Hanakāpīʻai
(ha-nah-KAH-PEE-eye)
This kava quickly moved among the ranks of my favorite Hawaiian 'awas. The only negative it had, for me, was it's thick, lingering, earthy bitterness. It became really hard to chug down at the end of a session, at my root:water ratio. Effects-wise though, it showed itself to be a winner immediately. One shell was all it took to feel the calming, dreamy relaxation of DHK begin. A quick but gentle transition into a somewhat carefree slow-mo world. As you dig in deeper, headier and 'krunkier' states are not difficult to achieve. Which is something I really appreciate. This one can definitely be strong enough tocompletely sweep you away and it's quite consistent as well.
I'd put this one in the 'balanced' category. It's heady, but also deep and entrancing. It's not strongly body oriented, but it does smooth you out more so than a full-blown 'heady' daytime kava. Minor analgesic qualities were noticed, which I consider kind of rare for Hawaiian varieties. Papa Kea seemed to be somewhat analgesic too, perhaps even more so, but I'll have to experiment more to see if that holds up. Sedative effects didn't really appear til later in the evening. It does sedate and slow you down through out, but not to the point of being sleepy, until later. The first several nights I had it, I seemed to notice a bit of a tug-of-war with some sensations. It seemed like I could feel symptoms of mild CNS stimulation (noticing my heartbeat, chest tension..), while simultaneously feeling completely relaxed, calm, slow & peaceful.
I did some reading on the word Hanakapi'ai. Hanakapi'ai is the name of a valley and beach on the north side of Kaua'i. The name translates to 'bay sprinkling food'. It's a secluded area that held a thriving farming & fishing community in the old days. This 'awa was found in area, indicating it was the preferred 'awa of this ancient community. 'Awa Hanakapi'ai has also been called Nene 'ele 'ele, but both names are not the traditional name, which has been lost to time. There are no chants or oral history that indentify it's true name. So, Hanakapi'ai it shall be...and Hanakapi' ay! ay! ay! is it good! Hanakapi'ai want some more!
My Current Top 5 Hawaiian 'awa
- Mahakea
- Papakea
- Hanakapi'ai
- 'Opihikao
- Kumakua
You sure did a good job of susplaining yourself. I love the review followed by the history lesson. Nice one! I see you still have Papa Kea (one of my favorites) above Hanapaki 'ai. I'm also a fan of Mahakea so I best get on line and order some Hanapaki 'ai before you start a stampede.