Super quick newbie question.
- Thread starter kl.Kavana
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kl.ImSoCold2323
Kava Curious
Never tried capsules myself, but from what I've heard, no. You have to take quite a bit of them in order to feel anything.
The annoying, time consuming, bad tasting brew will, of course, yield the best results.
Instants are good. They hit you hard and fast, but that comes at the cost of shorter duration, and more expensive. Plus they're not always easy to take discretely, if that's a necessity.
Kava Candy is a good middle ground. Fairly good taste, look just like candy/mint so you can take whenever/wherever without having to explain yourself. The effects are relatively weak compared to the brew, but they are definitely there. They can get expensive if you take them often though. Personally, I don't use them much, but I love having them around for times of need.
The annoying, time consuming, bad tasting brew will, of course, yield the best results.
Instants are good. They hit you hard and fast, but that comes at the cost of shorter duration, and more expensive. Plus they're not always easy to take discretely, if that's a necessity.
Kava Candy is a good middle ground. Fairly good taste, look just like candy/mint so you can take whenever/wherever without having to explain yourself. The effects are relatively weak compared to the brew, but they are definitely there. They can get expensive if you take them often though. Personally, I don't use them much, but I love having them around for times of need.
kl.new2kava
Kava Enthusiast
Well that depends on what capsules you are using and if you fill your own and if so, than what you fill them with. Most companies making capsules put such a minuscule amount of kava in them they are fairly ineffective. Also as a n00b you'll have to power through your reverse tolerance phase and it usually takes a few weeks of good solid kava consumption to get true effects. What bugs me about the capsules are for 15-25$ you get maybe 10-15 grams of kava or 30% kavalactone extract and seeing how kava is 10-20% kavalactone content, that means it is really only a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio as opposed to straight root.
In addition this costs as much as 1/4 kg of decent kava which you could get several good solid sessions our of. So the cost ratio really leans in favor of root.
I usually use 60 plus grams of kava for each session and seeing how you only extract 50% of the good stuff the first wash and 10-20% lactones, that means I take in around 3.5 plus grams of pure kavalactones each session. With that in mind I can see how capsules would work for me.
I find that making a grog is the most effective and cost effective way to go about it. Though if your looking for ease and quick onset I'd recommend looking into paradise's extracts or Ozia's kava kava candies. Both a great and tasty ways to obtain nearly instant stress relief. Not really products that will knock you on your ass unless large amount are taken, but awesome for taking the edge off. Instants are another good way to go, I'd recommend the instant green from bula kava house first and shaman kava from nakamal at home if your looking to spend a little more.
That said, I still say old fashioned root and hand preparation is the cheapest and most rewarding way to go about getting krunk. If your looking for ease of use maybe try making a large batches and keeping them in the fridge and chug as needed.
In addition this costs as much as 1/4 kg of decent kava which you could get several good solid sessions our of. So the cost ratio really leans in favor of root.
I usually use 60 plus grams of kava for each session and seeing how you only extract 50% of the good stuff the first wash and 10-20% lactones, that means I take in around 3.5 plus grams of pure kavalactones each session. With that in mind I can see how capsules would work for me.
I find that making a grog is the most effective and cost effective way to go about it. Though if your looking for ease and quick onset I'd recommend looking into paradise's extracts or Ozia's kava kava candies. Both a great and tasty ways to obtain nearly instant stress relief. Not really products that will knock you on your ass unless large amount are taken, but awesome for taking the edge off. Instants are another good way to go, I'd recommend the instant green from bula kava house first and shaman kava from nakamal at home if your looking to spend a little more.
That said, I still say old fashioned root and hand preparation is the cheapest and most rewarding way to go about getting krunk. If your looking for ease of use maybe try making a large batches and keeping them in the fridge and chug as needed.
Okay, so by the sounds of things in terms of cost and optimal effect its best to go with home-made traditional brew.
Ideally I wanted to do a self made capsule with a few other calming agents but it sounds like the amount of kava required to get the desired result would be too much to fit in capsules (?).
If thats correct, could someone also give me a quick guide of the best kinds of kava to look for and maybe a simple way of actually brewing it
I'd be very grateful.
Ideally I wanted to do a self made capsule with a few other calming agents but it sounds like the amount of kava required to get the desired result would be too much to fit in capsules (?).
If thats correct, could someone also give me a quick guide of the best kinds of kava to look for and maybe a simple way of actually brewing it
I'd be very grateful.kl.new2kava
Kava Enthusiast
Making your own capsules could work though you would need allot of them to work as a few tablespoons of good root is the minimum that most people use. It would also be the same type of deal as toss and wash, but without the nasty taste. It would still carry the stomach bombing aspect that toss-n-wash carries. You could definitely encapsulate instant kavas, though I find their taste to be quite palatable from drinking and you would only need 1/2-1/3 as much material as you would with straight root.
There are many kinds of good kava and based on the various kavalactone profiles of each strain and how different people prefer different varieties, I would advocate trying several strains from several reputable vendors. If your looking for something that is great for anxiety/SAD but doesn't incapacitate you try fu'u or melo melo from bulakavahouse.com or the Fijian or Hawaiian grown kava from paradisekava.com or the white sands or wow from nakamalathome in addition to van3 or Tongan pride from kavabyrex.com. If your looking for sedating and physically heavy go for boroguro from BKH or Isa from PK or stone or chiefs from N@H also tudei from KBR when they have it in stock.
The one kava I seriously recommend you steer clear of is Konakava. They are straight up con artists and their shit is basically bunk. They dominate the advertising on kava and drive allot of n00bs into thinking kava is bunk. Allot of n00bs make the bad choice of buying from them as did I, but seriously try one of the vendors above.
Each of the above vendors will have pages on their sites about how to brew it and will send instructions as well, each of us have their way. I dissolve a teaspoon of soy lectin into about a half cup of boiling water and then add it to a 16 ounce can of coconut water and a a cup or so of cool water. Then I add 1/2 plus cup of root and let it soak for about an hour. After that I put it into a blender for about 5 minutes and then pour into a fine mesh Fijian strainer bag (you can muslin bags which suck or paint strainer bags as well as pantyhose, but Fijian strainer bags are awesome PK sells them) and then knead and squeeze the mixture for another 20 minutes. You want to keep squeezing it real hard and pressing the goodies out, basically as hard as can squeeze without breaking the bag. I found the more work you put into a batch the better it is.
Then I keep the root for a second wash as you only extract 50% of the good stuff with each wash, so you get 50% the first time and 25% the second. I never bother with a third though, but get good results with the second and just use less water to compensate for strength difference. Then just put the un-drank grog in the fridge for latter use. Also chug it don't sip it and do so on an empty stomach with no caffeine in your system.
There are many kinds of good kava and based on the various kavalactone profiles of each strain and how different people prefer different varieties, I would advocate trying several strains from several reputable vendors. If your looking for something that is great for anxiety/SAD but doesn't incapacitate you try fu'u or melo melo from bulakavahouse.com or the Fijian or Hawaiian grown kava from paradisekava.com or the white sands or wow from nakamalathome in addition to van3 or Tongan pride from kavabyrex.com. If your looking for sedating and physically heavy go for boroguro from BKH or Isa from PK or stone or chiefs from N@H also tudei from KBR when they have it in stock.
The one kava I seriously recommend you steer clear of is Konakava. They are straight up con artists and their shit is basically bunk. They dominate the advertising on kava and drive allot of n00bs into thinking kava is bunk. Allot of n00bs make the bad choice of buying from them as did I, but seriously try one of the vendors above.
Each of the above vendors will have pages on their sites about how to brew it and will send instructions as well, each of us have their way. I dissolve a teaspoon of soy lectin into about a half cup of boiling water and then add it to a 16 ounce can of coconut water and a a cup or so of cool water. Then I add 1/2 plus cup of root and let it soak for about an hour. After that I put it into a blender for about 5 minutes and then pour into a fine mesh Fijian strainer bag (you can muslin bags which suck or paint strainer bags as well as pantyhose, but Fijian strainer bags are awesome PK sells them) and then knead and squeeze the mixture for another 20 minutes. You want to keep squeezing it real hard and pressing the goodies out, basically as hard as can squeeze without breaking the bag. I found the more work you put into a batch the better it is.
Then I keep the root for a second wash as you only extract 50% of the good stuff with each wash, so you get 50% the first time and 25% the second. I never bother with a third though, but get good results with the second and just use less water to compensate for strength difference. Then just put the un-drank grog in the fridge for latter use. Also chug it don't sip it and do so on an empty stomach with no caffeine in your system.
kl.el187joker
Kava Enthusiast
first question is what kind of effects are you looking for and how tight is your budget. you can get a lb any where from 30-60 depending on what your looking for. and tastes are really all other the map. although wen you begin they will most likely all just taste like hogwash anways lol. but really at fist you will see only minimal results and the getting stronger with every sesh. then one day it will just catch you by suprise and knock you upside the head. at least this is my experience. if you look at the rank kavas thread you will see everybodys favs to least favs. but pretty much if you go with a reputable vender and not kona kava you will be alright. my NEW fav is fijian from paradise kava.
*and the kava cady really is great. never heard any bad review on them and after trying them myself i know why.
*and the kava cady really is great. never heard any bad review on them and after trying them myself i know why.