Got my Kava!!!

[amyscol4304]

Hi everyone, I received my Kava in the mail
From GHK I ordered instant makakea and Chris sent me samples. Micronized Papa Ele Ele and Micronized Nene
From BKH I ordered Boroguru ground kava route and the sample pack which includes: melo melo, koniak, borogu, and waka.
Couple questions: ground kava root. Is that the same as micronized or is it instant? and out of the kava I ordered if you could chime in a give me a simple description of each or even just one. I understand it effects people differently, but I don't want to drink one that will make me tired before I head out to work or shopping. Right now I'm going to try my first cup of kava using the instant mahakea. How many tea/table spoons should I use? And for a blender is the nutribullet ok So excited
oh!!! and Chris from GHK, YOU ROCK!!! Thank you so much for the sample. You already have a loyal customer. Well thats if I can handle the taste of kava..
Cheers!!
Amy

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

If using instant, you don't need a blender. Same with micronized, for the most part. But some people still do it, for a certain reason. Medium grind doesn't require a blender either. But, if you're trying to shorten how much time you have to spend kneading your kava, you can use any blender...the better, the better, I suppose.

Micronized kava, is just very finely powdered kava root, that you stir directly into liquid and drink. From GHK it also has the hardest parts of the root removed 1st, so that you drink only the most consumable parts.
Instant kava, is kava that has already been traditionally prepared to consume, and then dehydrated to reduce it's contents to a powder that can be remixed into water and drunk.
Medium grind, is the whole standard kava root, ground up for you to knead, squeeze, strain and consume.

For consumption before work or shopping. Less is more. Better suited choices that you have would probably be, Papa Ele Ele, Nene & low dose Mahakea. BKH Waka (but not everyone's waka) is said to be pretty light too. Mild brews of Borogu or Melo would also work. Borogu, Melo and Mahakea can become much more 'entrancing' at higher doses. Koniak is heavier and you might not enjoy being active with a good dose of it in you. It would feel food for getting into a deep relaxation after work, but isn't recommended for frequent daily usage.

 

[Vekta]

I can chime in about the borogu and boroguru

Borogu is a middle of the road kava. It's not fancy or complex but it sets the standard for kava in general. The only thing that's going to really surprise you about Borogu is the taste if you're brand-spankin-new to kava and this is your first. It's your typical Vanuatu flavor. It'll taste more earthy and slightly bitter than kava from other islands except for stuff out of Papua New Guinea and stronger kava from Vanuatu itself. It'll give you a nice calm and gently relax you. it's unlikely to floor you. Bottom line, it's a good base line kava. Start here and adjust for latitude and longitude.

Boroguru is like Borogu's hot older sister (or in your case hot older brother). It's more complex in both flavor and effect. It's a tad more on the heavier side but it's not a big jump. All the Boroguru I've tried have been pretty well balanced just with that little extra kick. You'll get the same typical earthy Vanuatu flavor but some will have very subtle hints of other smells and flavors batch to batch, island to island. Off the top of my head I know of two islands that grow Boroguru, one being from Maewo Island and the other being from Ambae Island. You can read a bit of a comparison here:
http://www.kavaforums.com/forum/threads/maewo-island-boroguru.1824/

 

[Deleted User01]

Congrats @amyscol4304, you got a real good sampler there. The Nene is perfect as a night cap. It is not harsh and it works hard at putting you to sleep. It is also very light colored with almost no taste. Sometimes I think it tastes like paper (micronized and instant). As Kapm has stated earlier, the Hawaiians are good daytime Kavas and the others are more couch potato types. There are a few Hawaiian Couch Potatoe types like Opihikao but the Islanders there were more interested in heady kavas. I have gotten into the habit of blending my powder before straining, though I rarely do powder anymore. Use Liquid at about 120 degrees for best results. When I have to take my wife shopping, I will do a small amount of kava and Mahakea would fit that bill. Be sure to keep a bottle of water handy.

 

[amyscol4304]

Thanks Guys! Right now I enjoying my first up of boroguru. A few of my family members tried a sip and think I'm insane. I don't mind the taste at all. I order two shells from Bula House and they are both leaking. I'm really sad, I want to really get in Kava mode. Drinking out of a glass cup doesn't seem right

 

[Vekta]

I used coconut shells for a while. Eventually I got a couple stoneware sake tumblers like this...

Not traditional but I like'm.

 

[amyscol4304]

I like it!!!

 

[Prince Philip]

I have both the tumbler and the port-or-tiki... both in blue. Hurray for Dollar Stores.

 

[Prince Philip]

BTW: I hope the shells work out for you. I have three shells, named Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear.

Papa Bear was a gift for me, ordered from K*** Kava Farm. It's OK for mixing instant, I suppose, but it's freaking huge, and my typical drink size is 125ml. Mama Bear I got from realkava.com, and is no good at all for mixing instant, and would be overflowing at 125ml, but it'll do fine if I mix it a little thicker than normal. Mama Bear, if I remember, was part of a gift box I ordered from kickbackwithkava.com. I would recommend the gift set to anyone. The kava's not the best, but the shell, strainer, thing to shell on, and the box itself with it's uncolored easter grass stuff is awesome. I keep my letter from @Deleted User and an American Samoan quarter in the box, too.

 

[blindy107]

@amyscol4304 to piggyback on what @Deleted User01 said about 120degree water for extracting medium grind (not micro or instant usually) I would STRONGLY advise you chill it before drinking. The heat is only there to aid in lactones extraction! Hot kava is nasteeeee!

 

[kavaface]

I have both the tumbler and the port-or-tiki... both in blue. Hurray for Dollar Stores.

lol i got two of these from a dollar store here, but finally ordered a coconut shell on the way

 

[LoGun4340]

Hi everyone, I received my Kava in the mail
From GHK I ordered instant makakea and Chris sent me samples. Micronized Papa Ele Ele and Micronized Nene
From BKH I ordered Boroguru ground kava route and the sample pack which includes: melo melo, koniak, borogu, and waka.
Couple questions: ground kava root. Is that the same as micronized or is it instant? and out of the kava I ordered if you could chime in a give me a simple description of each or even just one. I understand it effects people differently, but I don't want to drink one that will make me tired before I head out to work or shopping. Right now I'm going to try my first cup of kava using the instant mahakea. How many tea/table spoons should I use? And for a blender is the nutribullet ok So excited
oh!!! and Chris from GHK, YOU ROCK!!! Thank you so much for the sample. You already have a loyal customer. Well thats if I can handle the taste of kava..
Cheers!!
Amy

I work with my hands all day and every once in awhile if say I have a nasty burn or cut or they are just very cramped I use my nutribullet in 4 30 second burst or so with soy lecithin and one cup milk to 3 cups warm water and honey at the very end for flavor. To strain I have a coffee sock from a company in Austin that I like a lot for its size and durability but when you blend its much harder to work and strain then when you knead and there is less liquid in your muslin bag or strainer etc. If you dig the milk and honey for flavoring use local honey and it can help with any allergies too. Gonna stop before i go off into lala land enjoy your Kava!