Dosage Control Question

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Hey, all.

I'm relatively new to kava.   Prior to finding the Kavassuer blog, I ordered some N@H Stone.  During the time it took to get here, I had the chance to read damn near every entry on this forum and to be honest, it's made me a bit apprehensive to see that pretty much everyone with any experience finds stone to be a very very potent strain.

That said, I still have every intention of trying it tonight.  I'm in the process of 'brewing' some up as I type this.  I'm using the 2 tbsp to 1 cup ratio and making about 3 cups worth.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't intend to chug all that in one evening.  I figured I would have some left for tomorrow... and potentially the next day depending on how things go.

All that out of the way, my questions are as follows:

Is it a valid assumption that I can drink 1/2 cup of the resulting product, wait 30 minutes, and repeat until I find my sweet spot?  Or, is it possible that the first 1/2 cup will knock my d*#k in the dirt simply by virtue of it's being N@H Stone? 

I REALLY want to try this stuff, but wish to tread very lightly and avoid going beyond where I want to be at all costs (besides just not doing it...)  ;-)

I know that I have seen similar questions asked and answered on here, but hoped I could get some guidance tailored to my specific concerns.

Thanks.

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

I think you'll be fine doing half a cup every 20-30 minutes.  If you drink it much faster it might upset your stomach.  I'd limit myself  (if I was you) to 2 cups max tonight.  There is a good chance you might not catch much of a buzz the first night.  Do this 3 or 4 nights in a row and I think you begin to see what everyone is talking about.  The main thing is not trying so hard to catch a buzz the first night that you make yourself sick.

Do this and report back to us on night 1, 2 3 and 4 please.

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Hey,



Thanks for the response. I appreciate the feedback. I've been chilling my kava brew for a bit and will be downing my first 1/2 cup soon. I don't know how much reverse tolerance I'm still dealing with at this point. I have tried a couple of full spectrum kavalactone pastes in the last 2 weeks and have actually experienced effects. Just nothing so profound as I have been reading about here.



I wonder if I will feel anything after the first 1/2 cup or not. We soon shall see. I'll let you know how it goes.



Thanks again.

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Alright... I had my first 1/2 cup about 15 minutes ago. Holy crap. I'm good right here.



I might go for a second "shell" when this levels off, but right now I'm super happy.



Exactly what I was hoping for.

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

Tell us more.  Did you take any the second night?

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Hey,



Yeah. I drank about 2 cups on Friday and it was amazing. Saturday night, I made 4 more cups worth planning to drink half of it today. I drank it all last night. I did end up feeling mild nausea toward the end, but that's because I decided to have two "shells" right on top of eachother at about midnight because I was starving and wanted to get it over with so I could eat....



I have had brighter moments, but I survived it.



How much do most people usually drink in a session? Do you really need to wait to eat until you are completely done with kava for the day, or can you eat during once you're boosting for maint.?



Also, I went and got some lecithin because I want to see if it actually makes a difference for the better or not tonight. Then I plan to take a couple of nights off before partaking again...

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

On the food thing-I don't like to drink kava on a totally empty stomach.  I'll eat lunch around 2pm and then around 6pm I'll drink my 4-6 shells worth.  Granted I'm not drinking Wow but I'm drinking some good high DHM Vanuatu kava.  If you do start feeling slightly sick then I'd recommend eating something small like a half sandwich or something.  If your really hungry you won't end up enjoying the kava anyway (that is my humble opinion)  There have even been times I drank kava on an empty stomach and ended up eating something greasy (a slice of peperoni pizza) and afterward it tore me up.  Not my stomach but my buzz-it went from like a 3 to a 7.  I'm not totally sure if the grease in the pizza reacts with the kava to make it stronger or it just got rid of my stomachache/nausea so that I could enjoy the kava.

Glad you didn't get sick and puke.

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Well. I gotta say that I'm really enjoying my experiences with kava so far. I'm glad that I came at it with respect and caution. I know that I could have hit it hard right out of the gate and turned myself off to it for good.



BTW, I much prefer the texture of the drink when I use the lecithin. It's very creamy and somehow way less bitter. However, the H@H Stone I'm consuming is said to be one of the more drinkable varieties.



I appreciate your feedback. I can't wait to try the BKH Fu'u I should be getting in the mail tomorrow. I think it's a higher kavain type kava and I think that is the part I enjoy the most. Maybe once I get a feel for that, I will try mixing it with the Stone in different proportions until find a blend I think is cool. I haven't heard of anyone on here mixing those two yet, but I've read nothing but great things about the Fu'u that make me super excited to try it.

 

[Ed!]

I mix those two regularly. I haven't tried many varieties, but I do like that blend better than either individually.

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

That's great to know, Ed. What's your favorite ratio for mixing the two? Are you more of a DHM or Kavain person? I like them both, but I think I prefer the more mood elevating aspects myself...

 

[Ed!]

I'm still pretty new to this myself, so I haven't really decided if I'm more into one or the other. Stone takes a lot more effort because it's more coarse and requires straining. I'll always wet Stone a day ahead of using it, and run it through my food processor. Fu'u on the other hand is extremely fine, so a lot of times I just mix it into a glass of unsweetened white grapefruit juice and drink it. I really like it with a pop of Instant Green (also from BKH). That's my favorite "I had a hard day" drink, where Stone + Fu'u is my "Yay it's the weekend" drink.



I think I'm fairly hard-headed, but when I do mix the two I tend to start with a half cup of Stone and then I don't really measure out the Fu'u, I just pour it in there (sometimes after the kneading process). I think it's usually probably around 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I don't measure the water out at all, I pour in more if I plan on stretching it out, less if I just want to get hit with it quickly.



I have thrown up a couple times with Stone. Where Fu'u I can chug any which way. As a pair I think they do a great job as a weekend kava mix.

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

Awesome. I ordered some Instant Green when I ordered the Fu'u, so I may try out that trick, too.



Stone kicks my ass. I love it, but I want something that goes the other way, too. I figure that mixing it with the Fu'u will give me a more "complete" experience.



That said, I definitely plan on giving the Fu'u a comprehensive test drive on it's own before dicking with it at all. If it's half as good as it's fans are saying, I know I will enjoy it.



I'm really looking forward to having some of that instant around as well. I think it will be nice to just chuck a little something into a glass of water, stir it up, and pound it without spending an hour putzing around with it first. Just when I'm wiped out, though. I really kind like the ritual most of the time...

 

[The Kap'n]

(For Nakamal@Home's Stone Kava)
For dosage control. I use a medium sized instant kava container from Nakamal@Home (The 55 gram container). I fill it to the top, and make sure it's packed in reasonably well, and dump it into my strainer bag in a plastic Tupperware.
The dose looks like this

I microwave 12 oz of water for 1:00 which usually yields temperatures between 120-125 degrees

I pour the water over the kava and let it sit for about 30-45 minutes

Then do the squeeze and knead for about 15-20 minutes. After I'm done with that it goes directly into the refrigerator for a few hours so it's nice and cold. (I have in the past drank kava warm, but I'm over that now)I've been using this method for a few years and so far the strength has remained quite steady.
I have a bag of Fu'u which has gone unopened, also 2 pounds of Van3 from Rex along with every type you can imagine from Hawaiian Kava Center. So far, my all around favorite has been the stone from Nakamal. 
Ed - I had to stop drinking the tudei variety due to them being so barfy. I could barely hold down the last gulp, and was occasionally unsuccessful with holding it down at all. DHK/DHM kills my stomach nearly instantly.

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

Kapmcrunk-that strainer bag looks might coarse for lack of a better term.  Get one of those pretty Fijian silk strainers.  It will filter or more of the woody parts and still let the goodness thru.  I used to not strain at all but I learned my lesson with dry skin and stomach issues......

 

[The Kap'n]

Kapmcrunk-that strainer bag looks might coarse for lack of a better term.  Get one of those pretty Fijian silk strainers.  It will filter or more of the woody parts and still let the goodness thru.  I used to not strain at all but I learned my lesson with dry skin and stomach issues......

I would love a fine grain strainer and I absolutely agree with you on the dry skin issues. Where did you get yours?

 

[kl.NTXroxtar]

I've been using the panty hose solution I've read so much about on here...



Works great.

 

[The Kap'n]

Just clicked the search button (probably should have done that sooner) and found that the kickbackwithkava fiji strainers are where it's at. Ordered one.

 

[kl.CarolinaBC]

Good deal-your skin will appreciate it.  I got mine at realkava.com  I really like their Vanuatu kava-it is my mainstay and then I'm always trying something different.  Back to the Fiji bags though-they looks so dainty but I have squeezed and squeezed mine and not busted it yet though I did buy another for that inevitable day when it does bust.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I don't even measure anymore (I couldn't if I wanted to) so I just throw tablespoons of Kava into purified water and squeeze until I can no longer feel oils seeping out. If it does the trick that is all I am concerned with.

;-)

 

[kavalover]

I don't even measure anymore (I couldn't if I wanted to) so I just throw tablespoons of Kava into purified water and squeeze until I can no longer feel oils seeping out. If it does the trick that is all I am concerned with.

;-)

I know exactly what you mean, I do the same thing as well. I just fill my coconut shell up three times and then throw in an appropriate amount of kava and knead. It's cool how after drinking enough kava, you get accustomed to the effects and can eyeball it based on the strain.