Soy milk & blender

[hailedtreefrog]

There is a video on YouTube where a guy uses soy milk and kava to make a drink. Soy milk is delicious and kava doesnt taste bad either. Their taste together is quite yummy. My question is this... Does blending soy milk and kava, then straining through metal mesh, release the "good stuff"? Should I be straining through a nylon or cheesecloth instead? Does blending the concoction release too much good stuff?
A lopsided unicorn tried kava for the first time last night by blending a third cup waka kava (from Amazon) and two cups soy milk, then strained multiple times through metal mesh filters. The lopsided unicorn said that his mouth went numb almost immediately but that the effects weren't really felt. Some general relaxation along with a good nights sleep were all that he noticed. The concoction was taken in halves about thirty minutes apart. The lopsided unicorn understands the idea of a reverse tolerance and didnt want to over do it on his first go round.
Should the lopsided unicorn stick to warm water and kava, hand kneaded, or is his current prep ok? Should he stay the path or go more traditional?
The lopsided unicorn looks forward to more experimenting.
PS... this is a great forum and community. Thx!

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I'd venture to say the liquid of choice doesn't matter much..and it's been said that fats in the liquid may actually make a slightly stronger beverage. So soy milk may be a good choice. Your biggest problem is the wire strainer. You really need a flexible strainer that you can do some serious squeezing with. Even if you use a blender, doing a quick real squeeze helps a lot.
There's no need to avoid self-incrimination here, your lopsided unicorn can freely refer to itself as "I".
Although, I did enjoy imagining a lopsided unicorn diligently preparing kava with a blender.

 

[hailedtreefrog]

Thanks shakas. I did take the ball of filtered kava and give it a few good squeezes with my bare hands, which did yield a few more tablespoons of kava juice. I'll make sure to not be a sissy and really put some... uh... elbow grease into it this time.

 

[HeadHodge]

Welcome @hailedtreefrog. It's good to see you here.

 

[Roaddog]

yep

To the Kava Forums. I also have used soymilk with great results. I like the almond kind. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[Steve T]

I have to say that I've seen that video and used that method daily when I started brewing kava, with soy milk and waka kava as well. The metal strainer was very fast and easy, but if you drink kava daily it's not worth it. Cheese cloths are expensive and are difficult to reuse since gaps start opening in the cloth. The easiest way is buying a 10pack of nylons, which is 20 nylons, and it costs the same as a cheese cloth. It is much, much easier and faster. Over time I found that soy milk was just an added expense, and it would sometimes create a kava ooze with hot water which prevented the sediment from separating from the kava water, which means I was chugging ooze/sediment.

In summary though, I remember those days. Dumping a random Amazon kava mix through a strainer, chugging the nasty soy kava along with huge floating things, and trying not to get sick. Or trying to strain with a cheese cloth when the tiniest amount of pressure creates a pencil-sized hole and all the ooze/grind gets into the drink. Welcome to the forums though, there will be plenty of information regarding everything you mentioned. That guy in the video did crack me up, but there are better ways of doing it haha.

 

[HeadHodge]

Is this the video you guys are talking about?

 

[Roaddog]

Ya, I order the kava bags. That's probably not the most economical, but I know I'm using the right equipment. Hope you are enjoying the Soy Milk kava. I used to do it when I first started too. I would add some Key Lime juice to it too. It dose make kava a bit more palatable. I just found it to be a bit expensive. But price only matters, because I got 2 kava drinkers in my house. My wife drinks kava too. She really gets into make it fancy tasting. I used to, too. But after doing it a while, I just generally make a well strained hot water grog, with a scoop of coconut oil. I also use a lot of Amazon kava. But I take every opportunity I can to get the good stuff. I also think its important to support our venders. I really like GHK. Also BKH, and Kalm rock too. Amazon kava, works good for most days, but some days you just want the finer kavas. I compare Amazon Kava to cheap beer. I mean it works, but isn't the smoothest. Where a GHKs micro, can produce something so much smoother, and taster. Almost changing the experience, for the better. Its that way with a lot of our venders products. Much love. Roaddog....

 

[hailedtreefrog]

Ya. Thats the vid. His method is a bit more crude than mine. (I'm using an Osterizer and a KitchenAid mesh strainer. Oooo fancy. I know.)
I did have some cheese cloth that I used to knead the filtered sediment but I see what you mean about the cheese cloth being a one time use thing.
I saw coconut oil for the first time at the supermarket yesterday after hearing it mentioned on the forums. It looked kinda like Crisco but was on the health food isle. Interestingly enough it claimed to NOT taste like coconut.
I have a two pack of knee highs that I'll try tonight with warm water just to see what all the fuss is about.
I honestly dont mind the taste/texture at all. That stated, I've never been the pickiest of eaters. My wife tried it last night and almost gagged. I may have to up my game if I'm to please the missus. Will order some higher quality kava next time now that I know I'm going to enjoy it.
Got up last night after two cups and noticed my hands felt slightly numb, some visual/auditory alterations, and very relaxed. Slept very well.
Thanks again to Roaddog, hedgehog, steve, and chakkas for their input. Much appreciated!

 

[Roaddogs Wife]

Hey ya-all, I have also tried the Almond Silk, mixed with honey, and lime juice. It made a huge difference in the taste. I could finally drink Kava without gagging lol. Well since that was doing good I thought, why not fofo juices, or teas. And that was an even better taste. So glad I found a way to enjoy the taste of drinking this lovely Kava. Much Love, Roaddogs Wife....

 

[Roaddog]

Hey ya-all, I have also tried the Almond Silk, mixed with honey, and lime juice. It made a huge difference in the taste. I could finally drink Kava without gagging lol. Well since that was doing good I thought, why not fofo juices, or teas. And that was an even better taste. So glad I found a way to enjoy the taste of drinking this lovely Kava. Much Love, Roaddogs Wife....

Well Folks I'm honored to introduce my wife. She also shares our passion. here's a hug right back at ya, Babe Much love. Roaddog....

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Keep spreadin' the word and might end up with some cool user names like; Roaddog's Wife's Sister's Husband's Brother.

 

[hailedtreefrog]

In the interest of keeping this thread going I felt like reporting on tonight's tasting. I made my usual two cups soy milk to a slightly heaping 1/4 kava root powder, blended and let sat for a better part of the day in the fridge.
I decided to start a little earlier than usual since I had been outside in the heat all day and was sore from physical exercition. Also worth mentioning that I had a light breakfast and lunch.
After straining and kneading, I downed the first cup. Much like the previous two times I felt a numbing sensation and a general relaxation and mood uplift within 10 minutes. An hour went by, feeling good, and I decided to take the second cup. Almost immediately the effects intensified. I was now feeling a little drunk but still clear headed and more chatty than usual. Somewhat uncoordinated. I dont laugh much but noticed that my mood was much improved. Very relaxed. I was actually astounded at the strengh of the effects. This was the strongest effect to date and I was slightly afriad I had overdone it. Some nausea, but I drank some water and the nausea diminished significantly and quickly.
Another thing worth noting is the duration of effect. After a few hours I still felt really good. This is unusual for me as with other stuff I usually feel the need to redose but with Kava I felt that enough was enough and didnt feel the need to push it further.
I can see how one might give up other substances in favor of kava. What a god send. Here's to continued success.
HTF

PS... sorry for screwing up shakas name