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Best "taste" pairs for our bitter kava -- sour, sweet, salty, umami?

Hitch

Kava Curious
All,

I have been drinking kava for plenty of time now. I've done my own share of experimenting with flavors and have found great tips from on here with regards to pairings.

My current go-to to make kava taste better is to add ginger bitters to my kava. It makes the kava more palatable without overcomplicating it.

That said, I'd like to mix things up. Do you all have favorite kava flavor pairings to make it better?

I've found that adding acidic liquids/flavors to the kava isn't good ("sour" kava, whether intended or do to spoilage, is not ideal IMO).

Is keeping the pH of kava neutral (its natural pH) and adding sweetness there (and maybe some umami if that's easy to do, who knows) the best move? Maybe it's adding even more bitterness to the kava and leaning in there, or perhaps a "salty" tasting liquid?

I love my bitter, mouth-numbing kava as is but am curious to see if others have best practices.

Bula!
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
So far out of the parings I've had with kava, cinnamon seems to be the best at covering the earthy backbite that kava provides.
 

Aceofwands9

Kava Enthusiast
So far out of the parings I've had with kava, cinnamon seems to be the best at covering the earthy backbite that kava provides.
Yeah, I'm a fan of sweet chai spices like the ginger and cinnamon already mentioned, though also vanilla, nutmeg, and cardamom are worth trying. I want to try saffron, I just haven't gotten around to it.

IMO, use flavors you think will compliment rather than mask the flavor.

I should also mention it's worth searching for this on the forum. A variety of flavoring and chaser threads can be found.
 

ThePiper

Kava Lover
The strong spices can add to the stomach load, something to keep in mind. I think tart probably goes best. Pineapple or lime. I don't worry about that stuff though.
 
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