Kava Preparation Am I using too much water?

[ElKavallero]

Although I've been partaking in Kava for a number of years, and I've tried a wide range of Kava's, I've never been able to settle on a consistent preparation technique / quantity.

I look at reference material / prep instructions, and I'm often finding that vendors recommend using way more water for a shell then I typically see consumed in photos / reviews etc. typically shells are pretty small, maybe 4 oz. tops.

For example, Kalm with Kava recommends 8-12 oz. of water to 4 tbsp. Kava. per serving. Now in my mind, 4 tbsp. should get me 2-3 shells of decent strength. But 8-12 oz. per shell? That's a whole lot of water to get down, and for me at least would likely lead to discomfort and bloating. Others give a general 1:4 Kava to water ratio. Even there, using 4 tablespoons for Kava for a moderately strong brew, that's 8 oz. of water. Again, that seems like a lot of water for a single shell and more liquid than would even fit in many of the shells I see others use. Does this recommendation really mean 4 tbsp Kava to 12oz. of water, consumed over 3-4 separate shells??

Of course, mileage may vary, everyone is different etc. so let me just ask about best practices where Nakamals and native traditional preparation is concerned. Understanding that you would want to drink several shells over an evening, I'm considering each individual shell a 'serving'.

What is the generalized 'serving size' for a single shell of Kava, and how much actual Kava would be contained in that single shell for a moderately strong preparation?

EDIT: noting that there seems to be a similar thread in In Depth Discussions about the saturation limits of water prep, and I've seen threads looking for 'how much kava to use', but I don't think I've seen a satisfactory answer to this question regarding what constitutes a serving.

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

It's really just a matter of personal preference. I like to use more water because I think it more thoroughly extracts the KLs so I get a little more bang for my buck. However, some people like really strong drinks, so they'll use less water. I would just experiment to find your personal preference.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Rule number one: everyone should have kava the way they like it.

Rather than find the best way, I try to find a bunch of best ways, so I have a repertoire which I can then draw on depending on the occasion, my mood, the root, desired effects, etc. Options are power: the more options you have, the more power you have.

I believe the standard size for shells is a small one is 4 oz or 100 to 125 ml, and a large is 8 oz or 250 ml. These discrete units are useful for precise dosage and chugging. If that is what you want. You might also want a big tumbler full of ice and some nice fresh grog that you continually top up, not paying any attention to the quantity, just going by what you feel and what feels right. It's all good if it's good for you.

There's still a bunch of considerations that control the variables here. Do you want immediate pleasure effect or systemic/health effects? Do you want it to be the most effective delivery of kavalactones or something you feel the most and can perceive? Do you want to avoid the flavour or enjoy the flavour? Do you want uniformity to your shells in taste and effect, or do you enjoy the differences between 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th washes?

You can really have it any way you want. The range of possibilities is quite large. And much depends on the root. (right now I am sipping a 2nd wash of a kumakua/mahakea blend. I used a TBS of each and two styrofoam small coffee cups of water. I did that yesterday, and got two cups and saved the bag in the fridge and reused it today with two cups. That's 4 cups of really good drinkin' kava, nice effects for 2 TBS root. And there's still more kava goodness in there. I'll save that, then get another 4 cups out of another 2 TBS and then combine those 4 used TBS together and get another couple of cups, a total of 10 cups out of 4 TBS. You can do that with GHK stuff, it's amazing. Usually I get anywhere from 8 to 13 cups of grog out of a cup of root which is 16 TBS, depending on the grind and the variety, with 10 or 11 being the standard. The first two washes are usually strong and the 3rd and 4th if there is one being weak. One can always just do all the washes at once and then combine in a big jar and shake together so they are uniform)

Short answer: the best way is still the traditional way. Use a large strainer bag, lots of medium grind root, plenty of cold fresh water, knead the crap out of it, drink 'er down, enjoy! Bula!

 

[nickbroken]

Hmm curious, I never measure water amount myself. Just toss some micro in stir and sip.

 

[ElKavallero]

Thanks folks, I know this is not a simple question, and heavily dependent on preference, but it SEEMS to me that most traditional example of consumption I've seen people tend towards smaller shells, that look nice and thick and viscous. As a new user, it was really tough for me to understand a baseline preparation. What constitutes a typical serving, how many of those servings in a typical night or session, etc.

I guess I feel like there must be a base line standard 'grog' that people traditionally prepare and adjust up or down as they learn their preferences...but maybe their just isn't such a baseline.

For me at least, if someone asks I'm advocating the 1/2 cup to 2 cups of water over four 4oz. shells ratio.

 

[Summer]

I am also very interested to know how kava bars serve their kava? Surely people don't order by asking for xyz tablespoons in a certain amount of water. It's already prepared when you walk in, right? What are the general ratios? What about in kava drinking communities?

 

[Rick.Sanchez]

Thanks folks, I know this is not a simple question, and heavily dependent on preference, but it SEEMS to me that most traditional example of consumption I've seen people tend towards smaller shells, that look nice and thick and viscous. As a new user, it was really tough for me to understand a baseline preparation. What constitutes a typical serving, how many of those servings in a typical night or session, etc.

I guess I feel like there must be a base line standard 'grog' that people traditionally prepare and adjust up or down as they learn their preferences...but maybe their just isn't such a baseline.

For me at least, if someone asks I'm advocating the 1/2 cup to 2 cups of water over four 4oz. shells ratio.

I think you'll have a hard time finding a consensus standard. I think 2-4 tbsp is a pretty standard dose, but it seems like people have very different preferences when it comes to strength.

Iirc some locales tend to like their grog much stronger than others. I think it also varies between cultures.

 

[Zaphod]

I am pretty sure, based on nothing but my own trial and error, that I get more bang for my buck with the same amount of total KL in less water. Maybe too much water changes how much can be absorbed through the stomach lining? I don't know.