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Straining Bag/Alternative Aluball Question...

Nikki Collins

Kava Curious
I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for reusable/washable mini strainer bags (cheese cloth/muslin/milk bag preferences, etc.), that I can buy on Amazon. Looking for a less expensive alternative to the Aluball, that may let more Kava in and that I can shake in an average sized mason jar. Looking to make my weekday Kava experience a little easier to get done without kneading, etc. I love the process, but not something I can invest a lot time on during the week with kids, etc. I still plan on making stronger batches the more traditional way on the weekends :). Also, any advice on how much whole milk to add to my Kava/Water/Milk ratio per serving/shell? Thanks!
 

Hightide

Kava Enthusiast
you could always just buy a good bombilla, a filtered straw used with yerba mate. Just put the root directly in a mason jar, shake it up, and use the bombilla to filter out all the root. the ones with the springs like this are good, and easy to clean . May not be the cheapest, but at least you could use the bombilla for other teas also

Amazon product
 

Groggy

Kava aficionado
Admin
I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for reusable/washable mini strainer bags (cheese cloth/muslin/milk bag preferences, etc.), that I can buy on Amazon. Looking for a less expensive alternative to the Aluball, that may let more Kava in and that I can shake in an average sized mason jar. Looking to make my weekday Kava experience a little easier to get done without kneading, etc. I love the process, but not something I can invest a lot time on during the week with kids, etc. I still plan on making stronger batches the more traditional way on the weekends :). Also, any advice on how much whole milk to add to my Kava/Water/Milk ratio per serving/shell? Thanks!
@Edward Is a good person to ask about the milk. I've never seen the smaller bags but kwk has one that might serve the purpose, I believe it's 100 micron (Aluball is 80) so you get a bit more bang for your root. It might work with a large mason jar. Keep us posted!
 

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for reusable/washable mini strainer bags (cheese cloth/muslin/milk bag preferences, etc.), that I can buy on Amazon. Looking for a less expensive alternative to the Aluball, that may let more Kava in and that I can shake in an average sized mason jar. Looking to make my weekday Kava experience a little easier to get done without kneading, etc. I love the process, but not something I can invest a lot time on during the week with kids, etc. I still plan on making stronger batches the more traditional way on the weekends :). Also, any advice on how much whole milk to add to my Kava/Water/Milk ratio per serving/shell? Thanks!
The guy who made the video that got me onto using milk added about 50 ml in about a litre of water but I use about a quarter of my liquid as milk. When I first started I used to mix instant with all milk and got amazing results but I found you can use less milk and more water and still be good. As for the amount of kava that's a very personal thing and depends on the kava. It's a very trial and error thing.
 

jemo

Kava Curious
you could always just buy a good bombilla, a filtered straw used with yerba mate. Just put the root directly in a mason jar, shake it up, and use the bombilla to filter out all the root. the ones with the springs like this are good, and easy to clean . May not be the cheapest, but at least you could use the bombilla for other teas also

Amazon product
As a mate drinker myself, I have wondered whether this is possible. You're saying, you just shake up medium grind Kava in a mason jar and drink through the bombilla? I mean, the openings are much larger than a strainer bag (1-2mm)- no problems here? Hows the extraction efficiency, given that you're not blending or kneading?
 

The Kap'n

The Groggy Kaptain (40g)
KavaForums Founder
As a mate drinker myself, I have wondered whether this is possible. You're saying, you just shake up medium grind Kava in a mason jar and drink through the bombilla? I mean, the openings are much larger than a strainer bag (1-2mm)- no problems here? Hows the extraction efficiency, given that you're not blending or kneading?
@Krunkie McKrunkface has been known to do just this. He uses a bombilla to filter out the large particles in his kava.
 

Nikki Collins

Kava Curious
That’s after straining with trad prep bags or AluBall, though. I think this avoidance of particles explains why I shell every day but have not got dermo even once in the three years since I adopted this style.
BTW, I love your video's on YouTube, they have been the most helpful in learning more and more about Kava and how to prepare it!!!
 

Hightide

Kava Enthusiast
As a mate drinker myself, I have wondered whether this is possible. You're saying, you just shake up medium grind Kava in a mason jar and drink through the bombilla? I mean, the openings are much larger than a strainer bag (1-2mm)- no problems here? Hows the extraction efficiency, given that you're not blending or kneading?
Ive wondered about the quality of brew, but i mean it must be the same as the aluball (i havent tried it) its the same thing i dont think the ball does anything special besides keep the root seperate. I use a pretty good bombilla, it is the spring type and doesnt let too many big particles through, especially the big ones. it might be a different story for the other type of bombilla. sometimes i even drink kava that has been strained with a bombilla, just to get filter out the big root pieces
 
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