Hello! New to the forum!

[kl.dbairduk]

Hi,     I'm new and just made a couple of orders. I'm from the UK so hope I will be ok with customs! I ordered an instant variety pack from islandkava.com. And on reading on here for a bit I decided to order some Vanatu Isa/Tudei from Rex. I get the impression that the instant wont last me long as I will only have 75g. So though a lb from rex would see me for a while once that has gone. Main problem is waiting for delivery to the UK.... its been a week since my order now started checking the post for it in the morning lol. 
I tried a kava extract once before a few years ago, I didn't get much from it though as I didn't know how much to take or how to prepare it. 
I am going to partly follow the instructions on Kava by rex, and some I have read on here. 
What I am looking for is to satisfy a boredom I get in the evening when I refrain from drinking, and hopefully a way to be contempt without alcohol every evening in general. 
I know not to expect miracles, and with have to persevere. With some people stating the instant kava is weak, do large doses work to start? i.e a teaspoon every 15-20 mins until you feel good? Or will I just get a hangover and end up chasing something I am not going to find?

 

[kavalover]

It's not that instant kava is weak it's just that if you're a kava veteran you get used to a little consistency in the potency of your favorite kavas. Instant kavas seem to range all over the place in potency, one time you'll get a strong batch the next time it's a weak batch. Start your dosing with what the label says and then tweak it around a little until you find a good place for you. That's been my experience anyway, but it won't matter much since you're a new drinker, it'll give your body a good chance to familiarize itself with kava while the reverse tolerance does its thing. You likely won't experience much effect the first few times, that's the usual experience anyway. Everyone is different. Kava just seems to require patience from its user, eventually I found it to be a wonderful replacement to alcohol though I was never a big drinker in the first place.







Good luck with your brew, and welcome to the forum!

 

[kl.dbairduk]

Thanks kavalover, I guess my question was would it be a bad idea to keep drinking it until I do feel the effects the first couple of times? I have read that some people end up feeling sick doing this though. I am looking forward to becoming accustom with the effects of kava, and realise it maybe something you just don't get to start and learn to love. 
With experiences with K@ its the opposite way round, extracts are strong.. but tolerance builds up fast. Similarities seem to be using standard products that you get exposure to the full alkaloid spectrum, which keeps your tollerance down and helps you feel the effects at lower doses. 
Also anyone who has ordered from rex, does he usually send out order confirmation and shipping confirmation? All I have is the paypal receipt, I did only order 24 hours ago mind.

 

[endwatcher]

I've always gotton just the Receipt.

What kind did you get?

 

[kl.dbairduk]

I got 75g of instant coming from island kava(a mix of 3 types), and 1lb of isa/tudei from KBR on its way too. Just prepping my self as the instant might be here any day lol... just got shipment details from rex about 5 mins ago, so that should be in a week or two

 

[kl.dbairduk]

Any other UK peeps about?

 

[endwatcher]

Na, Im not from the UK



Let me know how the tudei goes, I havent tried yet, and it seems interesting

 

[kavalover]

I guess my question was would it be a bad idea to keep drinking it until
I do feel the effects the first couple of times? I have read that some
people end up feeling sick doing this though. I am looking forward to
becoming accustom with the effects of kava, and realise it maybe
something you just don't get to start and learn to love.

It really just depends on you. You might find gradually increasing your dose in one sitting works out, you might find it only makes you sick. It's was latter for me, when I first started drinking kava I couldn't handle more than two shells max, my stomach wouldn't take it. After a while, one or two shells is all it took to feel the effects. Like I said, just play around with it and keep your patience. It's a lot of fun trying different methods of prep, different doses, combinations ect. I've noticed on this forum, huge diversity in how kava effects people, and what works best dose and prep wise from person to person. Patience is a huge virtue with this root.

(smiley: smile)

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I hope that kava makes you content rather than fills you with contempt. "Ennui" is the word that I would use to describe the feeling that I get sometimes, I haven't had it since awhile before started drinking kava, so I don't know if the kava helps with that. It's important to wait at least 10 minutes between each 1/2 cup (shell) that gives your guts some time to deal with it and allows the kavalactones to build up gradually in your system without peaking too high too quickly, 15-20 min is recommended, 10 min seems to be the minimum for me, otherwise I feel bloated and get abdominal cramping. I suspect that the ground roots also have a time-release effect from the powder that makes it through the filters and that you digest that lets the effects last longer than instants. Ordering kava from Hawaii via domestic US post typically takes a week to arrive. Air mail to UK could be a totally different thing, but I'd expect it to take at least a few days. With the Bula Kava House Green instant kava or Nakamal at Home Shaman 15 g or about 5 teaspoons seems to do it for me, probably wouldn't do more than 18 g or 6 teaspoons in a session for fear of making myself feel ill. Friday or Saturday are good days to try new things in case something has a bigger effect than I anticipated, with a Tudei that is probably prudent until you figure out an amount that seems OK for work nights.

 

[kl.dbairduk]

thanks for the great advice. looking at island kava's ebay feedback, most buyers from the UK say its quick, but they don't seem to elaborate further.

Island kava recomends 1/2 a tespoon to start, but a dose is 1 tsp. I am guessing this would be similar to your report of BKH green instant and 5 tsp Gray Owl. I looked up "Ennui" and agree that could be what I am feeling also. Sometimes I wonder if it is depression, but I am generally not depressed.



I will report back on the time it takes to recieve my packages from Hawaii. There are some UK sellers on ebay now, I wonder who's kava they are re-selling...



My next order is probably going to be from Balu for Fu'u, and I fancy trying the extracts from paradise kava maybe just to top up if I have eaten.



I get my evening meal cooked for me by my partner so will only have a window of an hour or so when I finish work. We sit down to eat at 6.30pm. I guess then I can have a night cap at 10pm ready for bed.

 

[kl.Lanake]

Islandkava.com has some really good instant kavas. The Mahakea is very relaxing. The Fiji Waka comes on stronger and I seem to feel more muscle relaxation with it. I've given up all alcoholic beverages and have been drinking kava exclusively for about 4 years now. For me it's truly been a godsend.

 

[kl.dbairduk]

thats good to hear Lanake, I like the idea of their club sending you out 250gm of your choice each month and a 20% discount on all other purchases too.



Just wish my package would arrive lol

 

[kl.dbairduk]

ok got my order today, I just had a few glasses of awa mahakea. 1 tsp per glass. mixes well, and the taste is ok too. on my 3rd glass now. 
Ok update, i ended up having 4 teaspoons(measuring spoon type). Dinner was nearly ready though, and ate quite soon after, maybe 10 minuets after the last glass. 
I can definitely feel it in my head, not quite euphoria, but there has been a change. Reading about other peoples experiences I would say this instant is quite good, easy to drink. It makes the water nice and brown. I was expecting allot worse... The packaging says 1/4 of a teaspoon per glass, but I think I could easily go to 2 teaspoons to get it a bit thicker.
The I have felt the effects for about an hour now, I would love another glass but I am going to wait for a bit longer.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

A comic strip about ennui.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I just ordered some islandkava.com tudei, hoping to find an instant as good as BKH Green which has been out of stock and cheaper than N@H Shaman.

 

[kl.chuckboycejr]

There are two problems with instant:
1. it's too expensive2. it's not as good as traditionally brewed kava
My current kava of choice is a 50/50 mix of Borogu and Fu'u from Bula Kava House.
I still drink instant when I don't have time to brew my own kava or when I'm travelling, but when I can I prefer to brew my own.

 

[kl.dbairduk]

I have been testing out this tudei from rex.. it is a pain to prepare the root when coming from the instant... taste is not so bad, but allot more bitter.

The worst part is the smell when making it. I does feel stronger, but I am using allot.. 5tbs per 2 glasses. It does not make much difference if I use 7tbs, maybe due to not extracting as well. I think next on the cards is F'Fu

 

[kl.dbairduk]

let us know how the island and BKH green compare Gray owl

 

[Bula Kava House]

Welcome to the forum, dbairduk. I think you'll find it a place to have a good time chatting with people of a common interest. It's great for reviews from people who really know their kava, and for information on pretty much any kava topic. If you have any questions about kava in general or specifically about Bula Kava House Kava don't hesitate to ask.We've had our kava bar open in Portland for almost a year now and have been selling online for about half that time. Our kava is super fresh, potent, well balanced, and fairly priced. People love our Vanuatu Instant Green Kava as well, but we are temporarily out of stock. We're expecting more in about two weeks and will keep the forum posted. We're also working on adding a Fiji Waka to the mix so keep an eye out. That's all for now, so once again, welcome, and I look forward to seeing you around here.

 

[kl.dbairduk]

cheers Judd, I have just gone through my 1st lb of tudei, so I am looking to order from you next I think. The taste didn't bother me at first with the tudei, but towards the end it was hard to down. Looking forward to tying the fu'u as everyone says it nearly tastes good lol.