- cpReview
- {"Grade":0,"Potency":0,"Mind":0,"Body":0,"Anxiety":0,"Sedative":0,"Taste":"0","Preparation":"","Duration":"","SideEffects":"","Headline":""}
Alright, this is another great and thoroughly processed kava from The Kava Society NZ. Their modus operandi has been to source properly matured cultivars directly from farmers in Vanuatu and have them plucked, meticulously processed and promptly shipped to NZ. The difference in this process is really evident in the resulting beverage on many levels. They've previously offered a purely heady cultivar, Kelai, a heady leaning toward balanced cultivar, Palarasul and a fairly balanced blend of strains called 'Pacific Elixir'. Now we have the Borogoru, which helps round out their offerings by being their first full blown heavy/balanced kava to be available.
As I open the bag, the first thing I notice upon smelling it, is that distinct Vanuatu style peppery/herbal scent that I love. It also has a hint of sweetness and cream to it, with a touch lightly toasted malt. The flavor is a bit zippy and peppery at first, but due to the processing/removal of the bark, it dissipates quickly and avoids the longer lasting stomach turning bitterness that you'd normally get from the root bark. The processing also creates a very appealing beverage color, which is a very light creamy beige hue rather than a dark dirty brown.
The effects are very much an old school Borogoru style kava, which is to say, on the heavier side. It's very deeply soothing and sedating, but without necessarily being a super inebriating krunky leg wobbler. If you allow yourself to listen to the kava, rather than get distracted by TV or activities, you can very clearly feel it bringing you into a meditative state. Close your eyes and breath and you can feel yourself simply enjoying the peaceful calm it has created inside your consciousness. I personally find it better as a solitary inward kava or a wonderful natural and very effective remedy for anxiety/over thinking/insomnia..it excels at these things. I don't find it to be very social or silly, but I don't think that's the purpose of these kinds of kava. I think it could be fun to mix this with a euphoric heady root, but I've yet to try this combo.
As someone who prefers balanced and heavy cultivars most of the time and has a lot of experience with them, I noticed this root has a trick up it's sleeve that is very uncommon for kava on this side of the spectrum. It somehow manages to be light and clean, easy on the stomach and easy to chug while still clearly being a heavier sedating DHK/DHM style root. Usually heavier kavas have the side effect of being much less palatable, harder to chug, more nauseating and gut twisting...but this one, probably due to the processing, is as light and easy on me as a Tongan lawena...while simultaneously being a deep heavy kava. This is a very distinct positive aspect to me and perhaps the most significant aspect of this root, in my opinion.
(This kava is so freshly harvested and ground, that
there appears to be a lot of extra kavalactones floating
around in it. However they are incredibly sticky and will get
stuck to the inside of your bowl and on your strainer bag.
Don't let them all go to waste though, as they are pure potent
kavalactones. I suggest rubbing a little oil onto the bowl and trying
to scrape them off with a spoon.)
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