KAVA PRODUCT ALERT Wakacon Vanuatu - not what it seems

[violet]

So I suspected I got dosed with a tudei kava when I drank my first session of this last week, I'd had it before and it was pretty good kava (then). The next day effects were seriously awful. My body felt sick and exhausted, my mind was a void of empty fog. I do not comprehend how anyone wants to drink Tudei/Isa if this is typical of the second day effects, unpleasant doesn't even begin to describe it.

When I saw another poster having similar complaints, I got more suspicious of the kava. I was wondering if it could have been me, even though my husband had a pretty bad "next day" also. Here are the results of the solvent test, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

At best this shows pretty clear irresponsibility on the vendor's part. At whatever level this happened, it is just wrong. I've got no issues with folks wanting to drink tudei, but don't sell me tudei kava in a bag that says "Vanuatu Kava."

 

[yepimonfire]

Oh shit. They dun goofed this time.


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[JonT]

Wow. Interesting. Especially given that reports here so far declare it to be strong, but "not a Tudei". Personally, I am happy to drink Isa/Tudei in very limited amounts (a bit mixed in with other kava), but you are right the vendor should not be selling this if it really is Tudei.
How reliable is the solvent test?

 

[violet]

Well, I had it before, and it was quite strong. Very potent. This last time around the initial effects were pretty ho-hum, definitely not what I was expecting, but I thought I might need a second session with it. Turns out it wasn't the same kava. In the past, the only way this kava affected me the next day was to make me feel like literally jumping out of bed and getting on with my day (a pretty good indication it was noble). This stuff... it's really, really bad, unless these kind of tudei effects are what you are looking for.

Solvent extraction performed in this manner has been outlined by Dr. Lebot for this use, so I would say it is reliable. Although I didn't need a solvent extraction to tell me the kava was a tudei, drinking it did that plenty well enough.

 

[yepimonfire]

Must've changed it. I recently went through a bag and had nothing but good results


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[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Wow. Interesting. Especially given that reports here so far declare it to be strong, but "not a Tudei". Personally, I am happy to drink Isa/Tudei in very limited amounts (a bit mixed in with other kava), but you are right the vendor should not be selling this if it really is Tudei.
How reliable is the solvent test?

This test is very reliable, you can bet that the kava Violet had was tudei;
This is the best test to see if you have kava that has been spiked with the tudei kava or it is just plain tuday kava, the color will tell you the truth. I will make a post of my results of this test that I did and you will be able to see the color difference and I will also include detailed instructions on how to do this test, it is very easy. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Must've changed it. I recently went through a bag and had nothing but good results


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I do not think they changed it, I think they just got a batch of tudei kava, I do not know if they know it or not but the kava that comes out of Vanuatu has the chance to be tudei, that is why it is very important to get your kava from a reputable supplier, one that has consistency in their product, one that has a good source for good kava.
It is well known in Vanuatu that a lot of the kava growers there plant 2 crops, one tudei and one noble, they keep the noble and sell the tudei. The fact that they keep the noble should tell you what to drink. Again this is why I love the kava forums and the vendors we have here, they have a good track record and I also know that my source in Vanuatu also sells kava to some of the vendors here, so I know that they have good kava.
Aloha.

Chris

 

[infraredz]

I always thought (and usually said) that Wakacon should be looked at very carefully, and that it was much better for everyone to purchase their kava from one of our very reputable sources. I guess you can call it cynicism or just caution due to the effects and reports I read of it.

The problem is that many wholesalers are "spiking" their kava with tudei, if it isn't completely tudei altogether because tudei is much more cost-effective for the grower, the wholesaler, and ultimately the vendor. The grower can grow more plants, which are more potent and therefore can be sold more readily be wholesalers who are trying to get the most potent kava per pound and then, the vendor who can proclaim that their kava is "good" and "potent".

Ultimately it's hard to determine who (within this line of growers, wholesalers and vendors) is "spiking" their kava, but it is vital for all our members to know that it does happen, and from what I've heard, very, very frequently, even in Vanuatu with their Kava Act of 2002. The problem with that act, as Lebot has told me, is that their is little to no enforcement of it and therefore, unless the wholesaler and vendor can provide a certificate of analysis, even if the vendor is acting in good faith and selling a kava he was told to be "noble", doesn't mean it's not tudei (or partly tudei).

 

[Deleted User01]

Bingo! Thank you very much Violet. As I mentioned the other day or two, when you get Kava that is way cheaper than everyone else and more potent, then you have to wonder why. Thanks for flushing that one out. Now that being said, some members will still do it just like they still do Koniak but at least they are making an informed decision. Can you imagine unknowingly drinking spiked Kava at night and then waking up feeling like crap for your "Big Job Interview". Yikes.

Infraredz, that's why I tapped you the other day to try get your Famous Acetone Test in a standalone format (away from the damn Tudie Thread) for the Kava Safety Section. Nice simple instructions so any member can test their Kava. I guess I will keep my Koniak just for comparison if I ever have to do that test.

 

[infraredz]

Bingo! Thank you very much Violet. As I mentioned the other day or two, when you get Kava that is way cheaper than everyone else and more potent, then you have to wonder why.

BINGO!

Infraredz, that's why I tapped you the other day to try get your Famous Acetone Test in a standalone format (away from the damn Tudie Thread) for the Kava Safety Section. Nice simple instructions so any member can test their Kava. I guess I will keep my Koniak just for comparison if I ever have to do that test.

Just for anyone reading this thread that's curious about this test, please refer to this:
http://www.kavaforums.com/forum/threads/simple-test-for-checking-if-your-kava-is-tudei.2451/

 

[Deleted User01]

Good job Infraredz. That post is perfect. I think when Newbies log in or join, they are invited to go to a special section to read about Kava Safety. Is that the same place you posted this? The more places it is posted the better.

 

[infraredz]

Nope, I only have it in the Kavapedia Digest and the Wiki Discussion forum, but Kapm could put it in his little welcome basket of information for new members if he thinks that's appropriate.

 

[violet]

The price is pretty well on par with many of the other vendors prices for similar product, I think it's the Prime shipping that makes it so attractive. It also puts them out in a very conspicuous buyers market, which makes their shady business practice that much more threatening to the kava community.

While their Vanuatu kava was quite potent before, it was still very much noble, in terms of effects. I can't imagine the substitution was made to bump up the impression of the potency, I thought the initial effects were quite weak compared to before. It's always about the money, isn't it.

 

[HeadHodge]

Wow this is an awesome thread violet. I really think you have outdone yourself!!! Who says you need an editor?

 

[yepimonfire]

Does anyone have any of their fiji kavas? I highly doubt they are tudeis based on the amount of perceived kavain but i'd like to see it tested.

 

[violet]

I tested their fiji waka at the same time. It was okay.

 

[yepimonfire]

Good to know. I like that kava lol. We need to email the vendor, they may or may not know it's tudei and the risks.

 

[kavadude]

Yeah, when I had it a few months ago, subjectively it did not seem like a tudei at all. Agreed we need to write these guys. They may not even know they're getting tudei.

 

[yepimonfire]

Doing it now, referencing this thread.

 

[infraredz]

I'll attach the Lebot video then: