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Kava available in Australia

Crunked

Proselytizer
Hi all,
has anyone ordered from https://australiankava.com.au/ ? They appear to be the Kalm with Kava guys. Stock in Oz apparently so hoping for quick delivery. Just ordered 500g of the Vanuatu Noble (this was how it was packaged not sure what variety is actually is) so will see how it goes.
They appear to be selling micronized. If you are new to kava you may want to research this grind and how it differs from traditional grind. With micronized, some or all of the fibrous and other components that are not usually consumed are ground so fine that they are just part of the kava powder. The idea is that straining is unnecessary and it makes a stronger beverage, albeit one that may cause stomach issues, dermopathy or other effects not found in a beverage made with traditional grind that is strained. However, some people tolerate micronized well. YMMV.

On a careful reading they do not claim to be associated with Kalm with Kava, but all the mentions of KWK are surely designed for SEO purposes to direct kava consumers to their site. :rolleyes:
 

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Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
They appear to be selling micronized. If you are new to kava you may want to research this grind and how it differs from traditional grind. With micronized, some or all of the fibrous and other components that are not usually consumed are ground so fine that they are just part of the kava powder. The idea is that straining is unnecessary and it makes a stronger beverage, albeit one that may cause stomach issues, dermopathy or other effects not found in a beverage made with traditional grind that is strained. However, some people tolerate micronized well. YMMV.

On a careful reading they do not claim to be associated with Kalm with Kava, but all the mentions of KWK are surely designed for SEO purposes to direct kava consumers to their site. :rolleyes:
I sent a friendly email to the owner reminding him/her/them, that using a trademarked name is a no no and the owner of the real company has been notified. SEO is no excuse for trademark infringement.
 

Akva

Kava Curious
Thanks @Kapmcrunk and @Crunked .
Yep agree with what you both say. I sent an email to them and asked what variety they were selling. They couldn't tell me just that it was noble variety.. Tom Wilson was the guy who responded.
 

Lotalife

Kava Curious
Hi all,
New to the kava forums and pretty new to kava generally (about 12 months). Lovin the opening up of kava options in Aus! Buying kava off FB marketplace or gumtree was such hit and miss and you didn’t know what you were really getting. Recently bought Green Gold Kava from Paul’s liquor online and was impressed. Good vibes and very drinkable. Looking forward to trying many of the other options now available. Happy shellin!
 

the_wilderness

Kava Enthusiast
Hi all,
has anyone ordered from https://australiankava.com.au/ ? They appear to be the Kalm with Kava guys. Stock in Oz apparently so hoping for quick delivery. Just ordered 500g of the Vanuatu Noble (this was how it was packaged not sure what variety is actually is) so will see how it goes.
I've got some Melo Melo and Borogu on the way. The vendor has posted above, you can tag them with any questions.
 

Akva

Kava Curious
I've got some Melo Melo and Borogu on the way. The vendor has posted above, you can tag them with any questions.
Hi @the_wilderness and @Crunked - yes Crunked is right they are different vendors.

I subsequently got a refund from australiankava (kudos to them for that I guess) and then purchased from australiakavashop some melo melo.
Ordering and selection on the australiakavashop site was easy and had they had the cultivar listed! The package was on its way within 2 hours. Will review once I get it.
 

Sunset_squash67

Aus kava enthusiast
Aussie kava drinkers! Anyone keen to post a review of some kava they have been drinking?

There have been quite a few reviews of FijiKava, Blue Lagoon Kava, and Paul's Green Gold kava. What about these new vendors popping up!
 

Lotalife

Kava Curious
Aussie kava drinkers! Anyone keen to post a review of some kava they have been drinking?

There have been quite a few reviews of FijiKava, Blue Lagoon Kava, and Paul's Green Gold kava. What about these new vendors popping up!
Cool! I’ve bought some Waka Premium and Melo Melo from Australian Kava Shop so will review these when they arrive and I try them…
 
Hi @knifebunny , I'm in a similar boat, using melatonin (10mg dissolvable from iHerb) for sleeping every night. Not a shift worker thou. Normally I'd have kava twice a week, partly to help fasting, and to relax. Also to break up boozing when I was drinking too much. Anyway, I don't like heady kava in any way as it sets off my anxiety big time. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on paul's kava for sleep.
10mg seems like a LOT ... amongst shiftworkers from what I read, anything over 5mg and you are prone to get bad dreams. I use 2mg melatonin as prescribed by my doctor, and I find that quite suitable for me, but anyway on to the kava ...

I have deliberated on posting a review on paul's kava so far because I keep reaching for the blue lagoon. In the small samples ive tried of paul's so far, I haven't been that fond of either the taste, or the effects that it gives me. I understand that taste can be a personal preference so I see that my take on this may not compare well to what others think. Since blue lagoon was the benchmark for me as it was the first kava that I tried, my approach probably has something to do with it. I will note that paul's taste is a lot less prominent than blue lagoon, and that may be why some prefer it, or rather don't like the taste of blue lagoon. I find paul's to be similar in taste to what I imagine grass clippings that have been sitting in the sun for several days, whereas blue lagoon is more like freshly cut grass. Really the only way I can describe it.

At this point, I cannot realistically give a proper review on paul's for sleep and am only using kava currently for recreational purposes. I think the reason why is that when I take melatonin, I need something that is going to knock me out fast, but melatonin isn't something that I feel I can use in every situation. Paul's may be great for sleep like some people mention, but I find that the difficulties with sleep that I have, that kava overall hasn't provided to me what melatonin has - I am going to continue this quest before I can honestly answer this and write it off entirely.

A reviewer on the kava subreddit from Australia has been reviewing different kavas over there, and he has been recommending both the savusavu and the kadavu from https://kingdomofkava.com.au .. I just received the savusavu 1kg bag today which came just in time as I am almost out of blue lagoon now. Today is kind of like my Friday night so I will be giving the savusavu a good going, and may be able to provide thoughts on this in the future.

One thing that kava has really helped me with is fasting, even if it hasn't given me the desired sleep effects that I feel that I wanted so far. I am interested to put together some thoughts on kava and fasting, as I think that it is really beneficial, but I don't quite know if it is knocking me out of ketosis, or whether or not it is significantly contributing toward my fasting periods. So far my "spidey senses" are telling me that it is knocking me out of ketosis, yet it still allows me to easily skip a meal, which may be due to the potassium it provides, as well as the numbing effects that remove the hunger pangs you get in your stomach when you haven't eaten for a while.

I don't really want to rush into committing my full thoughts on any products, but my experiments continue, and I would like to update everyone as soon as I feel ready to do so. Please know that I haven't completely thrown paul's out of the bus yet.
 

the_wilderness

Kava Enthusiast
I have deliberated on posting a review on paul's kava so far because I keep reaching for the blue lagoon.
I have both of them in rotation with Wakanavu waka, haven't been drinking the Tongan one at all (and Fijikava I just gave away...). Blue Lagoon is my fave as well. However the melo melo from australiankavashop arrived today...threw in some extra because it looked so blonde and was an easy drink, didn't expect it to pack such a punch! Usually I like to do some creative work with my kava but was a bit rooted this time...
 

the_wilderness

Kava Enthusiast
By the by, I've been on 10mg of melatonin in the past which is considered a triage dose (and incredibly expensive, too). Didn't help me sleep at all. Kava doesn't, either. I rely on a pharma cocktail, hope I can find a different solution one day.
 
By the by, I've been on 10mg of melatonin in the past which is considered a triage dose (and incredibly expensive, too). Didn't help me sleep at all. Kava doesn't, either. I rely on a pharma cocktail, hope I can find a different solution one day.
I found the melatonin i buy on iherb to be pretty reasonably priced. on nights when i have kava i don't need to have it to get a good night's sleep. but if i've had kava that's too heady, then nothing on earth will help me sleep. thus my desire to steer clear of anything that contributes to jawclench or mindracing. I forgot i had some vanuatu kava in the cupboard and had it and slept like the dead.
 
10mg seems like a LOT ... amongst shiftworkers from what I read, anything over 5mg and you are prone to get bad dreams. I use 2mg melatonin as prescribed by my doctor, and I find that quite suitable for me, but anyway on to the kava ...

I have deliberated on posting a review on paul's kava so far because I keep reaching for the blue lagoon. In the small samples ive tried of paul's so far, I haven't been that fond of either the taste, or the effects that it gives me. I understand that taste can be a personal preference so I see that my take on this may not compare well to what others think. Since blue lagoon was the benchmark for me as it was the first kava that I tried, my approach probably has something to do with it. I will note that paul's taste is a lot less prominent than blue lagoon, and that may be why some prefer it, or rather don't like the taste of blue lagoon. I find paul's to be similar in taste to what I imagine grass clippings that have been sitting in the sun for several days, whereas blue lagoon is more like freshly cut grass. Really the only way I can describe it.

At this point, I cannot realistically give a proper review on paul's for sleep and am only using kava currently for recreational purposes. I think the reason why is that when I take melatonin, I need something that is going to knock me out fast, but melatonin isn't something that I feel I can use in every situation. Paul's may be great for sleep like some people mention, but I find that the difficulties with sleep that I have, that kava overall hasn't provided to me what melatonin has - I am going to continue this quest before I can honestly answer this and write it off entirely.

A reviewer on the kava subreddit from Australia has been reviewing different kavas over there, and he has been recommending both the savusavu and the kadavu from https://kingdomofkava.com.au .. I just received the savusavu 1kg bag today which came just in time as I am almost out of blue lagoon now. Today is kind of like my Friday night so I will be giving the savusavu a good going, and may be able to provide thoughts on this in the future.

One thing that kava has really helped me with is fasting, even if it hasn't given me the desired sleep effects that I feel that I wanted so far. I am interested to put together some thoughts on kava and fasting, as I think that it is really beneficial, but I don't quite know if it is knocking me out of ketosis, or whether or not it is significantly contributing toward my fasting periods. So far my "spidey senses" are telling me that it is knocking me out of ketosis, yet it still allows me to easily skip a meal, which may be due to the potassium it provides, as well as the numbing effects that remove the hunger pangs you get in your stomach when you haven't eaten for a while.

I don't really want to rush into committing my full thoughts on any products, but my experiments continue, and I would like to update everyone as soon as I feel ready to do so. Please know that I haven't completely thrown paul's out of the bus yet.
Fair enough @knifebunny. Reviews always come down to personal choice. The melatonin never gives me bad dreams. And on kava I don't even know if I do dream. For sleep I've been using something called relora, which I also get off iherb. Originally for anxiety, I found it makes me really sleepy. Something to do with cortisol levels. So on most nights I'd have relora and melatonin, and on a couple of nights I'd have a heavy kava. I have to make sure I eat something small and fatty on kava nights or I can end up feeling exhausted the next morning and into the day. Usually just a few cheese and crackers. Sometimes I go without the snack and even though I feel I benefit from the fast, I suffer with tiredness. So. I've ordered some Jif instant from My Kava Hut and some borogu from Australia Kava Shop to get some comparisons going. It's a journey!
 

the_wilderness

Kava Enthusiast
Had the melo melo again today but just at my usual dose, phwoar, still, it's strong! Heady with some nervous energy but simultaneous couch lock. One of the better tasting kavas I've tried, and an easy-squeezer (know what I mean? seems to give a lot quickly and get that 'sawdust' feeling early on, recommend for arthritic folks heh). So far, Australian Kava Shop is good stuff. But take the melo melo at night time, ey ;)
 

JeffVader

Newbie
Hey Folks - Well a little like the God Father.. Just when I thought I was out they keep pulling me back in!!

After over a decade working in the kava industry; Vanuatu kava Shop, The Kava Emporium, Kava Cola, Tanna kava, Instant kava, kava extracts, Black Honey, US and EU exports etc... I relocated to Australia with the family and was busy in my consultancy biz. Then the news came through that the Oz govt. were finally going to pull the trigger on their Phase 2 roll out with labeling kava as a food and not scheduling it. Well the inbox, facebook and whatsapp blew up with old Vanuatu and Fji contacts wanting to get me to start something. So after careful consideration here we are:

www.australiakavashop.com.au

We have started out with Borogu and a small amount of Melo Melo and have just taken stock of some Waka from our old chums at QIO. We are milling to 3mm so you aren't going to get the 100% baby powder, but though I'd attach some pics to give Australian kava connoisseurs what to expect. Hope to have some instant kava from the guys we sold the instant kava machinery and IP to as well in the future!

If any Australian kava crew want to give us a shot, use the "Kavaforum" discount coupon to get a further 5% off your next order.

I think it might also be worth mentioning that we are definitely looking at kava bar options as well, so if anyone is interested in having a chat about how this would work in Australia, hit me up .

Cheers

Cam
Will Kava Cola be exported to Australia under the phase 2 trial?
 
I think kava is becoming really popular, I was just trying to order some of the melo melo off australian kava shop and they didnt have any bags of 1kg left, so I checked and placed an order for the two remaining 500g bags, and as I was checking out, it said there was only 1 available ... so I checked 250g bags of which 4 were available .. no matter which combination I chose, they eventually all seemed to be sold out

I noticed that blue lagoon is currently sold out too, I am glad that shops are selling well, but I hope I see some re-stocks soon!
 
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