Kava Preparation Strange issue while straining 20g last night, never happened before

[BourbonMac]

So I'd packed like 10g of medium Lewena and 11g of micronized, something I've done before, into my AluBall, which I've used at least a hundred times, and it just simply didn't strain at all. It came out as kava flavored water. This happened to me only when I've used 2 balls before, but never just 1.

The water was a bit warmer than usual but I've had it at this temp all the time, it wasn't hot really, so unless it being warmer is why this happened then I'm clueless, it was a total waste of kava. Used about 300mL of water like I always do, and when I saw there was no real color I knew something was wrong. And yeah, something was. I think if the AluBall isn't fully dry this has happened to me before, but I don't know, it's going into water anyway and before I had 2, I'd just clean out the 1 and even if it was still a bit damp it worked just fine.

So I'm really confused as to why this happened. It's also weird how I used to use 2 balls last year in 3-400mL of water and it'd work fine, but now, say I put 400mL of water in, it'll suddenly be 250mL when I'm done straining, so the balls absorbed some of the water which I don't really understand. It's every time I've tried 2 balls, but last year I did that for months and it never happened, they're brand new too.

And yeah I'm sure this might get moved somewhere, but I would really appreciate some kind of answer as to why this happened and fear if it gets moved somewhere else then no one will see it. I tried asking on Reddit last night and it just got ignored completely. I don't want to make the same mistake again whatever it may be

 

[BourbonMac]

I think maybe I didn't pack it down enough or something, but I don't know. It's not the first time I've mixed micro and medium, but I believe the boronguru is way, way less dense than other micronized kavas, fluffier. So I might as well just only strain the micro and ignore the medium which is also very fluffy. Still... how would that result in just straight up water that tastes like kava?

 

[BourbonMac]

Ok so... sorry for the triple post but this is really, really weird. I went to dump out the Aluball, it was like, dry clay! And it was all clumped together in balls. I've never seen this before in my life. I suppose there's a chance that, because I used a lighter to try and dry it out faster (shit was already dry though...) that soot clogged the mesh. I've dried it like this alot though without any issue, but this lighter was about dead and I was holding it like right on the mesh, so either way there was all this butane too, I don't know if that can clog the mesh. When I was holding the thing though, it was weird, it felt so dry, and all the kava inside WAS dry. Maybe I did just overfill it with fluffy, not dense kava. I'm going to do just micronized tonight and see how it goes.

Has anyone had this happen before? It's not the first time either, and I never used to hold a flame below it to dry either, if it was damp, it still worked fine. But at one point, when I used 2 balls, oftentimes I'd open them and the kava was completely dry, as if something was blocking the mesh, it's weird. I don't want to waste any kava so maybe I'll just put 15g in there this time because boronguru is so damn fluffy. The Pouini Ono and Loa Waka were definitely more dense than this.

However... maybe by pushing it down to fit could've technically clogged the mesh? I wouldn't think so though, because I can still hit the bottom and see it leave a kava streak. I definitely did push it down a shit ton yesterday though because it really could barely fit. This 15g fits like 20g of a dense kava would

Edit: Yeah, it worked. I think it may not have though. Before I washed, I put it upside down in case the bottom was clogged, and I think it was because I wasn't seeing sediment come out the bottom until after that. Nice grog

 

[Groggy]

So I'd packed like 10g of medium Lewena and 11g of micronized, something I've done before, into my AluBall, which I've used at least a hundred times, and it just simply didn't strain at all. It came out as kava flavored water. This happened to me only when I've used 2 balls before, but never just 1.

You are overpacking those balls, aim for 2/3 full to allow the water to move through it.

 

[BourbonMac]

20g has never given me an issue and generally speaking a lot of people tend to use 20g. I've read of people putting 20g in 2 or even 3 balls strained at once.

However the fluffiness or density does matter. if I'm only putting in micronized like I did last night, it's fine, but micronized and lewena overfills it because boronguru and lewena are both very light. So the only time this has really happened was when I tried to mix those two. I went back to 20 of the boronguru last night and it worked just like the 15g the other night (but was obviously more sedated ofc)

 

[The Kap'n]

20g has never given me an issue and generally speaking a lot of people tend to use 20g. I've read of people putting 20g in 2 or even 3 balls strained at once.

However the fluffiness or density does matter. if I'm only putting in micronized like I did last night, it's fine, but micronized and lewena overfills it because boronguru and lewena are both very light. So the only time this has really happened was when I tried to mix those two. I went back to 20 of the boronguru last night and it worked just like the 15g the other night (but was obviously more sedated ofc)

Again, you're using too much kava in each aluball to get proper water flow.

 

[Chillbert]

Measuring kava by weight is definitely the right way to go. What I have learned, though, is 20grams of different cultivars can look like wildly different volumes. With the Aluball, I believe you are limited to how much fits beneath the line. For some cultivars that might be 20grams, while for others it might be less (or more). I never weigh kava when using the Aluball, but always do so when making traditional. Functionally the Aluball needs a certain amount of free space in the ball to do its magic. Might explain why 20grams worked before with a certain cultivar or two but not this time.

 

[BourbonMac]

Yeah 20g of Vanuatu could fit in there easily. It's fine though with the micro, I just pat it down and then flip it upside down in case the mesh gets clogged, but I tried to mix it with the lewena, that's pushing too much down and will surely clog it. Have some Loa Waka coming that is a lot denser

 

[Kava o'puss]

The aluball must be completely dry before you add kava. If the screen is wet/damp, the outer layer of kava will stick to it like cement and the water will barely penetrate the outer layer. This leaves the center only damp/claylike after you shake it up. Also, the bottle seal area must be dry or it'll leak when you shake it.

 

[Bubba Bula]

I'll usually use a couple of heaping teaspoons per aluball. Makes it easy & never gets clogged like that. Curious why you added micro to the aluball. I would have just added i the micro to the grog after the aluball kava was ready.

 

[BourbonMac]

Eeeek yo, that sounds awful. A lot of people strain micro actually, because unstrained it tends to cause stomach discomfort (not for me) and dermopathy (also not for me, somehow). I think taking niacin for tinnitus is why, you get a flush reaction to it. All red and itchy. I had that kanikani bad last year after only 2 months of kava. But in general, yeah I don't strain my micro. I need to wash my balls, there's like week old kava in them, Vanuatu. I normally pregamed with 20g of that and then like 10-15g of micro.

Micro unstrained makes me very constipated (TMI, sorry). Straining it basically feels exactly the same as unstrained, though kava hasn't been hitting me properly for weeks now. I think there is a legitimate tolerance that can build up, I don't see how it's impossible for tolerance to develop which is claimed by many. I still feel it, I just don't really get that eyes rolling back euphoria I'm used to. It's also possible KWK has just had some bad batches lately.

I think out of any drug it probably has the slowest buildup of a tolerance though, I mean I've been taking this every night for almost 6 months. I am on Bactrim, an antibiotic, and I wonder if it contributes to why kava hasn't been hitting. In fact I might've made a thread about this last year when I was on it then. I have some chronic sinus infection that no matter what I've thrown at it have gotten me nowhere. Well, not chronic anymore, but it just won't go away.

Antifungals seem to help me the most overall, but my GP has been reluctant to keep prescribing it. I've done a week course, a 24 day course, 30 day course where I was better than ever, then I got worse again. Each course I felt I was closer to getting better, so I'm on another month of fluconazole again. That alone never seemed to interact with kava. I just wonder, if my gut biome is all bad or something if kava isn't getting processed by my gut properly, or something?

 

[Bubba Bula]

Niacin for tinnitus? I'm going to have to look into this.

 

[BourbonMac]

How bad you got it? Don't get the non-flush tinnitus or the delayed release niacinamide. The latter is bad for your liver over time.
It increases bloodflow to the ears. I'm anemic which may be why I have tinnitus in the first place. Haven't been able to treat it. My white count goes up, it goes down, it goes to normal, then low. Hemoglobin and hematocrit have never stopped being low. I was low on iron last time but I was good for my last bloodwork.

How you got your tinnitus would probably determine if niacin will help you. If it's from loud noise exposure it may help, it may not, I just know it helps me. I typically take between 500-800mg depending on how bad it is.

Weirdly, loud noise exposure actually gets rid of mine for awhile, I went to a concert last summer and that shit hurt my ears, I have hyperacusis too so it's not surprising. I was fine chilling by the side of the stage but then go closer to the speaker, ow. Also smoked a ton of weed which also worsens my tinnitus but it didn't, because the loud noise somehow did something to my regular tinnitus that ended up deleting it.

Either way, I'm convinced niacin use is why I no longer suffer from dermo. Micro unstrained daily, all blends, sometimes medium grind, nothing. When I first began taking it I did get like, red itchy dermatitis on the top of my back but that cleared up. I can't say if that was the kava or not but I think it was, my body getting used to it again. Now that it's used to it, I seem to never have any issues. I just wish it'd do what it was doing before

Hell I was still on this antibiotic the last time kava really hit, I'm doing a double course along with the antifungal. So probably I really do have an actual tolerance built up, or KWKs micro hasn't been great lately. I'm almost done an 8oz bag of micro and the whole thing barely did anything, Boronguru, which has always given me amazing effects.