Starting down the kava road

[rolypolyman]

Hi all, just found the forum this week. I've been an occasional drinker of Yogi Stress Relief tea (kava teabags) on & off for quite a few years. Although I've read on this forum that a lot of people consider it junk, I always double the bags and definitely get psychoactive effects. The two things I've noticed are: 1) a definite calming and anxiolytic effect, very comparable to about a 50 mg dose of pregabalin, and 2) a very strong ability to cut the desire for late-night alcohol. The second effect is something I found by accident several years ago when I noticed I was skipping the beers on nights where I had a good, strong Yogi tea.

Right now I have a lot more stress going on than usual. The Yogi tea isn't cutting it (almost, but not quite), so I figure it's time for me to make the leap to real kava beverages. I ordered a Boroguru from BKH and an instant from GHK. I have a bag of Koniak from BKH sitting right here that arrived this week, but I've decided to ask for a return it as it seems the jury is out on the tudei issue. I know people are drinking it safely, but I haven't found any convincing evidence it has low FKB levels and I'm not sure it is the best choice of kava for my situation.

I do have a question about kava preparation. A lot of the recipes use a blender. Doesn't this grind down the kava beverage so finely that all of it (including the solids) pass through the strainer? I wasn't sure about this and would rather avoid getting any of the solids in my drink. I am still agonizing over how to go about preparing this once it arrives.

 

[Prince Philip]

Diggin' the avatar. Slack on, dude.

 

[Sean D.]

Hi all, just found the forum this week. I've been an occasional drinker of Yogi Stress Relief tea (kava teabags) on & off for quite a few years. Although I've read on this forum that a lot of people consider it junk, I always double the bags and definitely get psychoactive effects. The two things I've noticed are: 1) a definite calming and anxiolytic effect, very comparable to about a 50 mg dose of pregabalin,

Me too! I used to quarto bag that stuff. It does work. Tastes great too.

The Yogi tea isn't cutting it (almost, but not quite), so I figure it's time for me to make the leap to real kava beverages. I ordered a Boroguru from BKH and an instant from GHK.

I'll attest to BHK, especially the instant is pretty potent for instant. I could feel the effects into the next day with that stuff if I take a couple cups late at night.

I do have a question about kava preparation. A lot of the recipes use a blender.

Paradise Kava sells really nice Fijian strainers. I love mine.

 

[Deleted User01]

Welcome to the forum! I talked to a member yesterday and he told me the GHK instant MOI was the headiest kava he has ever had. I'm sure it's because GHK is adding more lateral root to it per his prior postings. Welcome to the "Alcohol Don't Do the Job So Good" forum. The buzz you get from Kava will not be as pronounced as alcohol or other drugs. You will feel content and worry free and very relaxed. You will sleep very well which is a huge benefit when you have so many pressing matters on your mind. Try not to do alcohol and kava on the same day. Here are a few links from the Kava Library that will help you. I hear that Chris is planning a Christmas special soon so be sure to sign up for the Fresh Harvest Newsletter.
http://www.kavalibrary.com/Kava-Testing-and-Safety.html
http://www.kavalibrary.com/Kava-Recipes.html

 

[kavadude]

You made a solid first order. Don't drink alcohol on the same day as kava. If you get an effect from bagged kava tea, a tablespoon of the instant should do you well.

 

[verticity]

I have a bag of Koniak from BKH sitting right here that arrived this week, but I've decided to ask for a return it as it seems the jury is out on the tudei issue. I know people are drinking it safely, but I haven't found any convincing evidence it has low FKB levels and I'm not sure it is the best choice of kava on the heels of an alcohol habit.

I'm really curious about the FKB level in Koniak as well. Unfortunately @Judd Rench has chosen not to make any test results he has on that public. So unless proven otherwise (which a low FK/KL ratio would do), the safest assumption is that it is tudei. A lot of people like it though.

 

[Vekta]

Welcome to the tribe.

 

[rolypolyman]

Because I'm in a temporary living situation, I needed a fast, effective recipe. I settled on this:
- empty out a third of an Aquafina water bottle
- heat it to lukewarm in the microwave (about 100 deg F)
- pour a few heaping teaspoons of kava in through a paper funnel
- cap and shake by hand for about 10 minutes
- strain and squeeze (I use the Fijian strainer I got from BKH)
- drink

I don't know if this is the best method, but it seems to work and produces almost no mess. Sometime soon I will try the bowl & hand squeeze method and compare it.

 

[Rookietwoshoes]

Warm kava turns my stomach.
Don't forget to throw in some ice on the next go around.

 

[Deactivated Account]

Real kava is just a volume control. I've sat & thought...is this crap even working ...through to ...laying on the floor of the shower for an hour wishing the hell I had not had that third drink.

 

[Rookietwoshoes]

Real kava is just a volume control. I've sat & thought...is this crap even working ...through to ...laying on the floor of the shower for an hour wishing the hell I had not had
that third drink.

Wow - a third shell laying you out like that? What kind of kava was that?

 

[Ceraton]

Wow - a third shell laying you out like that? What kind of kava was that?

I wouldn't say what kind of kava. I'm curious how much kava he used. For me, 1 cup of kava would be done traditionally in 3 cups of water, and the second shell was when I started to see the couch as my best friend.

 

[Deactivated Account]

Wow - a third shell laying you out like that? What kind of kava was that?

On one of my trips to Vanuatu I was given a 300gr block of filthy sticky dark green kava resin. It's what is put into the (no longer avail) Lava Cola. I put a teaspoon of it into hot water & drank it. Thus 3 teaspoons was all she wrote.

There is prob 1/8th to 1/16th of a teaspoon of resin in a bottle of lava cola.

My names Nemo & I'm an overdoer'er