In my experience, a blender is not necessary. I can't definitively say if it makes the extraction better or not, so you'll have to try it and see what you think. Personally, I like to add a teaspoon of soy lecithin granules to an ounce or two of boiling water and let it dissolve for a bit. Then I take 2-4 cups of water that gets as hot as my tap will make it, and put that into a bowl with a bunch of extra room. I generally use 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup of kava and I place that into a fiji strainer bag (you can find these online and they are perfect for kava). I knead this and repeatedly squeeze all of the water out of it for around 10 or 15 minutes. The water will turn brownish/tan pretty quickly. Then I wait until it cools and I drink it. It's pretty simple and only practice will show you your favorite method. Many people have many different methods, and you'll eventually find yours.
