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anyone prefer boil prep?

greenbeen

greenbeen

Kava Enthusiast
Does anyone prefer using boil method to prepare. Ive heard conflicting opinions of the temp that kavalactones breakdown at. Without starting any arguments, Does anyone prefer this method ? Is it used more for bulk kava?
And what temp does everyone use to knead their kava at? Hot, warm, room temp ?
 
blindy107

blindy107

Kava Lover
I didn't like the taste myself. If I recall its prolonged exposure to high temp that causes breakdown. The short amount of time shouldn't.

There was a paper that stated 115* roughly was the optimal temp. Someone will link it as I never come prepared myself yet, it always magically appears after I reference it. ::awesomesmiles::
 
TidyMinion

TidyMinion

Kava Padawan
blindy107 said:
I didn't like the taste myself. If I recall its prolonged exposure to high temp that causes breakdown. The short amount of time shouldn't.

There was a paper that stated 115* roughly was the optimal temp. Someone will link it as I never come prepared myself yet, it always magically appears after I reference it. ::awesomesmiles::
Click to expand...
Isn't that about the temp that food begins to lose it's nutrients or something like that? I think it's referenced by those that stick to more strict raw vegan or vegetarian diets. like, what is really considered "raw" food and such if it is cooked a little bit for flavor or what-have-you.

I've boiled kava before and it is just more trouble than it's worth. and you get a hot kava sludge that's not drinkable until you cool it down. it can be strong but the taste is awful and it gets slimy - Everything i'm fine with avoiding in my kava. I'll use warm or hot water to raise the temp in room temp water occasionally but anymore I don't have time or take the time for anything more than dump kava in strain bag and dunk in cool water. works for me. to each, her or his own though...
 
verticity

verticity

I'm interested in things
Boiling does not destroy or "break down" the kavalactones. But it does make the drink taste nasty. Personally I use hot tap water ~120 F. I believe hot water does help extract more actives.
 
Mr. Rooted

Mr. Rooted

Keepin' Austin Krunk
Tastes gross, but it's really efficient. I can get 5 cups of strong kava out of 6 tbsps of medium grind. Only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish as well, so if you're in a pinch, it's the best.

I also had a friend who couldn't handle the sediment in traditional prep... just got stuck in his throat and he hated it. With heat prep, there's almost no grit... it's like it gets suspended in the water and makes a thicker drink. Personally, I do heat prep about half the time, and I think it's almost more fool-proof than the traditional kneading method - at least for someone who knows their way around a kitchen. If you tend to burn everything you cook, this is not the right method for you.
 
greenbeen

greenbeen

Kava Enthusiast
Mr. Rooted said:
Tastes gross, but it's really efficient. I can get 5 cups of strong kava out of 6 tbsps of medium grind. Only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish as well, so if you're in a pinch, it's the best.

I also had a friend who couldn't handle the sediment in traditional prep... just got stuck in his throat and he hated it. With heat prep, there's almost no grit... it's like it gets suspended in the water and makes a thicker drink. Personally, I do heat prep about half the time, and I think it's almost more fool-proof than the traditional kneading method - at least for someone who knows their way around a kitchen. If you tend to burn everything you cook, this is not the right method for you.
Click to expand...
Do you bring it to a boil or just under ?
And if it becomes a thick mud like drink how do you filter?
 
verticity

verticity

I'm interested in things
blindy107 said:
There was a paper that stated 115* roughly was the optimal temp. Someone will link it as I never come prepared myself yet, it always magically appears after I reference it. ::awesomesmiles::
Click to expand...
http://www2.awadevelopment.org/kavaresearch/kavafestival07presentations/Bittenbender Beverage optimize.pdf
Maybe what you are referring to. I don't know if they actually found the "optimum", since they only tested two different temperatures, but they did find that warmer is better than cooler.
 

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Mr. Rooted

Mr. Rooted

Keepin' Austin Krunk
greenbeen said:
Do you bring it to a boil or just under ?
And if it becomes a thick mud like drink how do you filter?
Click to expand...

That is @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava Chris's boiling method... I follow it pretty closely. I heat it until it gets thick, then add more water to thin it so it's not just mud. I'll usually heat 6 tbsps of root in 2 cups of water and wait for that to thicken, constantly stirring. Once it does, I'll add another 2 cups of water and stir furiously as it cools down. Then I strain and chill it. I don't do a second wash, but I do rinse the sludge out of my strainer with about 1/2 cup of water and drink that immediately since it's already cool.
 
krazyforkava

krazyforkava

Kava Enthusiast
I gave it a try before and the grog was soooo thick, it was terrible. But some people may like that method. As for me, I tend to just stick to the traditional prep most of the time.
 
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