I was surprised by this Kava. Or, I should say, I
am surprised by this Kava. I certainly underestimated it. I am krunk beyond belief right now after mixing 1 cup of this Kava with 3 cups of water and drinking two and a half shells. As a matter of fact, I felt downright sick about ten minutes ago and then stood up, got my bearings, drank a glass of water, and am now sitting down writing this. I still feel a bit dizzy, to be honest. It reminds me of the first time I drank Nakamal at Home's Wow, except perhaps I don't feel like throwing up. Now that the initial dizziness and enormous lift-off seem to have run their course, I feel great. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this Kava to be so strong, so I'll just write this review up "as is" in order to try to make some kind of document of this experience for the books. Haha.
Well, it should be clear by now that this would probably not be the best Kava for someone who has never experienced the holy root's power before. It was actually a bit much for Le Kavasseur, to be honest. I didn't get any inclination of its strength from its flavor, that's for sure. As can be seen in the pictures included in this review, this PNG Kava is ground much finer than most PNG Kavas. That makes it much more substantive and dense than many PNG Kavas (including Chief's Jungle) and thus turns a cup of powder into a real mind-twister. It has a very good taste (again, contrary to what the website says!) that feels stranded somewhere between a strong Vanuatu Kava and a good Fiji Kava. Very thick with some peppery notes, but overall very delicious despite the propensity to want to gag at the very end of each shell. Not too unusual, and certainly not unfamiliar territory for a daily Kava drinker, but definitely surprising for something that tastes so good. Just to clarify, I typically can put down the first shell of any Kava pretty easily and with total awareness to the complex flavors - but when I sink the second or third shell, I usually do gag a little bit.
This Kava has very strong mind and body effects, with the mind buzz being almost too high at first and then tapering off to a clean, pleasant buzz after about thirty minutes. Initially, this Kava feels like it cranks up your heart rate a notch and gets you a bit dizzy. If you are feeling this way, don't fear, just stand up and walk around a bit after drinking a couple glasses of water and eating something with carbohydrates in it. After about twenty minutes, that initial feeling should taper into something more familiar - a mellow, stony Kava buzz. It does feel like Nakamal at Home's "Chief's Jungle" a little bit, but I would venture to say it feels a little better. Possibly more in the "Wow" range. It works as a great muscle relaxer, because I had some pretty severe soreness in my legs before I drank it. Overall, this is a very powerful Kava with very powerful effects. Be careful, folks.
Flavor - 8/10
Mind Effect - 9/10
Body Effect - 9.5/10
Strength - Very Strong
Kule Kava Farm's PNG Kava - 8.8/10
Kule Kava Farm's Sampler Pick Can Be Purchased Here:
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ReplyDeletehttp://kavalounge.yuku.com/topic/19
hmm, I think I'll stay away from this one, sounds like it could throw me into a panic attack, the very thing I want Kava to help me with! Lol
ReplyDeleteSince it is PNG, I'd bet that it is a Tudei (P Wach.) strain, particularly the way it knocked you out up front.
ReplyDeleteLots of unscrupulous dealers sell PNG kava, New Guinea kava, Isa, giant kava, etc... it is the same crap.
I personally avoid ANTHING with those names on it, because even if you feel good, and even if your head is straight the next day, there are always the liver panels to worry aboutm, and the lactone balance in non-methysticul varieties is apparently nothing to be toyed with if you plan on drinking kava for years to come...
I'd like to know more about the difference between PNG kava and the regular kava...have their been any studies on potential liver damage from the PNG kind of kava?
ReplyDeleteKavasseur, if you ever try the paste from the kona kava store please let us know what you think of it! Once I'm more experienced with Kava I may try the kava paste.
ReplyDelete"I'd like to know more about the difference between PNG kava and the regular kava...have their been any studies on potential liver damage from the PNG kind of kava?"
ReplyDeleteDon't know of any specific studies comparing liver damage from other Kavas to PNG Kava. To be honest, I doubt there have been any. What I have heard is that Kava supplements (pills, tinctures, etc.) are likely to contain toxic parts of Piper methysticum and that is why they are associated with liver damage.