Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ozia Originals’ Kava Kava Candy (Orange Flavor)



Looking for an easy-to-carry, unsuspicious, and relatively strong Kava extract? Looking for something that tastes good, doesn’t require any cumbersome kind of storage, and can be accessed at any given moment? Most importantly, are you looking for something that works fast and is easily accessible during those moments when you really need to calm down and feel relaxed? Look no further. KavaKava Candy exactly fits that description. If you are traveling and are worried about how to explain mouth-numbing powders or big bags of  "strange" ground Pacific roots or even a jar of Kava extract, then these candies are the ideal alternative.

The taste is delicious. It reminds me a lot of those 50/50 bars that they used to sell from Ice Cream trucks when I was a kid. When I first popped a KavaKava Candy into my mouth, my mind was flooded with memories of summer days eating those sweet orange popsicles that were full of delicious and quite complimentary ice cream on the inside. Combine that with the numbness of good Hawaiian Kava, subtract the coldness of a popsicle, and you have KavaKava Candy.  The deliciousness factor alone makes these a good way to enjoy a relaxing Kava session. If you have a box of these and a jar of Paradise Kava’s extract on hand, then you’ll be in good shape for any kind of situation.



The first KavaKava Candy I dissolved on my tongue brought on immediate numbness, and then a nice wave of stress relief. I had been traveling by bus all day in West Africa from the rural rainforests (where I live) to the choked, smog-laden capital city of Accra. I looked around at the chaos of urban West Africa, sighed, and then remembered “oh yeah, I have those KavaKava candies on me!” I had a meeting with an immigration officer for a visa extension which is always stressful – negotiating bribes, trying to be funny so that they don’t probe too much, and trying to flatter them about your experiences in their country. You don’t want to mention any of the inconveniences or let them know that you’re completely befuddled about your immigration status. So when I got off the bus and started walking to the immigration office, I popped a second KavaKava candy. This is when I felt the full effect of this product. I’d say it put me somewhere between one and two shells of a medium-strength Kava (think Black Sand by Nakamal at Home or Malekula Magic by Vanuatu Kava Store). It gives a nice lightness to your body and a warming, relaxed mental high. Since there are eight pieces in the package, that is not such a bad deal for $5.99 (the current price). Each tablet contains 50 mg of Kava Kava extract (including lemon balm and chamomile).

If I lived somewhere that had reliable postal service and didn't cost an arm and a leg to ship to (i.e., not the most inaccessible part of the world!), I would definitely buy ten or twenty packets of these candies. They are very delicious, moderately strong, extremely convenient, and definitely made from good quality piper methysticum roots.

I should mention that, if I was to rank Kava based on convenience and a “not rising of suspicions” factor, this would definitely get a 10 in that category.

Flavor – 10/10
Effect (Mind) – 7.5/10
Effect (Body) – 7.5/10
Strength – Medium
Overall – 8.3/10