Vanuatu kava store
- Thread starter Abbas
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Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
WORD. I totally concur on this. I've worked with farmers in the developing world for nearly 12 years.
I'm not necessarily confused. It's just interesting to me that there are varying opinions about the different vendors. I'm not attempting to argue that one person is right and one person is wrong I'm just attempting to get to the bottom of everything. It is evidently clear that vendors could be potentially passing Tudei mixtures as noble
nabanga
Kava Enthusiast
As @ta-va days, unless the vendor grows his own like GHK (is there any other vendor that grows their own directly?), there is never going to be full product control. A kava certified as noble one day may test as having tudei content on the next batch, as the kava has passed through at least 1 pair of hands before shipping, and more hands unless the grower is drying, packaging and shipping to the vendor directly himself. So to that extent, a vendor should not be singled out for failing a test once, and it cannot be assumed that a vendor who is certified noble by a third party testing agency will always have exactly the same product to sell.
On the Tanna kavas mentioned sold by VKS, I have never tried these products but can say that many noble Tanna kavas I have had are very potent indeed - a single shell can knock the most seasoned drinker out - and could perhaps be mistaken as tudei by someone used to more mellow strains?
On the Tanna kavas mentioned sold by VKS, I have never tried these products but can say that many noble Tanna kavas I have had are very potent indeed - a single shell can knock the most seasoned drinker out - and could perhaps be mistaken as tudei by someone used to more mellow strains?
Well, certified (or not certified, but still very reputable) vendors submit samples of their new batches to a either third party agency (in the case of certified vendors) or some lab (in the case of reputable vendors), so even if one batch turns out to be spiked, this should be picked up by the lab or the testing agency. Many reputable vendors also know their farmers directly so this limits the risk. But yea, obviously mistakes can happen. I guess the difference is (one would hope) that certified or generally reputable vendors would guarantee the quality of their products and accuracy of their advertising and offer a compensation in case of any problems with their products' quality.
VKS' acetone test results clearly showed possible tudei spiking. My personal experience was that at least one of their kavas did indeed seem to be spiked with tudei and not because of its potency, but because of very distinct smell/taste and side effects. But again ,this was a couple of years ago when the issue of tudei spiking wasn't widely known, kava testing was rare and when most vendors honestly believed their suppliers (farmers and distributors) were selling them 100% noble powder. E.g. the tests revealed that nearly all of BKH's products were either spiked with tudei or actually pure tudeis. In response to these results (that appeared to be as upsetting to BKH's owner as to their customers) BKH has gone out of their way to force their suppliers to only supply them with 100% noble kava and according to more recent tests all their kavas are noble (there is this one controversial case, but it's a different story and shouldn't be seen in the same light as the previous cases). Some vendors have been quite honest and have stated that they are unable to guarantee 100% noble. Most of them are not active here as they know their products don't get glowing reviews here.
Do your own acetone test
Totes
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
I will say one thing here about VKS: they have had their ups and downs. My impression is that they are connected to a place called "The Kava Emporium," which seems to spider-web out to other companies like "Fiji Kava Store," "Global Kava Exports," and "Kava Europe."
When I first started doing Kava reviews, VKS was one of very few Kava vendors available. It was VKS, Nakamal at Home, Kona Kava Store, and Pacific Kava. I remember getting one REALLY lousy (and huge, I think I bought 2 kg) batch of Pentecost Pride. Conversely, I really loved their Malekula Magic. And the Quick Kava was pretty decent. But I have gotten a bit thrown-off by their product line.
Check out this link to the "Kava Emporium," which we can refer to from here on as "the Vatican City for Big Kava."
http://www.thekavaemporium.com
When I first started doing Kava reviews, VKS was one of very few Kava vendors available. It was VKS, Nakamal at Home, Kona Kava Store, and Pacific Kava. I remember getting one REALLY lousy (and huge, I think I bought 2 kg) batch of Pentecost Pride. Conversely, I really loved their Malekula Magic. And the Quick Kava was pretty decent. But I have gotten a bit thrown-off by their product line.
Check out this link to the "Kava Emporium," which we can refer to from here on as "the Vatican City for Big Kava."
http://www.thekavaemporium.com
It's likely that I won't buy from them, but they gave me a 50 percent off discount, hence the reason I created this thread. I wasn't sure if it was worth giving a shot. I had Tudei from KBR back in the, one of the vendors you recommended back in the day on kava lounge lol. It was a very intense feeling followed by intense nausea. It was nice at the beginning, but wasn't pleasant overall. I wanted to give VKS a shot but after resounding opposition I guess it's best to spend my money elsewhere. It's just upsetting to me that just about anyone could be spiking their kava with Tudei from a consumer standpoint and consumers can be caught completely offguard. This is off topi, but what ever happened to paradise kava?
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
I'm not really sure. It's still a mystery. I'm hoping that one day they get the train back on the tracks. That was the best Kava enterprise I ever had the privilege of working with, and they became really good friends of mine. And then... gone.
I wish I would had the chance to do business with them, but in the same breath relieved so at least I'm not let down that they are now gone
Kojo Douglas
The Kavasseur
Me too 
nabanga
Kava Enthusiast
To follow up....I just heard back from my friend who is one of the partners who owns VKS.
He confirms all their kavas are certified noble and are marked as such on the packs now. When batches arrive in Vila from the islands they are quarantined and held until tested. They plan to put the lab results up on their website next time they have it updated.
They aren't connected to any other company except the kava emporium, which is their physical shop on the main road running through Vila. All the other companies on the website are just links..no commercial relationship (@Kavasseur is there too!)
He confirms all their kavas are certified noble and are marked as such on the packs now. When batches arrive in Vila from the islands they are quarantined and held until tested. They plan to put the lab results up on their website next time they have it updated.
They aren't connected to any other company except the kava emporium, which is their physical shop on the main road running through Vila. All the other companies on the website are just links..no commercial relationship (@Kavasseur is there too!)
Interesting. I am wondering what sort of a system they used to have in place then as they have always claimed that they were selling "noble" and had COAs on their website and yet some of their products turned out to be spiked with tudei. Hopefully this new system will indeed guarantee consistency.
Jerome
Kava Lover
Did you ever try to Nuka Hiva Kava's? They've been shut down a long time now, but they used to grow their own, as well as import it from other islands.