To me, when a vendor replies to a review is most often a positive sign that their kava is valuable and worth buying. Especially if it is to say, "Heey what are you talking about? Your experience is not like mine, what differences are we noticing?" Finally, around here, there are many types of sawdust, some which look kinda like kava and some not. I wouldn't be too concerned about that. At the heart of kava reviews, I do wish we all make a genuine effort to put flavor and texture/mouth numbing as primary observations of kava going in to a review. How the root looks beforehand is like judging the nutrient value of a compost by appearance, where it is the internal composition of such things which truly matters. Sure, kava may be light, dark, gritty, grainy, full of sticks or chunks or smooth as milled flax, it's about how relaxing it is, whether it tastes like wood or earth or flowers with a hint of sea salt and ginger, if it numbs the tongue and the cheeks or makes the body relaxed, quiets mind. These are characteristics I look for in kava and kava reviews.