How to prepare whole root pieces?

[Pzk]

Hi @ll,

I'm having my holidays atm in Portugal.

All I found within the country are whole root pieces, without any knowledge about exact origin or cultivar. But it is kava kava. It is half of the price of traditional grind within Europa.

So I give it a try. I bet some Fiji. Perhaps weak Tongan. I have no clue...

Any tips how to prepare this?

Actually all I have is a knife and lets see how small I'll get it cut.

Interesting is, that it is sold as tea that should be used as whole root with boiling water...

 

[Pzk]

Good news is, it is finer than I thought. A coffee grinder should do the trick.

The bad news: This stuff smells like a alternative smoke store for incense, natural remedy plants and Indian natural smells for ladies. Like they had every plant just laying around open, I can't smell no kava there, even though the label says so (incl. Piper me....). Just chewed a small piece and it tastes like it smells...

I wonder if I even try it or throw it in the bin.

 

[Pzk]

Answer to my question: you don't prepare whole stinking root pieces without source information...

You prepare your stuff from the heros from kavaeurope ...

This is no commercial!

 

[Pzk]

Hmmm stash is gone, so I try the "ruff cut".

I was too lazy to cut it smaller or prepare it. No coffee grinder available.

Those are 50gr of ruff cut in 500ml of water. Shaked a lot already, the color... Well I wish I'd had a coffee grinder and a blender.

For the kavaeurope stuff I had a small blender at least...

 

[Pzk]

Edit: you can't drink that, it tastes like a hippi store.
I spit it out, but my tongue got numb afterwards now I am like 50:50

 

[kavalon629]

I guess I know what you have there. They sell it in 50g backs of whole root, right?

portugal, whole root and the taste you describe fit very well to stuff I ordered online. I tought the smell comes from the kava itself since I noticed something comparable with some Fiji Kavas, altough much weaker. But yeah could also be the place in which they store it…

In fact I ordered two batches there about 1,5 years ago. The first one was amazing and my first kava experience at all. It was extremely strong. The second batch I didn‘t like that much and put it aside.
In the meantime I bought from the common vendors in Europe an yeah at times quite nice at times I didn‘t feel anything. No medium grind was nearly as strong as this root from Portugal.

And what coincidence, last weak y used that second batch one more time and found the website of that shop in Portugal.

Long story short, I guess it could also be non noble kava which possibly can be much stronger.
My Acetone arrived today and y can update you on the tests.
But what do you think about the quality of that root?

 

[kavalon629]

At the moment the test shows yellow, very clear yellow. I will check again tomorrow

Regarding your first question, I put the root in a mixer. For the dust I then use the Aluball as always and the remaining bigger parts I eat as a whole, but aint that much.

 

[Groggy]

Hmmm stash is gone, so I try the "ruff cut".

I was too lazy to cut it smaller or prepare it. No coffee grinder available.

Those are 50gr of ruff cut in 500ml of water. Shaked a lot already, the color... Well I wish I'd had a coffee grinder and a blender.

For the kavaeurope stuff I had a small blender at least...

View attachment 13517

Worst comes to worst and If you have access to a juicer, it will definitely grind it down to medium grind.

 

[kavalon629]

The test is negative. On the right is the whole root probably from the same store and on the left is Bir Kar from Kava Society.