Puariki: TKS vs. AoK?
- Thread starter Lenticels
- Start date
TKS and Nakamal @ Home buy from the same supplier. Check Nakamal @ Home's "Epik" line of tests and they'll be essentially the same.
I know this already as I recall you asserting so elsewhere.
The vendor I'm talking about now is AoK, i.e., their puariki vs. the puariki you'd get from TKS.
But it would appear, based on nabanga's reply, that they are indeed pretty much the same, as well.
Fair enough; thank you.
Interesting; how do you like puariki compared to other cultivars? What are your favorites?
ThePiper
Kava Lover
Aok was the first puariki I think I have had if I am not forgetting. I will do a more detailed review of the puariki I got from kava society soon but now I've tried theirs a couple of times. The taste is completely different than art of kavas, with a more peppery and less earthy flavor. The effects have some commonalities, but there are clear differences. Also, the grind on the puariki from art of kava is coarser, which isn't a bad thing, but may be a factor in strength. I like them both a lot, but Kava society gets the gold medal for quality.
For me Art of Kavas is heavier in effects. I’d guess processing may have something to do with it. They are both strong balanced kavas that have been some of my favorite bags this year. I’ve drank around 600g of kava society’s and 400g of Aok so I guess I reach for KS more often.
Hey guys! The puariki comes from the same place (Tongoa), we just have different processors. The community along with our agent selects the plants for harvest. I'm guessing their supplier does the same thing. It depends largely if its grown in rocky soil if its more earthy along with some other factors on how its washed (pressure wash, dip, etc). That largely depends on the facilities available and intent of what kind of product you want to put out there. if it was all homogenized and tasted the same, ground the same, some of the fun is lost imho. TKS puts out excellent kava and are extremely knowledgable about the product. id recommend trying them any day of the week. 
I think it's better to state that most of the better Vanuatuan kavas tend to come from Forney Enterprises.
Anyway, my point is that TKS nitrogen-flushes their bags, hence a potentially fresher batch-to-batch product versus N@H. Others have also previously pointed this out.
(Both AoK and N@H are based in Florida, so yes shipping would certainly be shaved-off a bit versus buying from NZ...)