Bula Kava House COAs

[Bula Kava House]

Hi everyone. As those of you that receive our emails may know, you can now find Bula Kava House COAs for each product on our website. We think this information is important for transparency and to help customers make more informed decisions. You'll see that along with kavalactones, we test for yeast and mold, and the common bacterial pathogens that could be found in kava. This information is extremely important, and the tests are done for every batch of every kava. It's unfortunate that very few vendors do this testing consistently at appropriate labs and we hope that making this information visible will help convince other vendors to do what's right to protect kava drinkers.

Our tests are done by professionals at accredited, independent labs that are currently testing kava and other agricultural products.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Judd

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

This is a very good move by a responsible vendor.

Personally, I think regular testing and transparency in test results should be one of the requirements to be a KF approved vendor. The reputation of kava is much more likely to be tarnished by drinkers getting sick from fungal, bacterial or other contaminants than the usual feared liver damage by natural components contained in the root.

 

[kalmia_latifolia]

What fraction of the Kava you test fails QC? Do you have data on the frequency of different causes (e.g., mold, coliform bacteria, etc). Thanks!

 

[Ricardo Piquant]

What fraction of the Kava you test fails QC? Do you have data on the frequency of different causes (e.g., mold, coliform bacteria, etc). Thanks!

Excellent questions

 

[avahZ]

That 11 yrs got an interesting profile. 634215

Time to reorder my bro came to visit and drank half of it. I think he is a convert!

 

[Bula Kava House]

What fraction of the Kava you test fails QC? Do you have data on the frequency of different causes (e.g., mold, coliform bacteria, etc). Thanks!

Yes, very good questions! I don't have an exact number unfortunately. We've tested kava that we intend to sell, kava that we have interest in buying to sell, and kava from other vendors. I've seen salmonella twice, I believe, E-coli maybe a couple times, and high levels of yeast and mold a small handful of times (somewhat expected due to the primitive drying practices often used). The kava we sell consistently passes because we choose to partner with farmers and processors with strong quality control systems in place.

 

[theGrogfather]

Man, great stuff thank you for taking this step, I hope all other vendors follow. I wouldn’t say it’s a selling point for me but it definitely fills a void of curiosity I have for this kind of thing. Bula to the House

 

[recentreturn]

I appreciate this decision too.

Will the COA be updated if newer harvests are significantly different?

This does also raise the question for me as to how good of an indicator chemotype and KL percentage is of subjective effects. I'd hate to dismiss something because I'm wrongly convinced that I know what a certain chemotype does or because I rashly aimed for higher KL percentage. But having the data certainly can't hurt in trying to come to my own conviction on that matter. Neverthless, doubts about this question do make me sympathetic to why a vendor might legitimately want to let a product just speak for itself. [e.g. simply posting this info has shifted my inclination from trying one product to trying another; even though user reviews inclined me strongly to trying the first of the two; not to say I won't try both anyway]

It would be interesting if someone posted a thread collecting data on what experienced kava buyers find to be the best indicator of kava effects: user reviews, chemotype/KL, region, or trial and error, etc. [I guess that's why you sell sample packs]

[btw, I noticed there was a pretty big discrepancy between one of the descriptions I saw of the chemotype of the 11 year waka (maybe in the product profile on KF?) and what the COA said. That chemotype on the COA seems so unique, I wondered if I had read it wrong. *Edit: just noticed Kava Time's Beqa's Sanctuary has a similarly unique chemotype]

In any case, I definitely appreciate the info and look forward to placing some orders.

 

[Zaphod]

Awesome!

 

[The Kap'n]

@Bula Kava House

Thank you for posting these!

If you don't mind. Would you share how much it costs a kava vendor to have their kava strains tested overall? I can't imagine it would be cheap, and I know you don't use TK. If a vendor were to opt out of TK, but still wanted to have their kava tested, what are they looking at for a general round-about price?

 

[ThePiper]

Thanks, I've inquired about this before to one of your employees and didnt get access to them. They didn't seem to know where to find them or something. Good to see them on site for all customers

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

It's like getting a loan from a bank: when you need one you can't get one, but when you don't need one, you can have one any time.

Fwiw I've tried, and re-tried and re-tried, a number of BKH kavas and nary a one made me say "hold on a second, I wanna see a COA on this crap and it better be good." Naw, the BKH kavas I've had spoke for themselves.

But it's nice that a COA is available should I feel I need one.

 

[Bula Kava House]

Will the COA be updated if newer harvests are significantly different?

Absolutely. The COAs will be updated with every batch. The information is meaningless otherwise.

[btw, I noticed there was a pretty big discrepancy between one of the descriptions I saw of the chemotype of the 11 year waka (maybe in the product profile on KF?) and what the COA said. That chemotype on the COA seems so unique, I wondered if I had read it wrong. *Edit: just noticed Kava Time's Beqa's Sanctuary has a similarly unique chemotype]

11 Year Waka is like most Fijian kavas that are sourced - We can't guarantee it will always be the same cultivar. It's usually a mix. That's one reason updated COAs for every batch are important. The chemotype for the current batch is definitely unique.

@Bula Kava HouseIf you don't mind. Would you share how much it costs a kava vendor to have their kava strains tested overall? I can't imagine it would be cheap, and I know you don't use TK. If a vendor were to opt out of TK, but still wanted to have their kava tested, what are they looking at for a general round-about price?

Not cheap. For kavalactone testing I pay $250 for the first sample, and $125 for every other sample sent in with the first. Micro testing is just under $100 per sample.
This isn't TK though. I know that TK does the acetone test, and I know at times he does HPLC for kavalactone content, and I've heard he's done some microbiological testing here and there. From what I gather though, it's not consistent and doesn't include the required testing. I believe all TK claims of vendors is that they sell noble kava. That's all well and good, but by law, vendors need to do more than that. We also need to use accredited labs so outside testing is necessary, whether a vendor works with TK or not.
-
I see a lot of people here seem to be focusing on the kavalactone profile and percentage part of the COA. That's absolutely the least important. Sure, it's interesting to know which kavalactones are making you feel a certain way, and to try to judge how strong a kava will be by the kavalactone percentage, but the safety of the product we're putting into our bodies is by far more consequential. We can look at the chemical makeup and active compounds in a particular kava to decipher if it's tudei or noble or not, and that's cool, but when I said that I hope other vendors would follow suit to ensure the safety of the customers, I meant that I hope they will do the required microbiological testing. A batch of nasty tudei may make you nauseous, but some kava contaminated with the feces of farm animals will make you bleed out of your anus, and aflatoxin from moldy kava could kill you.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

^^ exactly why I avoid Chinese herbs and buy all of my herbs from vendors who do this aka.
Mountainroseherbs
Or something similar. Especially when an herb is coming from a low economic area, steps get side stepped in quality control alot.
I'm way more concerned about aerial parts and microbiological contamination than safe tuedi kava.... however
Kava has really opened up though the idea that dna testing can be skewed with certain plants opening the way to a different form of contamination with sub species.
Both are important.

 

[kasa_balavu]

For kavalactone testing I pay $250 for the first sample, and $125 for every other sample sent in with the first.

Interesting that it costs almost the same (USD$243) to have this test conducted at the USP lab in Suva, Fiji.

 

[kastom_lif]

Interesting that it costs almost the same (USD$243) to have this test conducted at the USP lab in Suva, Fiji.

Hmm. Coincidence, or maybe Judd's having tests done at USP Suva? They seem like a fine lab. Impartial university setting. Was pleasantly surprised to see that Wakacon tests their kava at USP, too.

And of course, I also drink TK and un-certified kava as well.

 

[kastom_lif]

Especially when an herb is coming from a low economic area, steps get side stepped in quality control alot.
I'm way more concerned about aerial parts and microbiological contamination than safe tuedi kava.

Kava just doesn't do well if you let it get funky. It's hard to keep fresh root from spoiling.

Kind of a jarring contrast, when you consider other tropical products like cocoa, where they literally heap it in piles on the ground and let it rot as part of the "proper" process. Heck, even breadfruit can be thrown in a hole and fermented and it's still safe to eat.

 

[kalmia_latifolia]

Thanks for the transparency Judd! I have yet to order from you (and I've been waning to), but now I'm definitely going to get my next batch from you. Just to be clear- does your testing look directly for aflatoxins, or is it a correlate (like the presence of yeast that might indicate the root was moldy)?

Also, what steps do you take to ensure that the sample you send off for testing is representative of the whole batch?

Thanks!

Absolutely. The COAs will be updated with every batch. The information is meaningless otherwise.

11 Year Waka is like most Fijian kavas that are sourced - We can't guarantee it will always be the same cultivar. It's usually a mix. That's one reason updated COAs for every batch are important. The chemotype for the current batch is definitely unique.

Not cheap. For kavalactone testing I pay $250 for the first sample, and $125 for every other sample sent in with the first. Micro testing is just under $100 per sample.
This isn't TK though. I know that TK does the acetone test, and I know at times he does HPLC for kavalactone content, and I've heard he's done some microbiological testing here and there. From what I gather though, it's not consistent and doesn't include the required testing. I believe all TK claims of vendors is that they sell noble kava. That's all well and good, but by law, vendors need to do more than that. We also need to use accredited labs so outside testing is necessary, whether a vendor works with TK or not.
-
I see a lot of people here seem to be focusing on the kavalactone profile and percentage part of the COA. That's absolutely the least important. Sure, it's interesting to know which kavalactones are making you feel a certain way, and to try to judge how strong a kava will be by the kavalactone percentage, but the safety of the product we're putting into our bodies is by far more consequential. We can look at the chemical makeup and active compounds in a particular kava to decipher if it's tudei or noble or not, and that's cool, but when I said that I hope other vendors would follow suit to ensure the safety of the customers, I meant that I hope they will do the required microbiological testing. A batch of nasty tudei may make you nauseous, but some kava contaminated with the feces of farm animals will make you bleed out of your anus, and aflatoxin from moldy kava could kill you.

 

[Bula Kava House]

Interesting that it costs almost the same (USD$243) to have this test conducted at the USP lab in Suva, Fiji.

Yes, if you send in just the one sample. We try to time orders right so we're sending in 4-8 though. If you send in seven to the lab I use here in Oregon it averages out to $142

maybe Judd's having tests done at USP Suva?

No, I use a lab here in Oregon. USP is fine, but last time I checked they took a long time to process. It's also a whole lot cheaper and easier to send samples to Oregon than to Suva.

Just to be clear- does your testing look directly for aflatoxins, or is it a correlate (like the presence of yeast that might indicate the root was moldy)?

We don't test directly for aflatoxins. We test for yeast and mold and have a limit that was advised by someone smarter than me.

Also, what steps do you take to ensure that the sample you send off for testing is representative of the whole batch?

We have testing procedures (Again, advised by someone smarter than me) in which we take small amounts from various bags within each shipment and combine them for one sample.
-
This testing stuff is a little confusing. If any other vendor needs help, I may be able to do so. I also have a really good consultant who can help you with implementation. Just send me an email at [email protected]. We're competitors but I'm concerned about the lack of testing in the industry. It's unsafe, and one batch with some particularly nasty e-coli could bring us all down if it's not caught with the appropriate and required quality control.

 

[Kalm with Kava]

Way to go Judd. I'll back Judd up on this that it is very important and any other vendors who are considering this - don't hesitate to contact me or him and we'll help facilitate.
And I'd like to thank @Deleted User (Garry) for kind of pioneering the idea that kava testing is important for the longevity of the industry. I know some TK vendors including myself have been doing this for some time now with a contracted 3rd party lab. Personally, I don't post the results but catalog all the results and make sure every batch is thoroughly tested and complies before release. Here's to some great kava in 2018!