Some Q's about preparation

[kl.Stelth]

It seems like there are as many methods of preparation as there are drinkers of the mighty root.  I'm fairly new to kava, but I've tried several varieties, including a Fijian that I get from a local shop, a Hawaiian from a local shop, Chief's Jungle, and I just got some Tongan Pride and Fiji Waka from Rex.  I've been preparing it as follows: approx. 4 heaping tablespoons to 2 c. water, with about a tblsp. of lecithin.  Blend for a minute or two and let sit for at least 30 min.  This has made a fairly potent brew so far, and after I've squeezed this one out, I usually add water to the squeezed root and blend again, to make sure I got everything.

I tried putting some in a muslin bag the other day and kneading it in a bowl of water, which seemed to be working pretty well, but my hands cramp up easily, so then I put it in the blender with the "squeezings".  That was a really awesome brew.

So my questions are, am I doing the right thing? What method has worked best for you? How many times do you extract the root?

BTW, I really like the Tongan Pride.

 

[Buddhacide]

I put 2-3 tablesboons in a blender with 2 percent milk, a pinch of vegetable oil, sugar or honey, and vanilla extract. Blend for about 3 minutes, down the hatch. Ive experimented with letting it set for a few hours and then blending again before consuming, but so far it hasnt made much of a difference. I dont bother straining it usually.

 

[kl.new2kava]

I used a blender method for the longest time but recently I have taken to old fashioned massage and squeeze method which I feel works far better than blending. I typically use 1/2 cup kava root to 16 oz can of coconut water and 1 cup war water that I disolve 1 tsp of soy lectin in, I leave the kava in the strainer bag and let it sit for around an hour and then start to work it.

I usually knead it for 2 minutes and then squeeze te hell out of for a minute, the trick is squeeze as hard as you can and get out the most good stuff without tearing the bag. I then repeat this process 10-15 times making it about 30-45 minutes of working the kava and there is always a very noticable amount of shiny oils floating on the surface. By that time I'm usually a little worn out and thirsty and have a big shell and it really hits home. I think you get out what you put in with kava and thats what makes this method work. You can make a gallon at a time and have enough for a few sessions.

 

[Buddhacide]

Im  curious about this. I want to know whether the squeezing process makes the kava stronger than just mixing the whole root and swallowing.

 

[kavalover]

If you "toss and wash" meaning you just mix and swallow, then you're getting ALL of the kavalactones, but it will take longer to feel the effects as you now have to digest the plant material which in turn has its own digestive negatives. It depends on how finely ground the root is, if it's like a fine powder then toss and wash is fine and you likely won't notice too much difference. If it's like root bark consistency, yeah don't toss and wash, you need to strain that stuff.



What's happening when you squeeze the kava is you're extracting particles of root fiber and resins that contain kavalactones, making it easier to digest and still get the kavalactones. Just tossing the kava in water and swallowing it almost always seems to take longer to kick in. Even if it's just Fu'u (which is a super fine almost powdery mix) - which suggests to me that kava likes to be beaten up. So my two cents would be to always squeeze and knead the stuff, or if you're going to toss an wash, at least put it through a blender and some slightly warm water to get it ready for consumption. This is just my own educated opinion as I've drank a lot of kava lol.

 

[kl.Stelth]

I can't do the "toss and wash" method. Tried it a few times, and it really activates the gag reflex. Worked pretty well otherwise, when I could keep it down.