Oh,
@dustforlife, there are so many good options...
For evening use and a balanced euporhia/relaxation I'd go for Gourmet Hawaiian Kava's Mahaeak or Boroguru. Boroguru is less expensive and provides me better bang-for-buck. I'm talking about medium grinds here. For more money, you can try the Instant and Micronized versions, which are easier to prepare but more costly.
Given that you've just started with kava, it's entirely likely that you're going to experience Reverse Tolerance, which will mean lots of chugging of dirty water before you get true kava benefits. Some people don't experience it, though... the ones with generally high level of dosage sensitivity to all things. Some people have to muddle through a month or more of consumption before their body becomes sensitized to kava's effects. For me, it was about two weeks.
If you find yourself in the RT zone (some sedative effects but not the euphoria or sense of deep and profound peace) going with a cost effective root is the way to go. For that, KavaBoy's Tongan medium grind root is great. You can order it through this website's Store for good pricing. It's plenty strong, and a pound of it is less than $40. Others have reported good results with buying the Gaia Herbs kava capsules and taking them like vitamins until they "kick in" (you'll know) and then switch to ground whole root for the full effects.
Once you've passed RT, the world is your kava oyster. If you want heavy euporhia, GHK's Mo'i is unparallelled. For balanced euphoria and relaxation there are many great varieties. Kalm With Kava's Borongoru and Pouni Ono are fantastic, with the latter being headier and more euphoric. For quick prep and on-the-go, Kava King's instant mixes are strong and great, made from a "waka" also (lateral roots, no stump root). It's out of stock right now, but Bula Kava House's Nambawan is one of my favorites, but it's less for relaxing in the evening and more for getting up and dancing (at least in my experience) outside the house or at a party.
As a substitute for alchol, kava has been fantastic for me. I haven't had any alcohol in half a year, and not because I don't like it or needed to quit, simply because kava is so much better! Once I discovered kava, the thought of the side effects of alcohol (hangovers, CNS depression, bad judgment, morning regrets, and yes, calories) has me always coming back to kava. Kava can be somewhat of an appetite suppressant as well, so if caloric intake is a concern it works well that way too.
Good luck!
You're in for some great stuff if you stick with it!