How long does kava keep in the fridge?

[evrnd]

It's really that simple: I use the CTAHR Method to brew up a bigger batch (or two) than I will drink in one day. I like to make more at once so I can have ice cold kava ready when I get home from work. Doesn't seem to lose any flavor but does it lose any potency?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Overnight is fine. Two days and the taste isn't as good but it's fine to drink. Three days is your max. Same with bags of wet root waiting to be made into another wash.

 

[kavamehameha]

I already had kava four days in the fridge. As long as it's in a air-tight bottle, there is no reduced potency. Yeah, the taste is not so good after the third day, but I can deal with it. I wouldn't keep it longer than four days, though.

 

[kastom_lif]

Old kava gets sour after a couple days. Probably the same kind of fermentation that happens in old poi. If you don't mind sour kava, it's not likely to be harmful.

If you mix a huge batch, maybe freeze what you won't drink right away.

 

[evrnd]

Interesting. I just had some GHK Mahakea and Hanakapi Ai from several days ago and though I wasn't sure about the potency (hence the post), the taste didn't seem much different and it was definitely not sour.
Argh! Not the answers I was hoping for. This makes everything a lot trickier time-wise.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Interesting. I just had some GHK Mahakea and Hanakapi Ai from several days ago and though I wasn't sure about the potency (hence the post), the taste didn't seem much different and it was definitely not sour.
Argh! Not the answers I was hoping for. This makes everything a lot trickier time-wise.

There are a number of reasons why for me I like to make up a cup of root or more each time (because it goes to a 4th or 5th wash better, you need a certain critical mass for that). Lucky my wife and I are both grog piggies and it all gets slurped up in 2 or 3 days. If I lived alone I'd have to freeze batches, tho, or freeze stuff for 2nd and 3rd washes.

 

[evrnd]

If I used the traditional prep, I could actually see it being a nice ritual when I get home from work each day. But somehow using a bowl, strainer, AND blender requires just enough cleanup to make it impractical or at least inconvenient for post-work/pre-dinner. It doesn't help that I'm currently stuck with a walker and standing on one leg while I recover from an injury/surgery. I live in a kava-accepting but non grog-partaking (she drinks the KWK concentrate fairly often) household so I don't think she'd be too thrilled with leaving everything out all the time either. What. A. Pickle.
Maybe I can make a weeks worth in two bottles and freeze the second one.

 

[Deleted User01]

I made a batch of Hanapaki Ai on Sunday and put the leftovers in a lock top bottle. Today will be the third day. It will taste funky but the results will be fine.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Yeah I would just make very strong batch and drink that over 2 days . Making grog gets less messy over time. I'm sure you can get your wife to not mind a kava prep every 2 or 3 days ... but I don't know .

The toughest part of kava is that you don't know youve made a mess until it solidifies and the color shows up all over the counter lol

 

[Zaphod]

I have had traditional prepped kava in a sealed up mason jar in the fridge for 4-5 days with no apparent change in taste, consistency, or potency. YMMV if it is not tightly sealed or in a different container. A few shakes of the jar to redistribute what had settled on the bottom and I was good to go. I should mention that I did open the jar once a day to pour out some and enjoy, but that was it. I made up this particular batch of a heavier kava to have later in the evening, after having several aluballs worth earlier in the day. So my tastebuds might have already been a bit numb...but I didn't notice any difference.

 

[Valyn]

I prepared five tablespoons of Kava and placed it inside a glass cup in the fridge. I was going to have it that evening, but now have to wait two more evenings, which will make it have to sit in the fridge for about 72 hours. Will it still be potent or should I place it in the freezer next time?

 

[Plantacious]

I've heard people say only a couple days.
But in my own experience, up to 4, maybe 5 days, will work.
To me it tastes bad to begin with, so it wouldn't bother me much if it tasted a little "off" from age

 

[Cassie]

Overnight is fine. Two days and the taste isn't as good but it's fine to drink. Three days is your max. Same with bags of wet root waiting to be made into another wash.

I've left wet root in the fridge for a a little over a week thinking it would be fine and it was. I personally didn't get sick or anything and it even tasted fine.

 

[Groggy]

I've left wet root in the fridge for a a little over a week thinking it would be fine and it was. I personally didn't get sick or anything and it even tasted fine.

It boils down to how much moisture is leftover in the "wet" kava. I have also left well drained 1st wash in the fridge for several days, if the kava leftover in the strainer has a higher moisture ratio, it is likely to get funkier sooner. Generally speaking, kava in the strainer will last much longer than brewed and left in the fridge