What are you brewing today?

[kl.Gray Owl]

I'm curious to know what kava people are brewing up today.  Here's what I'm making:
35 g HKC Tuday35 g HKC Mahakea200 ml So Delicious Original Coconut Milk500 ml warm tap water3 g Country Life soya lecithin5 g grated fresh ginger root

 

[Dan]

2tbsp N@H Stone
1.5cups ~140° water
1tbsp Soy Lecithin granules

Brewed this morning for drinking this evening.  My return to kava after a few days off.  Looking forward to it, I'm new to Stone.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

Stone gave me one of the stronger crunks that I have had so far, it was the first thing I tried after some Kona Kava products, which did almost nothing. I followed the N@H directions of 1 cup kava to 2 cups water. It was a little harsh on my guts, however, I had diarrhea the next day, but that could be because I didn't do a good job of filtering it I hadn't got the method worked out yet and didn't have a proper strainer so tried to wing it with a sock and had some problems.



Just finished filtering my brew I can tell it's going to be strong but it's a bit on the bitter side, probably from the tuday. Very good mouth numbing that is a good sign. I can hardly taste the ginger, I can bump that up next time. I'm debating whether to toss in some sugar to cut the bitterness.
Wow, this crunk is epic, after 2 shells, very nice.

 

[Dan]

I can hardly taste the ginger, I can bump that up next time. I'm debating whether to toss in some sugar to cut the bitterness.

I was gonna ask you about the ginger.  Is that for taste or digestion, or both?  Do you throw it in early on in the brewing process, or do you wait 'til the last minute?

I've been drinking kava pretty consistently for close to two years now, and am realizing that I will always loathe its taste (even with varieties that others describe as "tasty," it's still strictly a pinch-the-nose-and-toss-back affair for me).  I would love to figure out a way to improve its taste, even marginally, while retaining at least a modicum of respect for diet and tradition; i.e., I don't want to add a bunch of gross sweetener.  If it does help with taste, ginger sounds like a great solution.

 

[Vekta]

Boroguru in water, straight.

 

[endwatcher]

KBR's V3 and water

BOOYAH, I know its complex. Haha

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I can hardly taste the ginger, I can bump that up next time. I'm debating whether to toss in some sugar to cut the bitterness.

I was gonna ask you about the ginger.  Is that for taste or digestion, or both?  Do you throw it in early on in the brewing process, or do you wait 'til the last minute?

I've been drinking kava pretty consistently for close to two years now, and am realizing that I will always loathe its taste (even with varieties that others describe as "tasty," it's still strictly a pinch-the-nose-and-toss-back affair for me).  I would love to figure out a way to improve its taste, even marginally, while retaining at least a modicum of respect for diet and tradition; i.e., I don't want to add a bunch of gross sweetener.  If it does help with taste, ginger sounds like a great solution.


I was putting in ginger as a digestive.  For taste, previously I have used Amoretti Premium Chai Syrup and that was pretty good--cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, peppercorn, and cloves.  It's only slightly sweet when mixed in a batch of kava and covers harsher-tasting kava.

 

[kl.homobonobo]

1 cup BKH Fu'u

4 cups water



That's it. About to have my 3rd shell.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

It seems like most of you guys who have been drinking kava for awhile use just water and kava. I figure I'll get into a groove at some point and decide what I like best, at this point I'm still sort of tinkering to see the range of effects that I can get. The Mahakea x Tuday was very nice, the effect lasted maybe 3 hours, I took a great, peaceful nap at some point and woke up feeling refreshed. I'm not feeling hungover today.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

7 g BKH Green

8 g N@H Stone

Land O' Lakes Arctic White hot cocoa mix (LOL)

350 ml 60 C tap water



A tasty mix and a smooth buzz, very nice.
Preparing for tomorrow:
61 g HKC Mahakea350 ml coconut water350 ml hot tap water3 g lecithin2 pumps of chai syrup

 

[kl..]

4 tablespoons Vanuatu 3

2 tablespoons Chief's Jungle

3 cups 2% milk (with chocolate syrup for flavor)



I'm feeling very relaxed. Anything wrong with using milk? I figured it would be good interms of fat and mix well with the chocolate syrup. (Also, I love milk.)

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

4 tablespoons Vanuatu 3

2 tablespoons Chief's Jungle

3 cups 2% milk (with chocolate syrup for flavor)



I'm feeling very relaxed. Anything wrong with using milk? I figured it would be good interms of fat and mix well with the chocolate syrup. (Also, I love milk.)

I don't think there's anything wrong with milk, I've heard of other people using it.  When I used coconut milk--health food store milk substitute kind of coconut milk, not the sweetened stuff in a can--I found that it made it a bit too filling, like eating something that was too rich.  Drinking 3 cups of milk without any kava sounds like a lot of milk to drink, but if it's on an empty stomach, maybe it's not such a big deal.  Milk protein does tend to curdle in the stomach, I don't know if that could have a negative effect on absorption or not.

 

[kavalover]

I don't always make my kava with milk, but when I do, I mix 1 cup of warm milk with 3 cups of water with about 8 tbsp of kava. Not too rich that way, bout the same ratio when I use coconut water. It's a strange taste, with coconut milk it enhances both the kava taste and the coconut taste and they combine wonderfully. But whenever I mix plain ole milk in, the 'peppery' taste of the kava seems exaggerated 10fold.



Now excuse me while I go brew up some BKH Borogu and watch some Lost

 

[kl.Lanake]

Melo Melo from BKH. 1 cup kava and 24 ounces of water (very very warm) then blended and let sit overnight in my refrigerator. Just pulled it out of the fridge, blended some more then strained well. My strainer bag was like a big foamy kava bomb. First shell down and I'm on my way to the special place that only kava can take me. Without making a complete fool of myself anyway.

 

[kavalover]

Wow Lanake, talk about really getting the most out of your kava! I'm gonna have to try that prep method out someday

 

[kl.iliketofrolic]

I have only tried Vanuatu 3 and Boroguru so far and I like a mix of the two better than I like either one individually. I haven't opened my Tongan Pride yet though. The Kava by Rex packaging is really poor compared to Bula's nice resealable bags. I think I am going to try 5-8 tablespoons of boroguru and 2-4 tablespoons of vanuatu 3 tomorrow.

 

[endwatcher]

I agree iliketofrolic.

The packaging is a little rough, I personally didnt like the Tongan Pride. That was the only one so far that made me feel out of it, but Ive talked to others that love it.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

That batch of Mahakea was epic, and 60 g was plenty, next time I'm going to try 50g. Brewing for tomorrow night:



50 g BKH Boroguru

200 ml warm water

300 ml coconut water

3 g lecithin

1 pump of chai syrup



I note that the texture of the Boroguru root is similar to the Fu'u, it's got a pencil shaving sort of texture to it, that's completely fine with me, it's just an observation. I think that may give it a milder taste than the ones with the micronized powder.
The boroguru was a much easier strain it's nice and milky like a chai rather than the micronized brews I have been making lately which have more of a hot chocolate sort of thickness to them.  I tasted a drop and very good mouth numbing, something to look forward to tomorrow.  I think the way the BKH is ground is probably the secret to its lightness I suspect that the result may more closely resemble fresh kava.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

If only my kava was churned by waterfall, that's what I'd like to imagine, that looks a lot like Mahakea or Mo'i...

 

[kl..]

lol at the picture. My inner kindergarten teacher loves the image of kava waterfalls with Oompa Loompas.



Tonight I'm trying Tongan Pride 8 tblspoons with 2 cups 2% milk and 2 cups water. I feel like it is affecting me more than when I just use milk, but also that the taste is stronger and I am still a little hungry. I just ordered some BKH Borogu and am looking forward to trying that in a few days.