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Robin's A1 Fiji Kava

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Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
I found a local shop (Indian food store) that carries one type of a kava, something called "Robin's" and it says "A1 Fiji Kava". It's imported by National Market Food Distribution based out of Union City CA (It's in the east bay, south of Oakland airport. I live in the north bay here in Northern California). I know *nothing* about it.

It was $13 for a half pound. It's a light tan color and it's finely ground.

I just downed my first shell, and will report my findings. I don't have any acetone on hand or I'd try the colorimetric test on it overnight. Anyone know if 91% rubbing alcohol in the 3:1 ratio gives reliable results for color comparison?
 

Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
At 40 minutes I felt it. I'm an hour and three shells in at this point. Going to stop and see how it goes.

It's definitely the real deal.

Observations:
  • Feeling a little gurgliness in the tum.
  • Sociability is on the rise.
  • Taste is pretty bad compared to the M'oi. Probably sat in bags in boxes in warehouses for a long time. Packaging was pretty rudimentary (no zip loc seal even) so some of the acrid taste could be from staleness or acquiring flavors from the packing material/storage.
  • Feels like my head is being pinched between a giant thumb and forefinger.
So far so good. Not bad for a $13 half pound.
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
Rubbing alcohol won't work for the test because it contains water. Shakas tried this and it makes noble the same color as tudei. You can pick up some acetone at a hardware store, or send a sample to Deleted User.
 

dustforlife

Kava Curious
Hi! I am new to Kava. Today will be my first day trying it. This is the same bag I bought today except written across the bag in black ink is "Waka". I would love snd appreciate some advice!
 

Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
Hi! I am new to Kava. Today will be my first day trying it. This is the same bag I bought today except written across the bag in black ink is "Waka". I would love snd appreciate some advice!
It's the real thing, just kind of weak. Mine had a "dusty" flavor, but overall it wasn't particularly bad tasting. For good results, you would probably want to mix at least 4 heaping Tbsp to 2 cups of water, rather than the usual 2-3 heaping Tbsp I use for the top shelf stuff.
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
I've had a few cheap kavas from different Indo-Fijians up north...I'm not sure if a lot of them are reselling the same source kava, but one thing they all have in common is that they're pretty weak, but not terrible. The Fijian stuff tends to be more commonly mixed with aerial parts or tudei kava.
 

dustforlife

Kava Curious
Thank you both! Would you please suggest which kava would be a good place to start? I am trying to cut down on my evening alcohol intake. I love the buzz but not the Calories. Thank you!
 

Steve Mariotti

Kavapithecus Krunkarensis
Review Maestro
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!
 

dustforlife

Kava Curious
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!
Wow! Steve this is awesome! I will be referencing this thread for a bit. I really appreciate your time with your detailed reply. :happy:
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
Thank you both! Would you please suggest which kava would be a good place to start? I am trying to cut down on my evening alcohol intake. I love the buzz but not the Calories. Thank you!
Please note that it's not a good idea to combine kava with alcohol. That can stress your liver. Basically, on a given day, drink kava or alcohol, but not both...
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
I just made my first cup and took one sip...aaaack! It's bitter a my tongue started to go numb. It's awful!! Is it supposed to be bitter? @Steve Mariotti
Yes, it is normal for the taste to be completely disgusting. That's part of the "experience". The fact that your tongue got numb is actuallly a good thing. That means there are significant amounts of kavalactones. I like to add some Crystal Light mix to neutralize to taste, but Steve prefers to taste the unadulderated taste, wild man that he is.
 
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