Macas, Micronized, Aluball, and Traditional Prep

[GussWest]

I've been pondering issues related to the differential [KL] content of starchy root portion versus macas.

It seems to me that @GHK micronized kava root powder, where the macas are removed from fresh roots before grinding serves the same purpose as the filtration offered by an aluball or traditional preparation. The instant kavas are a further extension of this refinement.

I have been running kava powders thru the aluball, and collecting the post-shaking material left behind. Once dried, it is 90% fibrous material of different sizes. I plan to collect a bunch of this, run it thru a wetted freeze-thaw cycle and then use it in a traditional preparation to see if it has any detectable KL potency at all. The macas has been said to have ~5% KL content, so I am curious if this will be detectable.

I am also curious to do some careful mass measurements to see what proportion of the root powder is being filtered by the Aluball. Seems to me that the material left behind is much less dense, spongy, woody material. This is consistent with it being from root vascular tissues.

Another related question is whether the starchy portion and the macas have a differential distribution of KL subtypes, ie. is the chemotype of the starchy portion and macas the same or different for a given kava cultivar?

I am beginning to think that macas-removed, micronized kava powder basically makes traditional prep obsolete. It is certainly much more convenient for mobile kava consumption. I seem to drink most of my kava away from home!

@GHK seems to have pioneered this macas-removed micronized approach to western-facing kava drinkers. I saw mention in one of his articles that long-ago the macas were removed by pacific islanders during preparation of fresh root. I assume the inclusion of macas in export powders today are purely a way to bulk up the mass of their products.

Are there other kava powder products that are macas-free? Clearly the gold standard for this process is macas romoval from the fresh root. Once dried, sifting the powder is the only way to do this and it is less effective.

Kavafied Tonga Eua micronized comes to mind. Even NAH has special mention of removal of fibrous portions of the kava powder for their WOW product. Are there others specializing in macas-free micronized kava powder products?

Sorry for the wall of text. Appreciate any informed thoughts on this. Would love to hear Chris' take on this!

TL;DR. Once my kava root stash is gone, I plan to buy mostly micronized of my favorites. I'll only buy nonmicronized of must-have strains as necessary (WOW, for example).

 

[ThePiper]

I figure there has to be a difference. It seems I get heavier body effects and less headines from micronized. I also get more stomach side effects.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

@Kalm with Kava 's micronised kavas are also (mostly?) makas-free.

"I am beginning to think that macas-removed, micronized kava powder basically makes traditional prep obsolete."

Almost, but not quite, IMHO. There are a few (minor) disadvantages of always using micro rather than traditional grind:

1. Cost. It just costs slightly more per session.

2. Good micros (i.e. such as those sold by @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava and @Kalm with Kava and whoever else strives to remove makas) are indeed convenient and effective. However, even the best micros are a bit harder to digest than properly strained traditional kava. I run a big kava circle and have served kava to heaps of people. I've often been tempted to use micro instead of traditional grind as it's very hard to prepare traditional kava for 10,20 or more people (I am sure the kava bar owners know what I mean!, but putting aside the higher cost, I've noticed that some people's stomachs just don't agree with micros as much as they do with properly strained kavas. Especially during long sessions when we drink large amounts of kava.

3. Long-term storage. Might be a myth, but some people claim that the finer you grind the root the faster it will lose potency, especially when it's not stored properly (i.e. in a vacuum-sealed container or sealed and frozen).

But in general yes, as long as you don't mind the extra grittiness micronised kavas are absolutely fantastic and super convenient.

 

[nabanga]

There is a fair amount of confusion around over what makas actually is or means. It is often referred to on the forum as a distinct part of the original unadulterated plant which can be removed prior to mixing, which isn't quite right. It is a Bislama word, and specifically refers to the wad of fibrous material that remains once kava has been ground/pounded/chewed/massaged, mixed with water, squeezed out, and the drinkable liquid removed one time. It does not refer to a particular part of the fresh root. The makas comes from all parts of the root of the kava plant, not just the more fibrous inner layers. It is the damp solid mass that has had most of the "goodness" taken out of it during kava prep. Makas cannot be removed before preparing kava , as by definition, it is what you have left after preparing kava.
In kava countries makas is usually thrown out, or in rare times of shortage, worked again.

"I saw mention in one of his articles that long-ago the macas were removed by pacific islanders during preparation of fresh root. I assume the inclusion of macas in export powders today are purely a way to bulk up the mass of their products.
Makas is certainly left over after trad prep in the islands, but no attempt is made to remove the more fibrous material from the kava prior to mixing with water. Export powders are just the ground up dry whole root - fibrous material isn't included to build up the mass, it is an integral part of the kava root being sold, and also contains extractable kavalactones. The kavalactones are intrinsically bound up with both the fibrous and non-fibrous material that becomes the makas after working the kava in water.

When looking at chopped cleaned fresh green kava, there is a harder more fibrous interior section that will certainly make up a good proportion of the makas once the kava is worked, but the more "crispy" starchy portion will also produce makas once worked.

So makas, or all of the material that will become makas, cannot be removed from whole, dried or fresh kava to make micronised - you can remove the larger , tougher , fibrous pieces before further grinding regular kava powder into micronised, but this is not the same as removing all makas. Those larger, fibrous, tougher pieces still contain some kavalactones (although less than the starchy part), so do not become makas until they also have been prepared in water and squeezed out. Similarly, the starchy root portion you mention will also produce makas once worked.
When you drink unfiltered micronised, you are effectively still drinking some finely powdered makas along with your kava, even though the larger fibrous root sections have been removed before drying. Micronising does not remove all makas, just the larger harder pieces of (useable) kava that would have gone on to make up a good part of the makas after prep.
So you can say micronised contains less material of what would become makas after working - so much less that swallowing the remaining finely ground fibrous and starchy material is less of a problem to your stomach than say, unsieved normal trad prep, but more of a problem to your stomach than sieved trad prep . More farts definitely.

With the aluball, fines are let through the ball perforations, so you are also drinking the smaller particles of what would have become makas if you had seived your kava through a stocking/nut milk bag/coconut fibre. This is why the material left behind in an aluball is different to the material left behind during well- seived trad prep. Aluball doesn't remove all makas like a stocking does, as the perforations are larger.

I just re-read that and its a bit repetitive, but I hope that it makes some sense.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Yes, it does make sense and I think most people who have been participating in these debates for quite some time are aware of this linguistic confusion, but it's very good your give this great summary and overview.

I think it was Chris who started using the term "makas" to describe those hard, long fibres that he removes prior to micronising his kava (http://www.kavalibrary.com/makas.html), but I think he also sometimes uses it when he talks about what's left after traditional straining. You are absolutely right that the leftovers do not just contain these hard fibres, but one can argue that avoiding these hard fibres is one of the main reasons for straining. In this sense it kind of makes sense to call these fibres makas, though in Vanuatu the term does indeed have a different meaning. If I am not mistaken, Garry tested some of those fibres and they are much weaker than the starchy part of the root. So when I think about it, removing these fibres would make it stronger per gram, wouldn't it? And yea, they are less likely to be farts-inducing

I am not sure I agree with your comments regarding the Aluball. The mesh is extremely fine (70 micron?), most strainers let way more stuff through than the Aluball. So if you put trad grind powder into the Aluball you are likely to get a smoother drink than if you strain it through traditional strainer..

 

[nabanga]

The mesh is extremely fine (70 micron?), most strainers let way more stuff through than the Aluball. So if you put trad grind powder into the Aluball you are likely to get a smoother drink than if you strain it through traditional strainer..

That's pretty good, I didn't realise it was that fine. So definitely finer than most straining cloths/sacks used in the islands or any kind of metal strainer for sure.
Good nylon stockings are about the same as an aluball though (25-100 microns depending on how stretched they are apparently - don't ask how I know this), and if you do 3 passes with a good rinse in between, I think the result will beat an aluball.

 

[Jerome]

But nylons rip with the slightest pressure. A good kava staining bag,as I've found, can withstand a hell of a lot of pressure and twisting. Nylons are as delicate as wet tissue paper.

 

[nabanga]

But nylons rip with the slightest pressure. A good kava staining bag,as I've found, can withstand a hell of a lot of pressure and twisting. Nylons are as delicate as wet tissue paper.

I know what you mean - many fine sheer stockings are useless, or at best only last a couple of nights - but there plenty of stronger women's fine dernier ankle stockings around that can last for 3-4 months of daily use before splitting. I've been using these stronger ankle stockings for over 20 years without issues. My current ones look like the usual light brown nylon ankle stockings but are about 3 layers thick and slightly elasticated, like they were designed to hold in varicose veins in an old folks home or something. They do a perfect job of removing nearly all sediment but still let the kava emulsion through.

The difficulty lies in trying to wander nonchalantly through the women's hosiery section of your local department store, whilst at the same time minutely examining the qualities of the stockings for dernier rating, strength and cost out of the side of your eye.
"Can I help your sir?"
"Erm, no its alright thanks.."

 

[Jerome]

I know what you mean - many fine sheer stockings are useless, or at best only last a couple of nights - but there plenty of stronger women's fine dernier ankle stockings around that can last for 3-4 months of daily use before splitting. I've been using these stronger ankle stockings for over 20 years without issues. My current ones look like the usual light brown nylon ankle stockings but are about 3 layers thick and slightly elasticated, like they were designed to hold in varicose veins in an old folks home or something. They do a perfect job of removing nearly all sediment but still let the kava emulsion through.

The difficulty lies in trying to wander nonchalantly through the women's hosiery section of your local department store, whilst at the same time minutely examining the qualities of the stockings for dernier rating, strength and cost out of the side of your eye.
"Can I help your sir?"
"Erm, no its alright thanks.."

Hahaha! Nice visual.

 

[VictoryRider]

like they were designed to hold in varicose veins in an old folks home or something. "

What, are the vericose veins in danger of escaping the facility or something??

 

[GussWest]

Some very good insight regarding the usages and meanings of the word "macas".

A simple test for vascular tissue in the roots is to put fresh cut root into a cup containing a cm of food-dyed water for a day or two and then cut it in cm lengths. Capillary action should highlight the vascular portion well past where the starchy portion takes up dye.

I liked a post yesterday by @CactusKava where he speaks of the macas having unique contribution to the grog. This seems to speak to the issue of differential KL distribution in different root tissues.

Interesting stuff.