A guide to kava prep for hard heads.
Here’s a list of tips to get you on the right path.
Actual preparation (my suggestion):
Items Needed:
40g Medium Grind Kava
Strainer bag
Bowl
800-1000ml (24-32oz) of water
Nitrile Gloves (optional)
Here’s a list of tips to get you on the right path.
- Ensure you have quality kava.
- Check your kava on google by putting the name of the kava in the search box followed by “reviews”. This should give you a rough estimate if you're drinking kava that is active.
- You can also double check the kava to our list here for chemotypes which gives a better, but still rough estimate of the kavas effectiveness.
- Kavas with the number 4 closer to the beginning of the chemotype will be more heady, whereas kavas with 2 closer to the beginning will be more sedative as a general, but not solid rule.
- Ensure you are using enough kava powder.
- The standard kava dose is between 25g and 40g with some users approaching 100g per session on the high end. A good sweet spot to start with is 30g or 4-5 tablespoons.
- Be aware of your prep method pros and cons.
- Traditional prep with a strainer bag and bowl.
- Pros:
- More thorough extraction
- Better control of starting amounts.
- Wider range of temperatures to use.
- Easy to find the prep materials for.
- Can adjust for temperature easily.
- Most traditional method of preparation for kava, and has been used for thousands of years.
- Cons:
- Requires more prep and cleaning than the aluball.
- Requires more dexterity and physical strength which can be an issue for some.
- Strainer bag porosity (size of the holes in the bag) is very important. Using a t-shirt or cloth seems to prevent a large portion of the good stuff from reaching your beverage, so a dedicated kava strainer is important to have. Kavafied sells dedicated strainers as well as most places that sell kava.
- Takes about double the time to prepare than the aluball.
- Pros:
- Aluball
- Pros:
- Very simple and convenient to use.
- Clean up is very easy.
- Can be used on the go.
- Doesn’t require excess physical strength other than shaking.
- Quick prep. Usually it only takes around 5 minutes or so to pour out a batch of kava.
- Cons:
- One aluball usually doesn’t cut it, as you’re limited by physics to 2 tablespoons per ball. Multiple aluballs have been used to circumvent this issue.
- The usage of hot water may deform the plastic and cause the aluball shaker to leak.
- Mesh screen on the balls can detach over time.
- Pros:
- Mixer
- Pros:
- No kneading phase is necessary.
- Seems to be as effective as kneading
- Very quick. Requires 2 minutes and 30 seconds for a batch.
- Can adjust temperatures and amounts without worry.
- Cons:
- Is battery powered, but could also be a pro, depending on who you ask.
- You still have to use a strainer bag for the final stage.
- Still requires a final squeeze similar to traditional prep.
- More complicated prep and cleaning phase.
- Pros:
- Blender
- Pros:
- Super efficient kavalactone extraction.
- Taste seems to suffer less than with hot water extractions.
- Cons:
- Micronization of the kava due to the chopping action of the blender may cause you to intake far greater amounts of unstrained root material. This can cause side effects at a faster rate than properly strained material.
- You still have to use a strainer bag to separate the root material from the water.
- Clean up is far more involved.
- Kava will likely ruin the blender, so be ready to dedicate the blender to kava prep only.
- Pros:
- Traditional prep with a strainer bag and bowl.
- Know that water temperature can make a huge difference.
- Cold water (room temp) Prep
- More heady, less bitter. Taste will be about as good as it can be, and much of the sedation will be absent.
- This is traditionally the way kava has been made in the South Pacific.
- Not as strong as using higher temperature water.
- Warm water prep (warm to the touch)
- Higher extraction of kavalactones
- Bitterness is markedly increased.
- Poor general overall flavor profile.
- Much stronger at the expense of taste.
- Hot water prep (hot to the touch)
- Much higher extraction of kavalactones
- Taste is degraded very much.
- Can approach the gelatinization phase of starch, so be careful keeping your kava and water mixture under 120°F for this reason.
- Boiling water prep
- The highest extraction of kavalactones
- The worst taste
- Surpasses the gelatinization temperature of starch.
- Viscosity increased substantially
- You end up with really thick, really strong kava.
- You might need a spoon to eat it.
- Cold water (room temp) Prep
- Time since your last meal.
- A general rule of thumb is to give your digestive system 4 hours between your last meal and your kava session.
- A full stomach prevents the quick actions of kava by slowing its travel into the small intestine.
- A small meal during your session or directly after has the ability to quell stomach uneasiness, and also increase the absorption of kavalactones. We’re not sure how this process works, but eating foods with a good bit of fat seems to considerably increase kavas effects.
- A general rule of thumb is to give your digestive system 4 hours between your last meal and your kava session.
- Physical Stress Level.
- This one doesn’t seem to be reported as much, but what we’ve seen over the years is that once kava is imbibed, moving around and doing strenuous activities becomes something of a “buzz kill”.
- This ties into what kava drinkers know as “listening to the kava”. What this means is letting your mind go blank, sitting still, and paying very close attention to the feeling kava is providing.
- Other drugs.
- Kava is a subtle but powerful experience. Other psychoactive chemicals can mask or possibly increase kava’s effects.
- Polymorphism (Theory)
- People’s genetic code varies, and the expression of certain enzymes varies due to those codes. It’s thought, possibly, that the enzyme activity of CYP2D6 can have a definite impact on the effectiveness of kava. Kava uses this pathway to metabolize in the human body, and poor metabolizers and ultra-fast metabolizers may see varied levels of effectiveness.
- Non-responder?
- Is it possible that you’re just a non-responder to kava? While it’s possible, it’s extremely rare to find a person completely unable to feel the effects of kava. It’s more likely that one or more variables in the preparation phase are the issue.
Actual preparation (my suggestion):
Items Needed:
40g Medium Grind Kava
Strainer bag
Bowl
800-1000ml (24-32oz) of water
Nitrile Gloves (optional)
- Place your powder in the strainer bag, and tie off the end.
- Microwave your water for 2 minutes.
- We’re looking for around 100°F water.
- Put your warm water into the bowl and dip your strainer bag with the kava into it.
- I use the nitrile gloves for this stage, as direct contact with kava over time seems to really dry my hands out.
- Knead the kava bag in the water and squeeze it every now and then. Do this for 5-7 minutes. You’ll see the kava diffuse into the water, turning it a milky tan color.
- Wring out your strainer bag into the bowl to get the last bits of goodness out of the root ball.
- You can use half the amount of water again for a 2nd kneading phase if you want to get all your money’s worth out of the root.
- Refrigerate your kava if you find the temperature unpleasant (it’s what I do)
- I personally leave my kava in the fridge for 3 hours.
- The colder the brew, the less you’ll taste.
- Drink up!
- Divide out into 5 oz portions and drink until you find your sweet spot. Don’t feel like you can’t drink it all, in fact it’s suggested.
