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Kava and Taste

A

Amarone

Kava Curious
I am struggling to get Kava down as I find the taste particularly offensive. I have tried masking the taste with varying degrees of success. The idea was to take Kava for anxiety but ironically I get anxious at the thought of taking it

Practically I need to source Kava that is easier to chug down but is still potent. The added complication is that I'm based in the UK so my options are limited to the following suppliers

Kava Kauia/realkava.com
Bula Kava House
Kalm with Kava
Kavafied
thekavaroots.com

As a newbie I have no terms of reference and don't know how my Kava rates in terms of taste compared to others on the market. I am using Kavafied Supreme. Just to note I also have micronised Pouni Oro, Borogu and Fiji Loa Waka from KWK. While I sampled them after they arrived, I am not using them regularly as it's a more expensive option while I appear to be experiencing RT.

I would welcome some helpful suggestions.
 
Kojo Douglas

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
This is one of those barriers that makes it difficult for people to benefit from Kava.

However, I think I can possibly help if you answer this: what about Kava makes you gag or not want to drink it? Is it the peppery flavor, the dirt flavor? How thick and viscous are you making your Kava? Are you making it so thick that it is offensive when you take it down?

Most people who can't get over the flavor cope better with "soft" Fijian or Tongan varieties. One particularly tasty Kava is @Kava Time "Lawena." Also, I would avoid micronized Kava if you don't like the taste. I love the taste of Kava, but I still have a hard time with micronized!
 
M

meadeam

Kava Curious
It has been my understanding that kava ranges from awful tasting to worse and beyond, but there really is no pleasant tasting kava in ground root form. I've tried a couple strains, and they have been varying degrees of disgusting. I usually have some fresh fruit at hand, ready to munch on before the wretched taste takes hold.
I understand some people don't find it as offensive as others, and some even claim to enjoy the taste. I can't imagine.

I plan to look for some smoothy recipes, or start experimenting. I want to enjoy drinking Kava. I hate that it is like choking down medicine.
 
A

Amarone

Kava Curious
Thanks Kavasseur. BTW, before I took the plunge, I educated myself by watching many of your videos. Keep up the good work:)

It's difficult to say what specific aspect of the taste I have a problem with. Just the smell of the stuff makes me retch a little. I'm Aluballing and using 2-3 table spoons and a few hundred ml of water which I then mix with a fruit squash concentrate. I am hoping it's a temporary thing and over time I will just get used to it. I didn't anticipate having a problem as I used to toss n wash the other K compound that we don't mention here, without any problem
 
A

Amarone

Kava Curious
There is a great ginger and lemongrass cordial I use that does a decent job of masking the taste, but my concern is the amount I have to use and the excess sugar I'm consuming just to make Kava drinkable.
 
Kojo Douglas

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
Toss and wash will give you stomach problems, so avoid that. Try watering the Kava down, and as someone else mentioned if you add sweet stuff the sugar might affect your Kava experience.
 
A

Amarone

Kava Curious
Sure, I had no intention of toss n wash. Will try your other suggestion. I was also thinking of trying a spicy ginger beer next time just to see if that was any better
 
Squanch72

Squanch72

Kava Vendor
Use Welch's or V8 Splash orange pineapple juice instead of water to prepare your root. It really hides the kava taste for people who have a hard time drinking it. It also stops the nausea when my belly is acting up. Or you can use powdered orange Tang after prep. I also find just a few splashes of real Lime juice in a normal water prepped shell is tart enough to take your mind off the taste, in case you don't want to take in too much sugar.
 

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Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
@Amarone as @Squanch72 has said there are some good premade juice mixes that work quite well. I find pineapple juice or mango juice to be the best if you really want to mask the taste but again you are taking in more sugar than just with water. I mix with milk to get a bit of fat into the mix and I've grown very used to the taste. Just chugged my first shell of Kavafied supreme and I found it very mild, just a hint of pepperiness in the background. Good luck finding something that works for you. I am in the UK too and have used stackry.com with great effect to obtain kava from GHK and N@H.
 
M

meadeam

Kava Curious
This is good news. I actually like those V8 juices. True, a bit more sugar than I like to take on a regular basis, but I won't be drinking it every day (or if I do, not that much anyway).

I'm thinking V8 Orange Pineapple with some Coconut milk and a few dashes of lime to compete with the bitterness of the kava.
 
Atticus

Atticus

:)
It gets better with more time. At least it did for me. I actually like the taste now. lol. I guess it associates with good times coming. But, you could always have a quick chaser of orange juice or cranberry juice on the side to drink directly after it.
 
A

Amarone

Kava Curious
@Edward Yeah I think I read your post about stackry. Approximately what premium do you pay over shipping direct from the US, say for a few lbs of Kava.

Is it right that Hawaiian kava has a very different, milder, taste to other kavas?
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
Here's a bit of an "out there" idea for people who don't like the taste of kava... get yourself the strongest tasting peppery vanuatu kava you can get (stone is a good one but there are plenty of others) and force yourself to drink it straight with water for a few days in a row, just get it down and try and hold on. Then get yourself a nice Tongan or Fijian kava and try that. I bet it won't seem so bad and will be a lot easier to drink. Once you get used to the milder kava you'll cope with the stronger flavoured ones too.
 
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