Looking for a "Stone" replacement.

[Zaphod]

This whole episode has caused me to spend some time researching N@H kava selections, something I never cared about because they simply do not provide the public with laboratory proof of noble kava, which I think we deserve if we are going to buy the product and ingest it into our bodies everyday. It looks like Black Sand is their #1 seller and something I would love to try because its a lawena/waka blend of (from what I understand to be) Borogu, and most borogu "I think" is just lateral root. KWK Borogu was the first kava I tried and is always something I look forward to drinking when in the mood for that Borogu enchantment. More than anything, I am now simply confused at what people deem to be noble by taste and effects, and what is being reported via lab testing. I am a scientist so I must go by the data, but then there is that human nature side of me that wants to trust people who say "It's noble, I know this guy, or I know the grower, or he seemed like a nice guy . . ." We've all gotten a bad piece of candy from someone with a kind smile, or at least I have before, well it wasn't exactly candy. When I was a kid I couldn't eat my Halloween candy until everything was inspected by a parent, including apples for possible razor blades in them. Mostly every kava I drink has the TrueKava stamp on it or has been tested with noble proof (HPLC: FK/KL ratio; full chemotype; DHM/K) in another reputable lab. I really like what @Kava Time has done with their website in posting the analytical data for each and every kava they offer, and I would hope to see those numbers change over time as more batches from other locations come in with altering numbers or new products are added. And for the smaller vendors, it would be great to have a simple colorimetric test performed with some numbers shown on the website, or even a picture of a new acetone test for a new batch. I will say that as my kava journey broadens I'm finding myself wanting to try more and more unique kava varieties that we are seeing appear, albeit without noble data to back their true cultivar chemotype. My decisions at that point are being based on awards and reputable hearsay and reviews, but then again, Isa wins awards. Recent publications on the health safety of Flavokawain B and high DHM concentration kavas are simply showing the evolution of our understanding of these plants, which I see as a wonderful thing, along with new methods for rapid colorimetric detection of noble vs. tudei variants. Kava has a science that is gaining recognition and thus evolving. If there is a health community need to understand something, then there is usually grant money to be had. I often see people in the grocery store reading the nutritional facts prior to making a selection, and for me most of the time a decision between two products is based solely on the nutritional facts label and not the nice marketing logo on the front. Sorry I got to rambling, but I am basically wondering if there is something out there comparable to Black Sand in its effects that I could try until I have more substantial proof ?

You have summed up my thoughts exactly. I like the way the industry is going and how vendors are moving towards more testing and better labeling of products. The ultimate, in my opinion, would be more standardization across the industry but I think we will get there. For right now I am going to keep up with my mantra "If your not testing, I am not drinking". Quality control and testing is critical to keeping this industry safe and available. Vendors who supply lots of information on the cultivar (or blend), KL%, chemotype, DHM/K ratios, HPLC testing etc. and are free flowing with the information are the only ones I will buy from.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I think we underestimate how complex, and yet tiny, the Kava industry is. These tests cost thousands of dollars, and may only capture a random sample of a giant batch of Kava. When you buy a bag of Kava, you might be getting Kava from several different farmers, with differences across their cultivar preferences. The only way you'll ever get a perfect understanding of what you are getting is to go to the source. You can demand all the testing you want, but in an agricutural export market this small and with such high costs, you'll probably never have another shell of Vanuatu Kava if you demand across-the-board testing.

And only Kava farmers in Hawaii will benefit from that - even the ones who grow and legally sell Isa.

 

[Zaphod]

I think we underestimate how complex, and yet tiny, the Kava industry is. These tests cost thousands of dollars, and may only capture a random sample of a giant batch of Kava. When you buy a bag of Kava, you might be getting Kava from several different farmers, with differences across their cultivar preferences. The only way you'll ever get a perfect understanding of what you are getting is to go to the source. You can demand all the testing you want, but in an agricutural export market this small and with such high costs, you'll probably never have another shell of Vanuatu Kava if you demand across-the-board testing.

And only Kava farmers in Hawaii will benefit from that - even the ones who grow and legally sell Isa.

I am not demanding anything. I am not really in the position to demand anything - except for my personal buying power. I am saying that I like the way the industry is headed and as long as I am buying I am going to use vendors who show a commitment to testing their kava and giving as much information as possible. If it is a mix of cultivars, then let me know that it is a mix. I think most consumers assume if I am buying "XYZ" kava today, that it will be the same "XYZ" kava a year from now, but that is simply not the case. If that means I give up drinking Vanuatu kava so be it. However, I highly doubt that is the case. Why can BKH test there Vanuatu Kava and provide it at a decent cost and others can't?
I am not sure what your reference to Hawaiian farms is getting at. I would think that the cost of farming in Hawaii is quite bit more expensive than Vanuatu. Those pesky labor laws and other regulations and little access to migrant labor have got to make it more expensive.