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Kicked it up a notch by accident

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
I usually make my kava by heating almost 2 cups of water for 1 minute 20 seconds and then letting the powder and water sit for 30 minutes so it absorbs as much water as possible. By the end of the 30 minute sit, and the 20 minute knead it's at room temp. Last night I placed a ceramic dish on top of the mixing bowl when it was sitting and by the time it had sat for 30 minutes the kava was still pretty hot...a good bit hotter than it would be just open to the air. I kneaded the mixture for 20 minutes like usual and put it in the fridge. Apparently kneading warm kava must extract far more kavalactones than kneading room temp kava because by the time I brushed my teeth I could barely focus with the one eye I had open. So....I'll be doing that from now on.
 

Ed!

Kava Enthusiast
Oh yeah. You can definitely get more out with heated water. I knead my kava with cool water the first time around, then store it in the fridge. The second go-round with that kava I use nearly boiling water and it seems to be just as potent as the first wash because of the hot water extraction. I notice a lot more yellow sticky resin when I use hot water, and an oily sheen at the top of the kava.

The trade-off is that it tastes worse. My second extractions are the grossest. I'm still trying to figure out if there is a decent way to get a third extraction out of the same kava powder, but I think it's mostly tapped at that point.
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
I agree...I microwave the water til its fairly hot and it seems to make the brew a bit stronger. It also feels easier to knead. The 'awa bar I went to in Hawai'i about 10 yrs ago also prepared theirs in hot water with rubber gloves on, that's what got me doin' it.
 

infraredz

BULA!
I agree too, although the bad taste doesn't really motivate me to use hot water on my first batch. The second wash though, I always use hot water and always get some grog with nice oils. The 2nd wash isn't bitter or bad tasting, but I keep the 2nd wash pretty short.
 

Vekta

Notorious Lightweight
Review Maestro
I have to admit it...heated water does help. I gave a student a bowl of kava I prepared beforehand with heated water as part of my presentation for environmental science. That one shell turned him into a smiling giggly weirdo. The prof and students actually stopped my presentation for a minute to ask him if he was OK... before muffling a group laugh at'm.:D Yup, it works good.
 

TidyMinion

Kava Padawan
For sure, i've recently gone to heating the water/milk before soaking the kava. Been a little hesitant to let it get too hot though and I've read some things about water too hot may be killing the kavalactones and/or the potency. Assuming you probably don't want to boil the kava but about how hot can it get? Like, near boiling or you can hold a finger in the water for a while without burning?

Kapm, using a cover on the kava is a good idea. That's a good practice for herbal/medicinal teas and is usually recommended on the box instructions to infuse the tea with more of the active ingredients. So, i figure, kava's close enough to that realm it wouldn't do any harm.
 
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