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Wainunu gold kava

Tommyboy

Newbie
Hi there kava enthusiasts
My first post here. I’m quite new to kava, being on my third kava variety tried. I’m looking for some insight from more experienced users or possibly anyone who has come across the kava in the title to this thread.
Link https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/264086459218

It seems much more sedating to me than the two previous kavas I tried, and seems to me lacking any sort of euphoria effects that I definitely got from the first two kavas I tried, which were accurately described as balanced.
I asked the selller for the chemotype, to which he replied not to know and that the grower also didn’t know when asked.
I suppose my question is whether I likely have bought a heavy noble kava, or if it is likely tudei? I haven’t felt ill when drinking but have felt quite drowsy/sedated/lazy when drinking a tablespoon or less traditionally prepared.
Anyone come across this kava?
Many thanks,
Tom
 

Intrepidus_dux

Kava O.G.
Maybe just run an acetone test on it if the grind isn't too thin. 1 part kava to three parts acetone in a small test tube or glass container with a lid. Shake it really well and then leave it overnight. if the kava is very finely ground, you may have to run it through a centrifuge to see the true color and compare it to charts. I personally have none of these things and lazily slap it into a mason jar. Not as accurate but it gives me a general idea of whether or not I want to send it for further testing.
 

Tommyboy

Newbie
Thanks for the replys guys. I did try an acetone test, but having done so in a glass the liquid evaporated. I did however have a peep after a few hour of acetone soak and the colour looked yellow-ish. I'll try again and have asked the seller if they know the strain.
Thanks again,
 

fait

Position 5 Hard Support
Thanks for the replys guys. I did try an acetone test, but having done so in a glass the liquid evaporated. I did however have a peep after a few hour of acetone soak and the colour looked yellow-ish. I'll try again and have asked the seller if they know the strain.
Thanks again,
Feel free to let us know if you get results. It would benefit this community and the kava enthusiasts at large to know that a vendor is deceiving us with tudei or a tudei blend. But even if you can't get a straight answer from the vendor, that's a red flag enough to exodus to a greener pasture. We're here to help you get a quality product. :)
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
Thanks for the replys guys. I did try an acetone test, but having done so in a glass the liquid evaporated. I did however have a peep after a few hour of acetone soak and the colour looked yellow-ish. I'll try again and have asked the seller if they know the strain.
Thanks again,
If you didn't feel heavy kava effects or physically drained for 18 or so hours then it probably wasn't tudei. With fijian kava it will pretty much always be a blend of cultivars and vendors usually don't know the blend used and the farmers may not know either.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
If you didn't feel heavy kava effects or physically drained for 18 or so hours then it probably wasn't tudei. With fijian kava it will pretty much always be a blend of cultivars and vendors usually don't know the blend used and the farmers may not know either.
Although in this case the company does know the growers and the company only has two suppliers, or at least that is what they claim. I don't really see any reason to doubt anything they say, because if what they were saying were true, things would look as they seem to look. Other than any generally justifiable skepticism about new companies from Fiji.

I'd certainly be eager to try their kava but they apparently don't sell to the US, so I think it's probably premature to worry that they are selling tudei to US customers when they aren't selling anything to US customers.

I was pretty open about trying FijiFresh's two grinds. Damn glad I did, their stuff is excellent, outstanding. Even if this Wainunu is only half as good it'd be worth my checking some out. So far it has passed the Colmar test, I see no signs of him, although sometimes you do see him in the shadows of some companies. I suspect he gets people to front for him in many places where he feels his acknowledged presence might be problematic.
 
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Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Well, according to rumours his "kava" is now exported by some other ppl cuz he himself lost his export license after those makas and wild kava scandals.
That would definitely be relevant information. Any confirmation? Oh wait, by his you mean Colmar? That significantly lowers the bar on what confirmation’s required. I’d believe a lot of things about Colmar.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Well, when I was in Vanuatu a few weeks ago lots of ppl werevtalking about him losing his license, but they were also saying that: 1) he was allowed to sell/dump everything he still had in his warehouse (?) 2) he was going to export via proxies.
Could be just rumours, who knows.

I saw nakamal redrying makas for export to Fiji. Someone told me it was Colmar's idea, but, again, no way to verify whether or not it was true.
none of those stretches credulity, alas.....
 

Tommyboy

Newbie
The acetone test came out quite yellow, certainly not amber. The seller tells me it is grown in an island in Fiji called Vanua Levu, and its a mixture of waka and lawena. I suppose being new to this, that I am just sensitive to whatever the dominant kavalactones are, I can believe that, I am quite sensitive to various other things. Of course everyone will respond differently to things.
The thing is it does feel heavy and sedating for at least a whole day when drinking a shell, I was just interested to know why that was. I plan to try some heady kavas next, having enjoyed the ballanced ones I’ve tried.
Thanks for the input, nice to learn!
 

Tommyboy

Newbie
If some friendly UK based kavaseur wants to try it I’d be happy to post a small sample for another opinion.
 
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