As the ocean cools

[Kava Time]

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=426455

"Over the next 3-5 months, Fiji can expect more blocked low pressure systems, providing more rains and floods."

This is great for kava plants but bad news for processors and particularly for us. We need 2 days of complete sunshine and our farmers need 7 days of sunshine for sun drying the kava. Here we only seem to be getting 2 days of sunshine in a week. It has become extremely difficult to get hold of supply from our farmers and to be able to process high quality kava at our location.

Prices in general have also increased due to the short supply of kava because of the weather. Now i am seeing local vendors always bringing damp and mildewed kava for processing. Please be cautious with what you purchase for the next few months until april. Tudei kava shouldn't be your only concern.

 

[Kava Time]

I guess it's time to invest in a proper commercial dryer?

True. It sort of complicated though. Kava rots very quick during wet season so it must be dried at the source (considering our logistics system in fiji). Electricity isnt available in the islands 24/7 and fire drying speeds up the process of drying but you still require 2 days of full sunshine to get proper dried kava weight and to dissipate the strong smokey smell from the kava or it will remain giving a burnt type smell.
Unfortunately air drying is only possible in low humidity. My kadavu farmer had to sell his recent harvest to the middle man at a much lower price because the kava developed mold and smelled funky.

 

[kasa_balavu]

Kava rots very quick during wet season so it must be dried at the source

I've been thinking a bit about this. In Vanuatu they drink fresh kava brought from other islands. I've heard that to keep it as fresh as possible, they bury it in wet sand behind their Nakamals until it's needed.

Does anyone here know any more about that? @kastom_lif, @nabanga, @Henry?