Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
I've noticed throughout my entire experience with kava and kava prep, you need the right amount.
Just like 4 TBS could be vastly different for you depending on your prep and the amount of liquid, also some things simply don't begin to happen until you have a sufficient quantity, as with saving makas in the freezer until you have enough so that after 4 washes after it has thawed you still have a non-trivial amount, i.e. at least a cup. I can't see kneading 10 mins for less than a cup of grog.
Anyway, it also applies in this case: getting 2.5 washes out of the AluBall prep, vs a mere 2.0, which is easy peasy. Doing 2.5 with a regular 4TBS in two AluBalls in 500 mls prep really only works with very strong kavas, IME. But you can push it to 2.5, and quite nicely so, with almost any kava. However, you need economies of scale.
Recipe for the Big Jar
you need:
8 TBS medium grind (or 6 TBS of extremely strong kava, like VanuWAKA),
4 AluBalls,
10 cups of water (yes! you will yield 10 cups of grog with this!!!!!)
a half gallon or 2L Mason jar or similar and a plastic sandwich baggie for the top when screwing on the lid (to stop leaking and protect the balls)
Put 4 cups of water in the large jar, then put in 4 AluBalls, to each of which you have added 2 TBS of medium grind, or 6 TBS if it is very strong kava. Then put the sandwich baggi on the top of the jar to cover the opening, then screw on the lid gently. Shake for at least 30 seconds but that is really all it takes, and you can shake it quite gently and it will make it faster, because the large size of the jar allows for more and faster and more forceful movement of the water through the balls.
Pour out that first four cups and add another 4 cups to the jar with the AluBalls and shake a bit longer for this second wash. Again, it can still be remarkably gentle motions, you let the size of the jar do the work. Pour that to mix with the 4 cups from the first wash and finally, repeat but with 2 cups on this wash 2.5. Put it all together and you have 10 cups of equal strength good strong krunkable grog. From 8 or even as little as 6 TBS. Plus, you can still throw those makas in the freezer and they will work fine later on for mongrel grog.
I believe there are a number of factors making this so wonderful. You need space in the AluBalls, that's one reason why 2 TBS or less per ball is what you need, and 1.5 TBS is better than 2 TBS and 1 TBS is better than 1.5 TBS. BUT, you really have to increase the number of balls and the size of the shaking medium in order to take advantage of those economies of scale: because the extraction is more efficient, you produce more grog with less grind. There's something about only 4 cups of water sloshing around in that larger 8 cup jar with 4 balls (which displace 1 cup of liquid volume, btw, so you don't have to measure the second 4 cups separately, you can just fill the jar with the balls to the 5 cup line and that's the same as adding 4 cups).
Combining this with the freezer makas mongrel grog, this makes the most efficient and cost effective kava prep I have found. And of course, the grog has to be good, and consistent across all shells across all washes for this to work out, and it is and does.
NB The Big Jar is also really good for making a bunch for two people very quickly, or for making kava in the morning to set yourself up for a while. Finally, yes I know the big jar yields 10 cups but the mason jar only holds 8 cups. You'll have to drink those other 2 right away. Tough.
Just like 4 TBS could be vastly different for you depending on your prep and the amount of liquid, also some things simply don't begin to happen until you have a sufficient quantity, as with saving makas in the freezer until you have enough so that after 4 washes after it has thawed you still have a non-trivial amount, i.e. at least a cup. I can't see kneading 10 mins for less than a cup of grog.
Anyway, it also applies in this case: getting 2.5 washes out of the AluBall prep, vs a mere 2.0, which is easy peasy. Doing 2.5 with a regular 4TBS in two AluBalls in 500 mls prep really only works with very strong kavas, IME. But you can push it to 2.5, and quite nicely so, with almost any kava. However, you need economies of scale.
Recipe for the Big Jar
you need:
8 TBS medium grind (or 6 TBS of extremely strong kava, like VanuWAKA),
4 AluBalls,
10 cups of water (yes! you will yield 10 cups of grog with this!!!!!)
a half gallon or 2L Mason jar or similar and a plastic sandwich baggie for the top when screwing on the lid (to stop leaking and protect the balls)
Put 4 cups of water in the large jar, then put in 4 AluBalls, to each of which you have added 2 TBS of medium grind, or 6 TBS if it is very strong kava. Then put the sandwich baggi on the top of the jar to cover the opening, then screw on the lid gently. Shake for at least 30 seconds but that is really all it takes, and you can shake it quite gently and it will make it faster, because the large size of the jar allows for more and faster and more forceful movement of the water through the balls.
Pour out that first four cups and add another 4 cups to the jar with the AluBalls and shake a bit longer for this second wash. Again, it can still be remarkably gentle motions, you let the size of the jar do the work. Pour that to mix with the 4 cups from the first wash and finally, repeat but with 2 cups on this wash 2.5. Put it all together and you have 10 cups of equal strength good strong krunkable grog. From 8 or even as little as 6 TBS. Plus, you can still throw those makas in the freezer and they will work fine later on for mongrel grog.
I believe there are a number of factors making this so wonderful. You need space in the AluBalls, that's one reason why 2 TBS or less per ball is what you need, and 1.5 TBS is better than 2 TBS and 1 TBS is better than 1.5 TBS. BUT, you really have to increase the number of balls and the size of the shaking medium in order to take advantage of those economies of scale: because the extraction is more efficient, you produce more grog with less grind. There's something about only 4 cups of water sloshing around in that larger 8 cup jar with 4 balls (which displace 1 cup of liquid volume, btw, so you don't have to measure the second 4 cups separately, you can just fill the jar with the balls to the 5 cup line and that's the same as adding 4 cups).
Combining this with the freezer makas mongrel grog, this makes the most efficient and cost effective kava prep I have found. And of course, the grog has to be good, and consistent across all shells across all washes for this to work out, and it is and does.
NB The Big Jar is also really good for making a bunch for two people very quickly, or for making kava in the morning to set yourself up for a while. Finally, yes I know the big jar yields 10 cups but the mason jar only holds 8 cups. You'll have to drink those other 2 right away. Tough.