depends on the person, for me I felt the effects of kava before I finished my first glass. I would say the only difference between my first time and most others is; I really researched it ahead of time and thus knew how to properly make it and added soy lecithin. I always have felt substances strongly at really low doses, one beer and I feel it sort of situation, three hits of weed from my vaporizer and I am good, so I did go into the situation expecting to feel it and so I did. It probably has a lot to do with expectations and a persons sensitivity. It seems like girls tend to be more sensitive to substances.
Slow Native
All the way!!
Drinking kava and cruising this forum is pretty intense, lol.. Def can't be "looking" for the effects. Much more depth to this music I'm listening to the background, could see kava being great in meditation..
When I think back on it...I remember reading that Kava was suppose to help with anxiety and in general calms you down but not much more than that. I just wanted the attacks to stop. I tried kava having no idea what to really expect. In fact, I didn't really expect to happen at all but I was very surprised when it did work.
kl.new2kava
Kava Enthusiast
The very first time I got kava I bought it froma local head shop and prepared it the same way I'd make K@ tea, to boil it long and hard and then boil down the liquid to a sludge.
Needless to say that accomplished nothing more than wasting kava and tasting like ass. The second time I tried I got some 30% kavalactone extract off ebay and I'm real suspicous about what it actually was, no numbing action was slightly sedating and had mild hallucinagenic properties. I don't think it ws kava extract at all; but I'm not sure what it was, I would probably buy it again though. The third time I got it from kona kava which I did get some feeling but very little.
I would have given up on kava completely if I hadn't found this forum and done some research on reputable suppliers. My next batch was from N@H which was chiefs and stone and by then I had been drinking kava regularly enough to have moved through reverse tolerance but hadn't actually got krunked yet. Those batches of stone is what really made me love kava, chiefs was good but not as much as stone.
Needless to say that accomplished nothing more than wasting kava and tasting like ass. The second time I tried I got some 30% kavalactone extract off ebay and I'm real suspicous about what it actually was, no numbing action was slightly sedating and had mild hallucinagenic properties. I don't think it ws kava extract at all; but I'm not sure what it was, I would probably buy it again though. The third time I got it from kona kava which I did get some feeling but very little.
I would have given up on kava completely if I hadn't found this forum and done some research on reputable suppliers. My next batch was from N@H which was chiefs and stone and by then I had been drinking kava regularly enough to have moved through reverse tolerance but hadn't actually got krunked yet. Those batches of stone is what really made me love kava, chiefs was good but not as much as stone.
