Emulsifier vs no and Traditional vs blender vs aluball

[Kavacoordinate]

Hi guys I messed with Kava in the past but struggled with taste. Grew up drinking it a few times a year with Polynesian friends and their Dads. Trying to get back into it. Just ordered some Kalm micro and some of the Root of happiness extract and the kava candy to help me beat the reverse tolerance. Now looking for the next step.

I like the heady effect of the Tongan root I've had in the past but also have a huge problem with muscle tension.

I'm a single dad and work too much so I'm trying to find the quickest and easiest methods of extraction and also ideas on how to get over the taste.

Also will coconut oil or the fats in coconut/nut milk act as an emulsifier or do I need to add lecithin as well to get the most benefit? I've searched other posts but was hoping to get it all centralized in one location.

 

[Dr.Krunk]

You don't necessarily have to use a emulsifier of any sort. I've used a bit of avocado oil and soy lecithin together in the past. They can speed the extraction a bit but from my experience I can achieve the same effect from simply working the root longer. Many will use different milks to aid in the extraction and for taste.

As for as what style of preparation it mostly comes down to what you prefer. Traditional tends to heed the best results at the expense of time. I use the aluball whenever I don't have time for traditional prep. I know many like to use a blender and filter the grog through a cloth strainer.

Traditional prep works the kavalactones out of the root, while aluball seems to mechanically separate the kavalactones.

 

[Kavacoordinate]

Thanks Doc

 

[verticity]

I tried mixing some coconut oil in when preparing my kava once recently. I added a few tablespoons of coconut oil to about 6 cups of (hot) water. Coconut oil is solid here this time of year, so the hot water is necessary to melt it (and I always make kava with hot water anyway). It seemed like that actually did make the kava noticeably stronger, but it also made the taste much worse, and also made it feel kind of greasy, to the point where it was physically unpleasant to drink.

Coconut oil is not an emulsifier, but it can help extract more kavalactones from the powder because they are fat soluble. However, the coconut oil tends to float to the top so that you need to keep mixing it. Maybe if you added some kind of emulsifying agent like lecithin in addition to coconut oil, and used the blender method instead of kneading like I did you would be able to form a stable emulsion.

So, if you do use coconut oil, and don't enjoy a very strong kava taste, you would definitely also want to add something like citric acid and sweetener to improve the flavor.

 

[Ilikemudkips]

I personally find that a combination between the blender and the traditional method works best for me. I'll blend the kava, strain it, and then, with the material I strained with it, kneed for the second wash. I repeat the kneading once again for good measure. I only use rather hot tap water for this process. I don't actually have any scientific reasons for why this works but, it's made my strongest brews. I've tried forming an emulsion with butter (yeah, not my best decision) and, it did make a strong batch but, it also made me rather sick. Slimy kava is not my thing.
Common advice to get over the taste is use coconut water and drink it ice cold but, if you are like me and not a big fan of coconut at all, this won't help you. It also seems to make the kava both earthy and tangy which, isn't my thing but, is generally well received.
I've just drunk mine like a strong tea, warm with cream and sugar. However, i've been called insane for this, multiple times.

 

[Edward]

Hi guys I messed with Kava in the past but struggled with taste. Grew up drinking it a few times a year with Polynesian friends and their Dads. Trying to get back into it. Just ordered some Kalm micro and some of the Root of happiness extract and the kava candy to help me beat the reverse tolerance. Now looking for the next step.

I like the heady effect of the Tongan root I've had in the past but also have a huge problem with muscle tension.

I'm a single dad and work too much so I'm trying to find the quickest and easiest methods of extraction and also ideas on how to get over the taste.

Also will coconut oil or the fats in coconut/nut milk act as an emulsifier or do I need to add lecithin as well to get the most benefit? I've searched other posts but was hoping to get it all centralized in one location.

I add milk to mine. I don't think it aids extraction as such but it helps my body use the kava better. I tried coconut oil one time and as @verticity said it wasn't very nice. I didn't find it to add anything to the experience either.

If I want a larger batch I will always blend. 1 cup milk to 2 or 3 cups water depending on how much I want. If I want a quick shell or 3 I will aluball.

If you like Tongan kava with a bit of headiness to it but want something for your muscles as well I can't recommend more Tongan Reserve from thekavaroots.com. It's my favourite kava ever and ticks all your boxes.

 

[chandra]

I wonder if a lighter oil like grapeseed oil would be better? I also like drinking my kava with cream and sugar sometimes. Sometimes I like tasty kava, and sometimes I like plain kava. Depends on my mood. Drinking it ice cold does go a long way toward improving the taste as well.

 

[Intrepidus_dux]

I personally find that a combination between the blender and the traditional method works best for me. I'll blend the kava, strain it, and then, with the material I strained with it, kneed for the second wash. I repeat the kneading once again for good measure. I only use rather hot tap water for this process. I don't actually have any scientific reasons for why this works but, it's made my strongest brews. I've tried forming an emulsion with butter (yeah, not my best decision) and, it did make a strong batch but, it also made me rather sick. Slimy kava is not my thing.
Common advice to get over the taste is use coconut water and drink it ice cold but, if you are like me and not a big fan of coconut at all, this won't help you. It also seems to make the kava both earthy and tangy which, isn't my thing but, is generally well received.
I've just drunk mine like a strong tea, warm with cream and sugar. However, i've been called insane for this, multiple times.

I drink mine like this too!

 

[Plantacious]

So in conclusion, what is the downside to using the Aluball vs traditional prep ?
From what I'm hearing, it will make the kava weaker and you will have to drink more.....and thus spend more on kava to get equal effects.
Is that basically summing it up ?

 

[Krunkaroo]

I like aluball as daytime work method, kneading makes the kava too strong for work purposes.

So in conclusion, what is the downside to using the Aluball vs traditional prep ?
From what I'm hearing, while the Aluball is more convenient, it will make the kava is weaker and you will have to drink more.....and thus spend more on kava to get equal effects.
Is that basically summing it up ?

 

[JohnPal716]

I add milk to mine. I don't think it aids extraction as such but it helps my body use the kava better. I tried coconut oil one time and as @verticity said it was.

I do the same- except I usually use a ready-made blend of almond/coconut milk.
With the strains whose flavors I can't handle, I usually heat up apple juice/cider and use that as my base liquid, with a little coconut oil and lecithin. Makes it much more bearable.

 

[evrnd]

Like so many other people, I have gotten used to the taste as long as it's cold. Even the worst tasting kavas and I have come to an understanding. BUT that's for medium grind ONLY. For micro (big fan in terms of time and initial intensity) and even sometimes medium grind, I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze - the vanilla kind and ABSOLUTELY NOT THE UNSWEETENED VANILLA! I learned the hard way that saving those 50 calories or whatever actually made it worse than drinking it straight. For micro I mix about 2oz water and 2oz Almond Breeze and 2tbs kava. Thick, but I can chug it. For medium grind, I use the CTAHR method with hot tap water (~110°) and then if I and then dilute after the fact. I have tried chocolate milk both as an emulsifier and taste improvement device, too. If I am in a hurry but want a medium grind, I use the Aluball, with two balls of 2tbs each, in succession. Same hot tap water, sometimes with soy lecithin and and sometimes with Almond Breeze mixed in before I shake. I really can't tell with any of the medium grind methods if the soy lecithin, chocolate milk, or almond milk actually change the potency. I do know the the CTAHR method is consistently the most potent with or without the other stuff.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

So in conclusion, what is the downside to using the Aluball vs traditional prep ?
From what I'm hearing, it will make the kava weaker and you will have to drink more.....and thus spend more on kava to get equal effects.
Is that basically summing it up ?

Well, yes if it's great kava. But if it's fair to middling kava I find the opposite. I use a small quantity of cheaper kavas in the Aluball and get a better effect from the grind, and more grog, than if I do trad prep.

For great kavas, though, I think trad prep is the only way to do it justice. But I find the Aluball actually makes the cheapo medium grinds better and I get more out of it. That's IF you can drink grog, because you need a certain amount of water for the Aluball device to work properly, you can't go below a certain amount. But I end up using 1.5 TBS of not great root in what totals over 2 washes to about 600 - 650ml water. So that is a fair bit to get down, about 3 or 4 shells, depending, but the effects for that small amount of root are quite pleasant.

But, as Krunkaroo points out, this is really more for daytime or casual or work shelling, rather than a serious evening sesh. But nothing wrong with that, it serves a needed purpose and does it well.