- cpReview
- {"Grade":6,"Potency":8,"Mind":8,"Body":4,"Anxiety":6,"Sedative":6,"Taste":"-6","Preparation":"3 heaping Tbsp. of Stone to 2 cups of water, kneaded thoroughly for 10 minutes with extreme prejudice.","Duration":"4 hours","SideEffects":"A little nervous unsettled feeling. No gut or wind problems.","Headline":"Everybody Must Get Stone"}
This one has been a long time coming, for me. I knew about Stone from Kavasseur's reviews long before I ever put any kava in my mouth. I'd read reviews and discussions about it here on the forums and knew it was something I wanted to try. The potency was renowned and a benchmark for many. I put off most of the heavy kava until after I'd made the rounds of vendors for the heady stuff. I assumed Stone was heavy, but discovered that it really isn't. At least not completely.
Preparation and Taste
Preparation and Taste
Prepared my usual way. In this case I went with 3 heaping Tbsp. instead of the usual two because I really wanted to run the Stone up the flagpole on my first outing. I also used 3 heaping Tbsp. on my second outing, several days later. This is to approximately 2 cups of warm water, kneaded in the 25 micron bag for 10 minutes. No second wash either time.
Kavadude described the taste as "mulchy" and yes, that's pretty perfect. The taste is Vanuatu. Not Vanuatu kava, but the actual landmasses of Vanuatu's islands. Like murky thick mud full of decomposing tree bark and dead plants. But without the sulfurous quality. There's a "greenness" reminiscent of yard clippings from freshly mown grass. It's not going to win any beauty pageants for flavor. But it's kava, and none of it REALLY tastes that bad any more. It's not the worst tasting kava I've had, but it's in there with it.
Onset and EffectsEffects at 35-40 minutes, with full strength around an hour. On my first outing with it I was completely underwhelmed. Maybe it was the 6 months of buildup to actually trying it for the first time amidst rampant praise on the board. At any rate, it was definitely not as strong as GHK's Papa Kea, which hit me a lot harder and faster and took me to greater heights with less ground root.
It *was* an interesting session, though. The feeling was unlike many other kava varieties I've tried. On my second session, I got a stronger effect from the three heaping Tbsp. than on the first go around. And there was definitely a headiness to it, which surprised me. I'm not sure why I expected it to be heavy, but it really wasn't. In fact, it was two-times-heady in the sense that I got the great Kavain giddiness and warmth in my face, breast, chest, neck and head. But also got some heady Yangonin unease and micro-anxiety early on in the session. Yangonin must burn fast in the body because this was gone after two hours. I don't care for that feeling. I'm not a fan of high Yangonin kava.
DHK was present in what I consider now to be DHK telltale signs. The body looseness and eye lag, the slight balance shifting as if standing on the deck of a slowly rolling steam ship. The overall effects were mostly pleasant, and very complex. There's a lot going on with this one. I don't know if it's a blend, but I do know it's Noble as per Deleted User's assessment.
Conclusions and Final ThoughtsI expected to love this, or at least be blown away by Nakamal @ Home's Stone kava. Yet again a case where high expectations lead to unimpressed experiences. Like BKH's 11 Year Waka, the Yangonin didn't sit well with me. The heady effects are pretty pronounced and while it didn't make me zoom around the room like BKH's Nambawan, I did enjoy the early and late parts of the session. It's the hour or so in the middle where I felt restless and anxious that I could do away with. I will continue to drink it and see how the rest of the bag pans out. I know that a lot of what you get out of a kava session has to do with what you're going into it with.
Next Day EffectsNone, really, except for a little sedation because I drank it too late in the day. It's a clean kava, and didn't make me feel too dragged out. Some black tea in the morning and then again before lunch sorted me out pretty well. I enjoy a clean kava that doesn't drag me back to bed in the morning.
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