Hello! New to Kava. I have tried it twice now. The first 15 minutes-hour, I've felt relief from anxiety and felt good, but it does not last long. I used Kalm with Kava - about 3 TBS. I had another small cup about 2 hours later both times which had the same effect. I enjoyed it, but it was a lot of work for a short amount of relief. I've read on this site to have a second shell 15-20 min after the first. Is that the best plan for an evening? Two shells - about 20 min. apart? How long would the effects of that generally last?
Secondly, does it need to be prepared immediately prior to consumption? Could you make up a batch of like a gallon for the week?
Thanks for any help!
BN
Hi there. Welcome!
First, glad to have you with us. Second, the 20 minute suggestion is a great one. It helps a person new to kava find their "sweet spot".
One special thing about kava is what we call a "reverse tolerance" effect. It's debated as to whether the initial difficulty to feel effects that some experience is due to this or not, but as you drink kava you'll notice the same amount giving you stronger and stronger effects lasting a bit longer each time. I drink noble kava (specifically Kalm with Kava Borongoru) and there are many days of the week I can still feel the kava clinging on when I wake up the next morning. I personally like it. It gives what our users have dubbed as a "shield effect", helping to continue fight anxiety even into the next day.
On making a gallon, you could, but by the end of the week you'd be giving your bucket a few select explicates due to the....less than unappealing taste. Kava gains a sour flavor after it's been stored for a long time. What you can do is pour the kava into ice cube trays and freeze them for later use or to kick up an already prepared batch.
Kava will keep in the fridge for a few days. By day 3 or 4 the texture and taste start to take a turn. Any kava at room temp should be consumed immediately.