Kava fact of the day: Mixer Cup Prep
Today’s fact of the day is brought to you by us, the members at kavaforums.com. We’ve made our way through various topics related to the finer scientific points of kava. In contrast, today we’re going to focus on something more down to earth and relatable to the average kava drinker.
There are many techniques of making kava available to us today. From traditional strain and knead, to blenders, to the Aluball system, it seems the trajectory of today’s kava preparation is inching closer and closer to convenience. It’s up to us, however, to be sure that we’re also still getting the best bang for our buck. In this thought, we’ve been testing various devices in relation to traditional grind. We asked ourselves “does this at least equal the potency of traditionally prepared kava?”.
This mixer cup has been tested for over 2 years daily (updated), and we’ve concluded that this method, while different from traditional prep, has the same if not greater effectiveness for extraction.
This mixer cup can be used by the individual kava consumer for quick batches at home that equal the strength of traditionally prepped kava. This system can also be used by kava bars looking to create shells of varying strength or strain per customer request. The only bit of difference between this setup and the setups you see for convenience is that in with this scenario you still need a strainer cloth and prep bowl for the final process, but we’ll get into that.
Basically, we’ve found this is as effective as hand kneading, even at higher dosages (40g dry kava).
If you find yourself asking “Why use this when standard kneading works?”. This method seems to make kava at traditional strength without the kneading stage.
The theory:
In standard prep you’re agitating the powder in the strainer bag and pressing the powder over and over again. We theorize that kavalactones are found in the powders that cling to the root particles. In traditional prep you’re looking to wash the kavalactones free of those root particles into water in a suspension. We believe the kavalactones are bound into the powders that cling to the larger root particles. This is why the process of making micronized products by sifting medium grind root powders works as well as it does.
We went looking for a product that could free the powders from the larger particles with some type of agitation cycle. Blenders would be the ideal product; however, the blades are meant to chop and blend. When chopping and blending we’ve seen the reports of the standard kava side effects arriving much faster. We believe this is due to the blenders effectively “micronizing” the medium grind kava, allowing you to take in far more root material than you would have otherwise.
This mixer agitates the kava in such a way that forcefully washes the powders free from the root particles, effectively eliminating the need for kneading. If that sounds too good to be true, I thought the same thing. After 5 months of daily usage, I have to say it’s true.
The mixer:
Nothing fancy here. This is a standard protein mix mixer with a built-in lithium-ion battery and 600ml capacity. The difference between this one and others is the strength of the mixing action, and the blades are plastic which prevents any chopping action. The motor on this unit is stronger than others we’ve found. It runs at a reported 11k rpm. Not sure we fully believe that number, but it is stronger than most of the other mixers. See picture attached of the blade setup.
The blades are meant for mixing instead of blending, which is what we were looking for in this instance. The design of the blades makes for an efficient vortex of mixing action, and these plastic fins won’t break down the particle size any further. See video included to view the vortex action.
What you will need:
1.) The mixer
2.) Kava powder of course
3.) Water
4.) Strainer cloth / nylon strainer
5.) Some sort of prep bowl.
The Process:
*Note: Do not use ice
1.) Add Water @ 120°F to mixer: 400ml (Again varies based on the individual)
2.) Add Dry Kava Powder to mixer: 40 grams (of course this varies based on what you’re looking for)
3.) Mix Duration: 2 minutes 30 seconds. (This seems optimal timing for best extraction)
4.) Remove top lid.
5.) Place strainer bag over the top of the cup
6.) Turn cup upside down inside strainer bag into prep bowl
7.) Remove the mixer cup to allow the kava to drain into your strainer.
8.) Rock the strainer back and forth to allow most of the water to strain through. (Canoe Method)
9.) Give it one final squeeze to get the remaining water out of the strainer.
10.) Drink immediately or refrigerate
11.) Profit
Where to get this mixer?
Amazon: Amazon product
Alibaba: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Massive-Gainer-Milk-Shake-USB-Rechargeable_60486195872.html
Note: We are not affiliated with the manufacturer of this product, and receive no rebates or kickback for its promotion.
Today’s fact of the day is brought to you by us, the members at kavaforums.com. We’ve made our way through various topics related to the finer scientific points of kava. In contrast, today we’re going to focus on something more down to earth and relatable to the average kava drinker.
There are many techniques of making kava available to us today. From traditional strain and knead, to blenders, to the Aluball system, it seems the trajectory of today’s kava preparation is inching closer and closer to convenience. It’s up to us, however, to be sure that we’re also still getting the best bang for our buck. In this thought, we’ve been testing various devices in relation to traditional grind. We asked ourselves “does this at least equal the potency of traditionally prepared kava?”.
This mixer cup has been tested for over 2 years daily (updated), and we’ve concluded that this method, while different from traditional prep, has the same if not greater effectiveness for extraction.
This mixer cup can be used by the individual kava consumer for quick batches at home that equal the strength of traditionally prepped kava. This system can also be used by kava bars looking to create shells of varying strength or strain per customer request. The only bit of difference between this setup and the setups you see for convenience is that in with this scenario you still need a strainer cloth and prep bowl for the final process, but we’ll get into that.
Basically, we’ve found this is as effective as hand kneading, even at higher dosages (40g dry kava).
If you find yourself asking “Why use this when standard kneading works?”. This method seems to make kava at traditional strength without the kneading stage.
The theory:
In standard prep you’re agitating the powder in the strainer bag and pressing the powder over and over again. We theorize that kavalactones are found in the powders that cling to the root particles. In traditional prep you’re looking to wash the kavalactones free of those root particles into water in a suspension. We believe the kavalactones are bound into the powders that cling to the larger root particles. This is why the process of making micronized products by sifting medium grind root powders works as well as it does.
We went looking for a product that could free the powders from the larger particles with some type of agitation cycle. Blenders would be the ideal product; however, the blades are meant to chop and blend. When chopping and blending we’ve seen the reports of the standard kava side effects arriving much faster. We believe this is due to the blenders effectively “micronizing” the medium grind kava, allowing you to take in far more root material than you would have otherwise.
This mixer agitates the kava in such a way that forcefully washes the powders free from the root particles, effectively eliminating the need for kneading. If that sounds too good to be true, I thought the same thing. After 5 months of daily usage, I have to say it’s true.
The mixer:
Nothing fancy here. This is a standard protein mix mixer with a built-in lithium-ion battery and 600ml capacity. The difference between this one and others is the strength of the mixing action, and the blades are plastic which prevents any chopping action. The motor on this unit is stronger than others we’ve found. It runs at a reported 11k rpm. Not sure we fully believe that number, but it is stronger than most of the other mixers. See picture attached of the blade setup.
The blades are meant for mixing instead of blending, which is what we were looking for in this instance. The design of the blades makes for an efficient vortex of mixing action, and these plastic fins won’t break down the particle size any further. See video included to view the vortex action.
What you will need:
1.) The mixer
2.) Kava powder of course
3.) Water
4.) Strainer cloth / nylon strainer
5.) Some sort of prep bowl.
The Process:
*Note: Do not use ice
1.) Add Water @ 120°F to mixer: 400ml (Again varies based on the individual)
2.) Add Dry Kava Powder to mixer: 40 grams (of course this varies based on what you’re looking for)
3.) Mix Duration: 2 minutes 30 seconds. (This seems optimal timing for best extraction)
4.) Remove top lid.
5.) Place strainer bag over the top of the cup
6.) Turn cup upside down inside strainer bag into prep bowl
7.) Remove the mixer cup to allow the kava to drain into your strainer.
8.) Rock the strainer back and forth to allow most of the water to strain through. (Canoe Method)
9.) Give it one final squeeze to get the remaining water out of the strainer.
10.) Drink immediately or refrigerate
11.) Profit
Where to get this mixer?
Amazon: Amazon product
Alibaba: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Massive-Gainer-Milk-Shake-USB-Rechargeable_60486195872.html
Note: We are not affiliated with the manufacturer of this product, and receive no rebates or kickback for its promotion.
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