Kava - preparation & drinking

[kl.Diego55]

Hi there !



Althought I have some experiences with preparation of kava drink, I am just a beginner in this. So, I would like to know, if it is good for proper prepartion to use 30g of kava root powder to 250 ml water/milk ?
Is it good ratio ? Because, when I prepared kava with 30g  + 250ml of (warm)milk and with some lecithin, then(after soaking) the mixture was something like a mud( It was very thick). In the second case, I used 30g to 350ml of milk and the final mixture was a quite liquid. I really dont know which ratio is better and what is the correct consistency of the mixture(thick or liquid) ? Also, I would like to ask on dinking. I wonder, if it is good way to drink kava within half an hour(or so), or if it is better to drink a cup of kava during the whole day ? In your opinion, what do you think is better ? I want to get the full effect and have it last as long as possible.

Thank you in advance for your advice and Merry Christmas !

P.S: sorry my English is not very good

 

[Vekta]

I can't do the conversions in my head but here is what I do...
2 tablespoons of dried root: per 1 cup water (you can make it two cups if that's too strong for you)
Half an hour? (smiley: laugh) Good kava is gone in half a second. But in all seriousness I've drank the same bowl of kava over the course of an hour or two before. Sometimes (rarely) I'll drink half of the bowl then go to sleep and finish it the next morning.

 

[ObiWan]

I usually take 10-15 gramms Kava with 250-300ml water and drink it at once.

Do you use a strainer?

If the powder is very finely ground a lot goes through the strainer. I prefer to strain it twice.

 

[Steve973]

Diego and Vekta, you two are using basically the same ratio at 30g to 250ml. One cup of water is around 236ml, so it's definitely in the ballpark. Diego, with that amount of root, it's probably best to consume that as fast as possible when you are feeling hungry so that your stomach is empty. Anyway, I think it is better to have your kava thinner. I think that you risk not getting enough out of your kava when you use too much kava and not enough water. Everyone has their own preference, though.

 

[kl.midas]

I'm new to kava drinking and am wondering the same thing. So am I correct in thinking that a good recipe is 2 tablespoons of root powder and 1 cup of water? How many cups should 1 consume in a kava drinking session? Just the one?

Thanks

 

[Vekta]

I'm new to kava drinking and am wondering the same thing. So am I correct in thinking that a good recipe is 2 tablespoons of root powder and 1 cup of water? How many cups should 1 consume in a kava drinking session? Just the one?

Thanks

Eh...some might consider that to be on the heavy side. Nothing wrong with using 1:1 ratio. I do it every once in a while. The most I drink in a single session is 2 cups, most of the time it's just 1 cup. I've read some on here drink more than that. Personal preference.

 

[Steve973]

I usually drink two cups in one session, and I adjust the amount of kava based on the variety or based on what I'm in the mood for that evening. Lately, I have found that using less in the bag at once allows me to work it more thoroughly. For example, I get more out of 1/4C of kava if i work 1/8C until it is exhausted, and then do that again in the same 2C of water. I did that tonight with 1/8C of Wow and 1/8C of KBR Isa.

 

[kl.midas]

Thanks. So 1-2 tablespoons per cup of water is a good guide. I forgot to ask if you guys count a tablespoon as a heaped tablespoon or a level one?

 

[Steve973]

I use a level 1/8 cup of kava, packed just a little bit. This is just a guide, so you should experiment to see what you prefer. If you are just starting, you might need more. As you go onward, you'll need less (reverse tolerance) and you will get better at preparing it.

 

[kl.Diego55]

I am interested to know, how long is it possible to store kava drink(but prepared from a milk) in a fridge ? Or how long will it take for kava beverage to go bad(spoil) in the refrigerator ?

 

[kl.Diego55]

I also wonder, I usually prepare kava beverage from 30 - 35g (probably 2 heaping
tablespoons) of Boroguru or Melo Melo kava root powder with 350ml (approximately 1 + 1/2
cups) of warm milk and with some lecithin (about one teaspoon) +
sometimes, I add a little bit of coconaut milk(it can help make a
mixture
more oily, what is good during squeezing section in my opinion). I mix all of
this in a bowl and leave it
to soak for at least one hour(sometimes even throughout the night/day). Later, I poured a mixture to blender and I blend
for 3-5 minutes. Next step, for the first time, I strain a mixture by
using a strainer bag(I also massage the strainer bag containing a kava
mixture and I also wring and knead it)  for about 5 minutes and then,
finally I squeeze a liquid from a mixture(as much as possible). For the
second time, I repeat the previous step, I remix a kava pulp with the
strained liquid... but in this time I blend just for 30 seconds and then
I use another strainer bag and again I squeeze and knead, wring... until
the mixture is as dry as I can get from it and no longer feels as
oily(it takes me approx. 5-10 min.). Finally, I put the drink into the fridge.



According to you, is this method of kava preparation correct ?

Any advice and tips very welcome! (smiley: happy)

 

[Vekta]

That's an outrageously long prep to me but if it works for you then it's not wrong.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I'm doing 2:1 water to kava. I find the fiber doesn't agree with my digestive tract the next day and leads to cramping, so I'm doing the first squeeze with nylon to get the coarse stuff out then 2nd squeeze with a cotton sock to remove the finer stuff, the sock seems to work OK once the coarser stuff is filtered out, otherwise the coarse stuff will clog up the sock--these are new cotton blend socks, the cheapest I could buy and bought specifically for making kava. I get home from work kind of late, so I prepare the next night's batch the night before so I can drink on an empty stomach as soon as I get home. This is only over the course of about a week so far. I'm using a 32-oz wide mouth jar and shaking to do the mixing and it works quite well and makes less mess than the first couple batches that I made in a bowl.