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[Kaavaaa]

Hey folks I've been in and out of Kava since 2001 when I bought about a half cup of very coarse chopped (think 1-2cm wood chips) kava and attempted to brew a tea. That was a failure and I didn't try again until around 2015-2016 when I used some micronized KWK. That gave me some nausea but not too bad and I bought a few bags of their medium grind. I never felt much from Kava back then which I think was due to concurrent alcohol use. This year I've tried kava again after a long hiatus from any intoxicant and it definitely feels more tangible.


Current Inventory:
Nakamal Kelai
Nakamal Stone
Nakamal Wow
KWK Pouni Ono
BKH Nambawan
Wakacon Waka black bag

My prep style:
I use a 75 micron strainer bag
Vinyl gloves
300ml (10oz) warm to the touch but not hot water
30 grams of medium grind
Sometimes blend for 4 minutes with an immersion blender
Hand knead for a few minutes (I don't stress this part too much since I'm planning to do a second/third wash)
Set the liquid aside and do my second wash with 300ml slightly warmer water but not hot
Depending on if it feels like I got all the oily parts out I might do a third wash or else throw the maka in the freezer

Consumption:
3-4 hours fasted
Once my second wash is prepared I chug the first wash
Wait about 10 minutes for that to kick in and chug half the 2nd wash
Few minutes later fishin up the 2nd wash
Have tried eating something fatty but it never works for me. its like hittin mute on the experience and I just get the background effects from then on

Cleanup:
Wipe splatters with a dish towel (still leave them everywhere somehow)
Rinse out the bag
Once a week I boil the bag for 10 minutes to kill off any germs and hopefully open up any clogged pores in the mesh


Overall this is pretty effective. I've been doing this nightly for a few months now and sometimes twice in a day. I've noticed some dryness on my hands but not too bad. Anyone get pruny looking fingertips? If I drink too much, I'll feel kind of a weird jittery feeling in the background. Otherwise I just feel pretty chill.

I noticed some skin peeling on my fingers the other day so I'm on my second night of no kava. No withdraw feelings or rebound effects so far. Pretty great stuff. One tactic I'm using to avoid the kava is I'm eating on snacks way more liberally. That way I can tell myself I don't have an empty belly so its not worth drinking any even if I wanted to. How long of a break should it take to reset any skin issues back to baseline?

Anyway, I've been a long time lurker and consumer of the information on this forum since 2016 at least so thanks for all the tips over the years - but like I said it never really clicked with me until I tried it in complete absence of all other psychoactive products.

Let me know if you have any feedback on my prep method. I'm also interested in how I should rotate these. If it would always hit consistently, I'd only ever drink pouni ono, but after a couple days in a row of that, i don't feel anything except jitters so I know I have to rotate. I used to have KWK borongoru but ran out. Any other recommendations I should add into the mix?

 

[Dylan Knable]

Hello! Glad you finally got it all worked out! I started drinking kava about three years ago and it took me forever to get my routine down pat! I tend to use 85 grams in 1500mL, and just hand strain. The key for me has always been the strainer, I tend to like them a little on the more porous side. Sure I get some more root particles and such in the mix but I find its much more consistent on the effects side.

I used to do all the blender stuff, and I still do for the fresh kava. However, I find that it just dirties up more dishes and makes more of a mess than it's worth. Every once in a while I'll break out the blender for some fresh frozen Fijian but that's more for special occasions. I've tried all the little methods and I just can't seem to beat a good ole hand kneaded kava.

Keep up the good work bud!

 

[Kaavaaa]

What mesh size do you use? I've been using the 75um mesh because I hoped to stave off the dry skin, but I think I read in another thread that you don't get the full spectrum of kavalactones - and I do think that some of these cultivars aren't hitting like they ought to be.

I do the hand knead about 50% of the time and it works great. The immersion blender isn't any cleanup work at all. I just rinse the blender stick under the faucet.

 

[Groggy]

I think they don't hit as hard as they used to because plants are not growing as long as they should, but that's just my speculation, it hasn't got anything to do with preparation.

If I'm going to add anything to your prep, I would say use cold water that is how it's done traditionally and it will taste a lot better.

 

[Groggy]

What mesh size do you use? I've been using the 75um mesh because I hoped to stave off the dry skin, but I think I read in another thread that you don't get the full spectrum of kavalactones

Sure you could go up to 100 or 120 micron but your skin will pay the price. So it is a matter of what is more important to you. Trust me full dermo sucks!