Kavasseur - Your #1 Resource For Kava Reviews and Kava News

Paradise Kava - Honey Lemon Solvent Free Kava Extract

2011-09-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Drinking Kava in a tropical environment definitely intensifies most aspects of the experience. When I first moved to Ghana six months ago, I brought along a couple bags of different Kavas (Paradise Kava 100% Awa, Nakamal at Home Wow!, and Kava By Rex Tongan Pride) and then a few different kinds of instant Kava (Shaman, Vanuatu Kava Store Instant, and Paradise Kava Pure Kava Extract). I brewed up a big batch of dried root Kava and shared it amongst the chief and elders, who really got a kick out of the numbness but honestly didn’t have enough (nor over a long enough period of time) to really “get it.” For me, being in humid rainy weather really enhances the mellowness of Kava, and really gives it an “in context” feel. I know not every person can hop on a plane and head down to the equator, but trust me when I say it’s a nice way to enjoy a shell or four. One day I will try to farm the holy root here, but until then I have to depend on orders from half-way around the world (quite literally).

It is hard to find Kava distributors who will ship to Ghana, and even harder to assure that the Kava will arrive, but I have finally got a new batch of Paradise Kava, so let the reviewing begin!

About 7 or 8 months ago I tried Paradise Kava’s Solvent Free Kava extracts for the first time. The two flavors – Honey Lemon and Chocolate & Orange – have maintained their names, but I’m almost positive that they have been somehow improved upon. The Honey Lemon, which I am reviewing now, has a slightly improved texture. Once you get it under your tongue it has a nice grittiness that dissolves more slowly than the previous incarnation. The flavor really disseminates throughout your palate, and complements the numbness that the kavalactones bring out. I’d say the lemon flavor dominates the honey flavor, but I think the intention is to let the honey supply the sweetness to the lemon. It certainly accomplishes that mission! It is not overly sweet, yet sweet enough to be – in my opinion – very addictive. The side of the jar tells you to limit your intake to 2 grams per day. Impossible!

According to Paradise Kava, the new solvent-free extracts contain a standardized dose of 120 mg of kavalactones per dose. The previous incarnation of the extracts was 60 mg per dose. To me, this stuff feels about three times as strong as the previous batch, and it really has some unique qualities that make trying it a very special experience.

When I first opened my jar of Honey Lemon and fished out a pea-sized glob of Kava Extract, my first concern was that I hadn’t had Kava in a long enough time – nearly 4 months! – and that I wouldn’t feel a thing. Well, I was very wrong. This stuff infused my body within seconds, and I actually paused, closed my eyes, and just the warmth take me home. Ah, that sacred wave of relief that only Kava can provide! In my review of the previous version of this extract, I said four pea-sized doses would put you on par with two shells. Well, four pea-sized doses of the new version would put you on par with four shells! I didn’t know this going into it, and needless to say had a very relaxing night playing my guitar under the West African stars.

Another great thing about a stronger dose per serving is, obviously, that a jar of this will last a long time. I have barely scratched the surface of my Honey Lemon jar and have been taking it ever day for nearly two weeks now. Since I gave the previous version of this extract a 10/10, and can’t go much higher, I’ll have to maintain my previous rating.

Give this stuff a shot, you won’t regret it!

Kavasseur Updates in the Works!

2011-08-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

I know it has been several months since Kavasseur has been updated, but I just received some fresh Kava extracts and new dry root Kavas from Paradise Kava and they will be featured on Kavasseur over the next few weeks. As you may or may not know, I am now farming cocoa in Ghana and have had limited internet access and, of course, limited access to new Kavas (or any Kavas, for that matter).

Here is what you have to look forward to:

Paradise Kava - Honey Lemon Kava Extract (now 120 mg of kavalactones per serving)
Paradise Kava - Chocolate Orange Kava Extract (also improved)
Paradise Kava - Isa Kava

I look forward to writing the reviews and hearing your feedback!

Paradise Kava's Answer to the "Kava Extract" Market

2011-04-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Let's face it - there haven't been a whole lot of great "to go" Kava options on the market. Almost every Kava "capsule" that has been released - Kona Kava's Kavalovetones, Gaia Herbs Kava, Solaray Kava - has been at best something that tastes like Kava if you crush it with your teeth. At worst, they are worthless investments that do absolutely nothing. With the exception of Yogi Tea's "Kava Stress Relief," I have never found a dry root, fresh root, or instant Kava replacement that truly delivers kavalactones "on the go." Sometimes you absolutely need Kava when it's not quite easy to brew up a bowl of grog. Now we have a solution.

Paradise Kava, who have brought us fresh Hawaiian Kavas such as "Black Beauty Blend," or dry root Kavas such as "100% Awa," also offer a couple different solvent-free Kava extracts. Each small bottle is $12, which is a steal considering I still haven't gotten through one of them (though I have been dipping into two different ones). They are by far the strongest and most effective "instant" Kava solutions available. Adding to that, they are much tastier and more pleasurable than breaking up chunks of instant Kava and mixing it with water.

Each of these extracts comes in a small ointment-sized container that resembles a lip gloss or make-up of some kind. The directions are to get a pea-sized quantity on the end of a popsicle stick (I used a matchstick, because it was easier) and place it under your tongue. The extract comes in two flavors - "Chocolate and Orange" and "Honey and Lemon." They are both extraordinarily delicious. The "Chocolate and Orange" flavor has a kind of orange, mint, and chocolate chip type of flavor and the "Honey and Lemon" tastes something like a lemon bar dipped in honey. To be honest, I would flip a coin if I had to choose between the two. They are both very good, though I've found myself reaching for the "Chocolate and Orange" more than the "Honey and Lemon."

Just like Kava from the shell, this stuff gives you a strong numb feeling in your mouth and throat. Most poignantly, it gives you a strong buzzing numbness under your tongue and your inner gum line. The effects are, not surprisingly, very immediate. In terms of the actual feeling of this extract, it resembles Paradise Kava's 100% Awa, which is my personal favorite of the dry root Kavas available. I'd say three or four pea-sized doses of this stuff put you on level with about two shells of the 100% Awa.

As I just finished writing my Master's Degree thesis, this stuff has really got me through the last six weeks. When feeling overwhelmed with stress, nothing hits the spot like some Kava. When brewed Kava root is too tedious to make, having this with you can be a lifesaver.

Paradise Kava - Black Beauty Blend

2011-03-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Enter fresh Kava.

There was a time when all we had access to in the continental United States was dried Kava, and then there was now. When I first got this stuff in the mail (see previous post for a video podcast), I let it defrost (it came frozen, packed in ice bags) and then opened it up and smelled it. I have never smelled fresh Kava before, harvested and then ground, frozen, and mailed right to my door. It has a very nutritional, green, vegetative smell that reminds me very little of what I've come to expect from dried Kava. In preparing to pen this follow-up written review, I decided to defrost the Kava, put it in a bowl, and get some good shots of it. So if you've ever wondered what fresh Kava pulp looks like, then here you go:

This time I decided to brew the Kava extra strong, and put extra effort into squeezing it. I heated up the water a little bit more than last time, in order to see what kind of difference it would make. Well, it made a huge difference. I mostly eye-balled the ratios this time, but used about 4 cups of water and 1 cup of coconut juice to a brimming fistful of Kava. I kneaded the Kava for a good 10 minutes, and then kneaded it again. In the end, this is what the squeezed, processed Kava looked like (I chewed on a big wad of this stuff and felt ready for a root canal):

The resulting Kava was a light brownish-white grog reminiscent of a Vanuatu strand. It has a chocolate-milk like color, which dances rather nicely with the flavor. Again, this Kava is sweeter than all dried Kavas that I have tried, with a full, nuttier flavor that is not unlike almonds or walnuts. Whereas a dried root Kava like Nakamal at Home's Wow! has a bitter yet cashewy flavor, this has a brighter, sweeter, and fuller flavor. It is really hard to describe because it is unlike any other Kava I have tried.

As for the effects of this Kava - they are immediate. The kavalactones permeate throughout your bloodstream rapidly, and you automatically feel any kind of stress or anxiety float away. As opposed to a "stony" feeling, this Kava gives you a kind of gentle uplifting. The two times I have tried this - the second time being much stronger - I felt a kind of full, alive form of relaxation. It doesn't make you tired and pull you to the ground, it rather fills you with a positive relaxation that is more productive than sapping. It brings about a well-rounded krunkness that is functional. I do notice a slight increase in photophobia over other Kavas, but it is not altogether disabling (I get this a lot when I brew Kava strongly). Again, this Kava is great for music lovers or musicians, readers or writers. Full-blown krunkness with a functional edge is nothing to be unexcited about.

The effect on the body is also notable. Full muscle relaxation. Any kind of headache or annoyance gone. Works really well on sore running legs. Far better on the body than any other Kava I have tried in the past.

Taste - 10/10
Effect (Mind) - 10/10
Effect (Body) - 10/10
Strength - Strong/Very Strong

Paradise Kava's Black Beauty Blend (Frozen) - 10/10

Paradise Kava - FRESH Black Beauty Blend Kava

2011-03-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today I received an overnight FedEx package in the mail from Hawaii, sent yesterday with ice-packed frozen Kava inside. I have been waiting to try this stuff for a few months now, and I am so pleased to announce that today I did! I made a video podcast of my experience making and then tasting this Kava. I am still rather krunk from drinking this divine blend all day, so forgive me if I don't put up a full written review tonight. Enjoy!

Coming Soon on Kavasseur

2011-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that next week we'll see reviews of Paradise Kava's upcoming line of fresh, frozen Kava that is delivered to buyers' doors. I have never experienced the taste or effect of fresh Kava, brewed and consumed in the Pacific islands. This upcoming line of Kavas captures that very taste and effect - grown, processed, and frozen in Hawaii and delivered to your doorstep. I'll be the first to review this Kava, and will do so with a video podcast that captures the very moment when I first try it. Such exciting news!

The War on Kava, Part 2

2011-02-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

There has been much concern, gossip, and despair in the Kava world as of late. Some of our favorite Kavas have suddenly become unavailable, and when many of us thought we were several clicks away from a fresh bag of Solomon Kava we found, to our dismay, that it was no longer available. Rumors have swirled around about an impending shut down of Kava and Kava vendors in crisis.

So I've put on my journalist hat and done some investigating, and what I've found is not too reassuring.

Sources (who I will give the pseudonym of "Philip") have informed me of seized containers of Kava that are (as of right now) frozen in ports under the order of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Apparently, this is not unusual in and of itself, but the length of time which those containers have been seized is unusual. Kava shipped by air from two different countries has been seized and held in a storage facility awaiting inspection, and has essentially been left to sit at these facilities at the cost of the Kava vendor. In other words, the longer that Kava is sitting there the lower the profit margins for the vendor. Philip told me that this is just another way for the FDA to attack Kava. Rather than making Kava illegal, they are trying to make it unprofitable.

It seems that some of those "anti-energy" drinks are part of the problem. We have even discussed them here - Take 2 For Sleep, Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda, etc. - and all of them contain Kava extract. Kava in concoctions other than Kava root powder or instant Kava has been known to be harmful and were the reason for Kava's initial ban in Europe. Philip explained to me that the FDA has Kava vendors sign an agreement that they will not create such concoctions from their imported Kava or sell Kava to companies that do make such concoctions. The fact that these kinds of concoctions are flooding the market has upped the FDAs game. Because of this renewed effort to control sources of Kava, normal everyday Kava has become targeted.

So as those containers of Kava sit at a port in Los Angeles, Philip is given no indication of whether his Kava is going to get cleared or not, and racks up expenses for the contained Kava. Left with two choices, Philip must decide between a) gambling that the Kava will get cleared and continue to pay a daily fee to the airline or b) refuse the Kava and send it back to the country it was grown in.

To quote Philip: "the FDA is very powerful and they don't have to ban something per se to stop the importation of it. All they have to do is discourage businesspeople from wanting to import it and the same effect occurs."

Not a good sign at all.

New Kavasseur Podcast!

2011-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded a new Kavasseur podcast to blip.tv. It is a taste off between Hawaiian Kava Center's Nene and Mo'i Kavas. I also do a little bit of a Kava making demonstration. Enjoy it.

Kavasseur Podcast

2011-02-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have recorded a podcast with C. Boyce, linked to the Kavasseur podcast on You Tube, but also downloadable as an iTunes podcase. The following is 1/3 of the podcast, please go to You Tube to listen to the other two-thirds:

Fire Island - The Best Instant Kava of All

2011-01-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

Even though Kava King, Quick Kava, and Shaman Kava are all fine choices, only one instant Kava can hold the top position in the instant Kava world: Nakamal at Home's Fire Island.

There is something so original about Fire Island Kava. Whenever I drink it, I always think to myself that this is the baseline - this is what Kava is supposed to taste like. And just for the record, this essentially is what Kava looks and tastes like in the South Pacific. A greenish hue, a more chlorophyllic taste, and a kind of wrap-around numbing to the mouth all pull together to give Fire Island its unique taste. While Quick Kava and Shaman Kava might remind you more of a typical Vanuatu dried-root brew, this stuff puts you right in the Nakamal and lets you experience island Kava the way it should be.

Kaiden Fox wrote a review not too long ago about Fire Island Kava, celebrating its instant and relatively short-lived effects. I concur. And like Kaiden, I find such effects to be overwhelmingly agreeable. If you have been brewing your Kava from dried root, you will be surprised at how different Fire Island tastes and feels. It is essentially captured as fresh Kava juice, dehydrated, and frozen in time until you add water and swirl it around. The last time this stuff touched water, it was in Vanuatu. I think that's pretty damn cool.

The effects are instant. When you drink this stuff down - and it goes down quick - it goes straight to your nervous system and muscles. It is a wave of relaxation. Another pleasant thing about Fire Island is that it doesn't seem to accumulate in your system the way dried root grogs do. You can drink this stuff throughout the night and have several little peaks that don't coalesce into any kind of nauseous overload. And that is definitely a good thing.

For Kaiden's original (and better) review, click here.

Taste - 9.5/10
Effect (Mind) - 8.5/10
Effect (Body) - 8.5/10
Strength - Intermediate-Strong

Nakamal at Home's Fire Island Kava - 8.8/10

A Trip Back to Chief's Jungle

2010-12-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Since I first reviewed Chief's Jungle last March I have warmed up a bit to the taste. Sure, it isn't the best tasting Kava out there. But it at least presents something of an alternative to the plentiful thick, creamy, peppery Kavas that are all over the market. Other than Niugini (not surprisingly), Chief's Jungle has a stand-alone flavor that is even - dare I say - somewhat refreshing. If you go back to my original review, I think I actually commented that this Kava tasted like "hell." Well, that was partially due to the fact that I was using Nakamal at Home's recipe - 1 cup of Kava to 3 cups of water (or was it 2 cups of water?). Anyhow, tonight I brewed 2 cups of this with 3 tablespoons of Chief's Jungle. The result was a much thinner, sweeter, and mildly piney Kava with a nice, fresh-mountain-air hued aftertaste.

In preparing this Kava, note the wonderful frothiness that bubbles to the surface. I'd be interested to know why this happens and what it means. I've heard from different sources that froth is a sign of freshness or potency - I can't figure out which one. I have drunk a lot of Wow!, and though it is potent it typically doesn't have the froth. My hypothesis is that it is somehow connected to the degree of fineness that the Kava is ground to. Chief's Jungle is twiggy, airy stuff and I feel like when I'm squeezing it air bubbles are bursting to the surface. Along with possibly bringing the froth, the grind of this Kava seems to retain some of the earthy, planty, or "grassy" flavors that are so typical of this blend.

The fact remains that this stuff will still absolutely obliterate you if not consumed in moderation. I tried a batch a few months ago that was pretty weak, but this batch (packaged on 12/14/10) is stunningly strong. Perhaps even a bit stronger than the very first batch I tried. After three shells, I have a pleasant, high-buzzing krunkness dominating my mind and body. In fact, the feeling is spreading throughout my body and growing stronger as I write this. Earlier today, my team was knocked out of playoff potential (San Diego Chargers) and I was quite unhappy about that, but after a few shells of this I feel like saying - for the [being on Kava] record - "better luck next time." My lips are buzzing and my eyes are heavy, my legs are mostly immobile, my mind at ease, and music is sounding quite nice. I can say I am doing quite better than I was about one hour ago, and I am definitely happy that I made the choice to brew up this Kava tonight. As I stated before, this Kava has much more of a "cannabis" feeling to it, whatever that means. It lifts your mind up and makes you feel high, rather than giving you the sinking, heavy, and slow feeling. Many have told me that Chief's knock them out, but this must be because they are making it to strong or drinking a lot at once. At any rate, if that is the feeling they are going for then more power to them. Kava Gods know that sometimes I'm looking for that vibe too.

Bottom line: Reconsidering the taste and feeling the potency again, I am convinced that this is still one of the best Kavas out there.

Same score/ranking as given in March, 2010.

Kava by Rex - Tongan Pride

2010-12-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

One of the most wonderful things about Kava is its incredible diversity. You get acquainted with a certain feeling from Kava and then suddenly find yourself face to face with something like you've never had before. A non-Kavasseur would never be able to tell the difference between a Vanuatu Kava from Tanna Island or a Fijian Kava. But a Kavasseur can tell the difference between Fijian Kava and a Tongan Kava, a Kava from Tanna Island or one from Pentecost Island. There is so much variety, and so much distinctiveness. One of my favorite weekday Kavas is Nakamal at Home's Tongan Kava, so I've learned to associate Tongan Kavas with a mellow, heavy-eye, muscle-relaxing feeling. Kava by Rex offers something that is almost the opposite of that.

Tongan Pride has a very strong taste, but one that is more sweet and creamy than piney and peppery. It is heavy, thick, and has quite a resilient sugary aftertaste. It is not the kind of "strong flavor" that you would find in a piney PNG Kava or a peppery Vanuatuan Kava. It tastes more like wood-flavored ice cream with a splash of a cashew flavor. I wouldn't call it too mild or easy to drink, but it is definitely not an unpleasant taste. After you down a shell you might feel the urge to shiver a bit, but not in a way that is entirely unlikeable. It has an interesting and unexpected flavor, but not one that I think I'll be craving too much.

The mental effect of this Kava is quite strange. It makes you really want to be around people. For anyone who feels awkward or uncomfortable in social situations, this is the perfect Kava for you. You might even begin calling friends that you've been meaning to call. Of course, if you drinking this Kava with someone else you will feel like talking, talking, and talking. It calms the nerves and makes you feel peppy. In fact, after about three shells I actually had a huge burst of energy and felt like getting up and moving around. Not exactly the kind of feeling most people, including me, associate with Kava.

One thing that surprised me about this Kava was that the effect all seemed to be mental. I didn't get any kind of significant body buzz beyond just a little initial warmth. The soreness I had in my legs from 12 miles of walking the day before was definitely gone, but I wasn't able to enjoy the full-body tingling and fuzziness that I get from other Kavas.

This Kava is a bit hard to rank, because it is so all-together different from other Kavas. How does one compare the mental effects of an uppity Kava with those of a Kava that is more mild, sedative, and relaxing? This Kava would be brilliant for anyone who needed to feel comfortable speaking in front of public or before going to a high-nerve work party. But if you've just gotten home and want to sink into the couch, this isn't going to be your ideal Kava. I like it, but it doesn't really fit the bill. Thankfully, Kava by Rex carries a lot of other Kavas that do.

In sum: A great party Kava.

Taste - 8/10
Effect (Mind) - 8/10
Effect (Body) - 7/10
Strength - Medium

Kava by Rex's Tongan Pride - 7.6/10

Back To My Roots - "Wow!" Kava Revisited/30,000 Hit Anniversary Celebration

2010-12-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

***About 10 minutes after finishing this review, I started to get an actual sense of "buzzing" in my head. I closed my eyes and felt my whole body sink into the couch. The world didn't seem to spin so much as sink, like a big sponge into a sea of warm water. My roommate asked me to help bring in groceries and I had a semi-hallucinogenic experience of dragging oars through water as I carried the bags through the house. Currently, I am feeling slightly sick and my hands are clammy, but I am also being washed over with waves of warm happiness. Yup, this is still the same stuff. I won't be getting into any cars anytime tonight. I'm just going to bake a pizza and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

A long time ago (say, in February of 2009) I made the spontaneous decision to start a blog that reviewed Kava. I more or less just started it because I was looking for something exactly like it - and couldn't find it. Buying Kava shouldn't be stressful, so that's why I decided to try every Kava available and review it on one easy-to-navigate website. Even I consult my own website when making purchasing decisions. Well, today the website hit the 30,000 hit mark. In honor of this quite arbitrary anniversary, I have decided to mix up some Wow! Kava and revisit it a year later. These revisits are going to roll out on a semi-regular basis, as my Kava drinking has become more nuanced and my review strategies have changed. So consider this the first series of re-reviews that will roll out along with new reviews.

I can't remember how I originally ranked Wow! Kava, but I remember it being quite high. I also vividly remember the night that I first tried it - I became so krunked that I literally couldn't coordinate my hands on my keyboard. It was one of the only times I have ever downed enough Kava to feel sick. I got into a friends car to go out to dinner and had to say "woah man, turn around." Needless to say, I sobered up and wrote my review over a bowl the next day. In retrospect, I do remember using that 2:1 ratio that I look back on now as being preposterous

I must say that, though I appreciated the flavor of Wow! Kava the first time around, I didn't appreciate it enough. Compared to so many other Kavas, this stuff just melts in your mouth. It tastes as light and smooth as Malekula Magic but with an added sweetness to it. It has this bright, powerful white hue to it that looks more like a White Chocolate Mocha than a shell of freshly brewed Kava. Not much pepper or any other kind of spicy notes to this brew. It has more of a cashewy, thick, creamy flavor that makes you want to drink more. A truly one-of-a-kind Nakamal at Home Kava that keeps them at the very top of the Kava game. Let's all raise our shells to Nakamal at Home and say, Bula!

As for the effects, they still kick my ass. Now that I have a mental/body addition to my ranking, I can explore both of those angles. This Kava is very stimulating, with more of a calming *high* that perks you up a bit. On an empty stomach, I can reasonably say that Wow! has one of the most desirable feelings you can find in Kava. Significantly less "stony" than Solomon (which to me has become a gold standard for hypnotic, mind expanding Kavas) but not as driving and over-the-top as Chief's Jungle. The first time I drank this stuff I remember sitting on the couch and getting clammy hands and actually sweating a little bit. That was, of course, on the 2:1 mix. Tonight I am sitting quite relaxed, typing this out after three shells and enjoying some music. However, my mind feels quite washed over, cleansed, and sharp. I am able to focus my thoughts and, even after a day of jumping from one task to the other, just think about how much I love this Kava. How could you argue with that? I think I'll have another shell.

Being an every-other-day jogger, I often get a little soreness in my legs. I especially had it earlier today. Now, not so much. This Kava works for a great body high. I do have to say, however, that it is not nearly as potent in that respect as I remember. The first time I drank this stuff, I could barely stand up after drinking it. There is a strong possibility that it is getting a bit stale. But now that I've had another shell (the one I said I was going to drink in the last paragraph) I am beginning to float a little bit and lose some control over my limbs. Yup, there it is. Hahaha. Wow!!

Taste - 10/10
Effect (Mind) - 9.75/10
Effect (Body) - 9.5/10
Strength - Strong-Very Strong

Nakamal at Home's Wow! Kava - 9.75/10

When To Drink Kava

2010-12-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

Typically, I drink Kava six days out of the week. But timing a Kava session is crucial to getting the most out of your grog. I have learned this the hard way, by either drinking Kava too early, too late, or too much or too little at just the wrong time. I want to provide a few tips on getting the most out of your Kava, depending on what you want it to do for you. Also, it will give you further insight into how I set up my Kava reviews and how I assure that I am approaching each Kava under the same equal and "objective" circumstances.

My first rule is that I don't drink Kava after I have eaten a meal. This is really key to getting the most out of your Kava, or even enjoying it at all. Part of respecting your Kava is allowing it to fully embrace you. Kava on a full stomach is basically worthless. If you know you are going to drink Kava, make sure you plan your meals so that you can fit in Kava sometime just before dinner.

Winter months are the best for drinking Kava, because it gets dark earlier. I find that Kava is best consumed about 1 to 1 1/2 before the sun begins to set. Here in San Diego, 4:30-5:00 seems to be the best time for me to have a 24-ounce bowl of Kava ready for the drinking (my own serving) - if I have a guest over for a Kava session I make 48-ounce bowl. As I typically get home from work at around 4, this always turns out to be perfect. If I've had a light lunch (a general rule for me) at around 11:30-12:00, then by 4:30-5:00 I feel just hungry enough to know that I have an "empty stomach." This way, I can be well krunked before I sit down to eat. Conveniently, Kava seems to bring the bouquet of dinner to life and also weaken ones appetite to allow them to eat a decent, humble amount.

Of course, I save some Kava for after dinner. But typically, I drink this Kava a couple hours after dinner rather late in the evening. A second Kava session after 8 or 9 o'clock is great for a second buzz and provides a rather ideal night cap (depending on the strain, of course!) Recently, I have started with a Vanuatu or PNG Kava in the early evening and ended the night with a Tongan or Fijian Kava.

I almost never drink Kava during the morning or early afternoon. I have, on occasion, drank instant Kava on stressful days. One thing I have noticed about daytime Kava is that it typically doesn't have the desired effect. You want to feel relaxed, less stressed, less anxious, etc. But typically, I just dread the fact that I have to continue going through the daily grind after I have had some Kava. "Oh, I was stressed out and now I've had some Kava. Now I feel really good but everything and everyone else around me is bright and fast and thinks I should be along for the ride." Yeah, not very agreeable. At least that's how I feel about it.

One of the great side effects of having a strict Kava drinking routine is that you tend to get healthier. You eat smaller portions at more regular times and tend to drink less alcohol. I used to love drinking beer, but now that I drink Kava so regularly I don't find as much time for beer. Also, we shouldn't forget that Kava is good for our minds and spirits. Drinking Kava regularly can cut anxiety out of your life almost completely. As most good Kavas stay with you for a full day, drinking it around the same time every day will keep you away from stress and tension throughout the day.

Paradise Kava - 100% Hawaiian Awa

2010-12-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

There doesn't seem to be any record for these kinds of things, but I'm quite sure that 2010 has probably been the best year for Kava yet. About five years ago, it was incredibly hard to find good, readily available Kava online. Now it seems like new vendors are opening every day, and that new, fresher Kava powders are been delivered to our door steps. Paradise Kava is one of the best new vendors I have tried, and even though I've only had their Southern Fiji Premium Kava and this Hawaiian Awa, I am thrilled to see what they come up with next. According to their website, they will be selling frozen, FedExed fresh Kava juice very soon. That will be a day for the history books.

Now, onto this 100% Hawaiian Awa. It's another record-setter in my book, and though I'm incredibly high on it right now, I'll do my best to type out an objective review. According to the Paradise Kava website, this is a blend of Hiwa, Mahakea, and Mo'i varieties (all familiar to those of us who have been ordering from Hawaiian Kava Center) that is sold as an extra fine ground dry root powder. I was fortunate enough to get a bag of this before the website even opened, and I was stunned by its taste, effects, and sheer beauty. Here are a few pictures of the ground powder and the resulting grog:

One thing that stands out about this blend is its anesthetic effect. As an almost nightly Kava drinker, I was surprised at how potently and thoroughly this stuff numbed up my tongue, throat, and jaw. I half expected a dentist to come charging through the back door with a drill and a collapsible chair. It is really quite something, and I haven't had such a strong reaction in that sense since I first drank Nakamal at Home's "Wow" Kava last year.

The taste of this Kava is incredibly mild. Let me walk through it. When you first touch your lips to the Kava, it has a bitter, nutty taste that is full and creamy like the very color of the brew. It then proceeds into a kind of peppery taste not unlike Nakamal at Home's Stone, but a bit longer lasting, more substantial, and thicker. I strained with a traditional Fijian strainer, so I didn't get any grit - but it still felt heavy and rooty and viney. That peppery flavor kind of naturally switches on the anesthetic response and soon it is impossible to discern the numbness from the flavor. It is like a blend of physical reaction and spicy flavor. Again, I'm krunked while writing this and obviously continuing to drink Kava. Heaven help the Kavasseur.

As for the effects, this might be the most agreeable Kava I have tried. As if I already didn't think my ranking, or grading, system wasn't good enough - now I have tried this. Mentally, it is abnormally relaxing. I got home from work around 4:00 and it is now 5:00, and just about 90 minutes ago I was driving home on the freeway getting cut off by people in cars much shinier than mine. Their faces like intent manipulative lizards, those careeners and dodgers are the very bane of modern life. Roads become stress tests and it seems all the annoying comments of the day are dealt with on these concrete arteries. Not mine, of course. I drive slowly and intently like a stream of thick Kava pouring from a shell. No reason to make the hectic hecticer. Let that stress roll off your back when you get home and down a couple shells - let it drift away and never come back. Yes, this Kava is the antidote. This Awa. This Hawaiian Awa. Drain a couple shells and it all falls behind you like a sickly murky dream. As the daylight sets and the Kava seeps into your blood, so does your heart slow down and your eyes grow heavy and kind. Your muscles fill with warmth and your skin tingles. A blanket and some jazz on the couch? Why not? This Kava delivers mentally and physically, and feels crushingly strong. It's one of those grogs where you've downed three shells and then thought to yourself: "Was that too much?" I feel like articulating words and feeling out the contours of their sounds. I'm absolutely krunked.

So yeah, that's Paradise Kava's "100% Hawaiian Awa" for you. A new reigning champion. Sorry if that got a little too descriptive, but that's how my experience this dusk has been. Krunk on...

Flavor - 9.5/10
Effect (Mind) - 10/10
Effect (Body) - 10/10
Strong-Very Strong

Paradise Kava's 100% Hawaiian Awa - 9.83/10

Kona Kava Store - Kavalovetone 84% Capsules

2010-12-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay. This about does in the Kona Kava Store in my book.

First of all, I didn't really want these capsules. Ordering them was a complete accident. I was trying to order their 84% liquigels for stressful situations, something to ease the tension during the day. But I get too generous with the clicks sometimes and found myself cursing at my computer after I saw "Thank You For Your Order!" There are apparently two 84% capsules sold by Kona Kava - one is kavalactone and one is kavalovetone. The Kavalovetone is a concoction of kava extract, St. John's Wort, gotu kola, and other herbs I am not even remotely interested in. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against love. But I do have something against replacing the beating heart of Kava with an ephemeral emotion. To top it all off, I immediately sent an email to Kona Kava Store to which they promptly replied "Too late, we already sent it." Really? Most Kava vendors are nice folks who keep the lines of communication open. Most would at least send out a complimentary bottle of the stuff I had intended to buy. You know, to keep the customer satisfied... I was a bit taken aback. Victims of their own success? Possibly.

Second of all, these capsules do absolutely nothing. The bottle said take 2-3, so I took 6. One hour later I was basically ready to cry into my palms for paying $30 for 60 powerless and pointless vegan gel capsules. Absolutely nothing. To add insult to injury, the bottle has a crappy little label on it that looks as if it was printed sometime in the late 1980s on one of those teeth-fed printers that made a racket and caused neighbors to shut their windows*. For $30 you'd expect something better than that. The capsules are these little cheap-looking clear caps that have that health food store smell we have grown to... love? I gave them a good hour before judging, and then another additional hour to make sure, and then I sighed deeply and took down a bag of Pacific Kava Waka Kava and dumped two tablespoons into a strainer bag. I proceeded to get as krunk as possible on two tablespoons/two cups of Waka Kava - not a difficult task.

I've ordered several Kona Kava products and got the same disappointing results. While the Mahakea powder is decent (at best), their other products are really gimmicky and will be sure to disappoint. I'm not even sure if these capsules had Kava in them.

Not a Kava powder, so I'm not going to break it down.

0 shells out of 10

*Readers younger than 25 years old, read on and ignore this archaeological reference.

Kava by Rex - Vanuatu Isa/Tudei

2010-11-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

Kava by Rex seems to be the new game in town. So far, I've been overwhelmed by the fresh flavor and surprising potency of their Kavas. I also like the grind of it - it is nice and powdery and just smells wonderful when you open the bag. I've already reviewed the Vanuatu 3 Kava and tried the Fiji Waka blend (to be reviewed soon), and both of those tasted fresh and felt great. But tonight I brewed up a batch of Vanuatu Isa/Tudei and was really impressed.

I can't figure out whether or not there is legitimacy to the claim that this is Piper wichmanii, though the Kava by Rex website admittedly explains that it is "speculated" to be so. To those who don't already know, Piper wichmanii is the wild variety of Kava that the various varieties of Piper methysticum were derived (domesticated) from. It is said that Piper wichmanii stills grows wildly in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and could have been endemic to either of those two contemporary countries. The website also claims that this Kava may last for two days, which I also can't confirm or deny at this point. One thing is for sure: with the kind of pleasant "happy" buzz it gives I certainly hope it really does last two days.

This Kava is quite thick and very typical of Vanuatu Kava. It has a mild peppery flavor to it which I think is much subdued by the prescribed preparation method - 2 tablespoons to 16 oz. of water. It is very delicious and reminds me a bit of Nakamal at Home's "Wow!" Vanuatu Kava. There are actually a few similarities that lead me to wonder whether there is some connection between the two varieties.

It gives off a subdued, giddy kind of feeling that is warm but perky. I was actually feeling a bit tired prior to drinking it but was pleasantly surprised by a kind of "second wind." If you're a Kava kavasseur, you'll understand when I say this Kava helps you "breathe deeply." It makes you want to stretch your body and massage your muscles. It takes away all sense of pain in your muscles and joints. Of all the Kavas I have tried this one seems the most appropriate to be placed in the category of "medicinal." It also has very mild but pleasant psychological effects, reducing feelings of stress and overwhelming worry that too often accompany our "modern" lives. In fact, as I write this I must report that I feel better right now - in this blissful and rested moment - than I have in a few days. As I said above, if this truly is Tudei (two day) than I have found yet another great companion in the Kava universe.

Taste - 8/10
Effect (Body) - 9.5/10
Effect (Mind) - 9.5/10

Kava by Rex Vanuatu Isa/Tudei 9/10

Kava by Rex - Vanuatu 3 Special Edition

2010-11-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

For me, this Kava is something of a return to Vanuatu. In J. Marteen Troost's "Getting Stoned With Savages" he discusses the intense competition between Melanesian islands in trying to boast the "strongest, best Kava." I feel like I've been, at least mentally, running around the south Pacific looking my own favorite Kava. My own strongest, best Kava. Papau New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, the Solomon Islands, and Samoa. There are so many island nations with so many different kinds of Kava. Creamy, delicious and fresh Fijian Kavas. Hypnotic, deep, and sensual Solomon Island brews. Naughty, rough, and primal Guinean shells. But Kava drinkers must remember that it all started in Vanuatu. Or maybe Papau New Guinea.... well, it's up in the air. But one thing is certain - Vanuatu is the beating heart of Kava Kava.

So I was delighted to try not only a new Vanuatu Kava, but a new Kava vendor. I had heard great things about "Kava by Rex." One of these great things included being able to brew 16 oz. of grog with only a tablespoon. Wait, really? Yes. Indeed.

I know I say this a lot, but this Kava tastes really great. Owing to its totally different consistency from other Kavas available on the market - once again, 16 ounces of water to 1 tablespoon of Kava - it is slightly lighter, milkier, and creamier. No really spiciness to it, nor grittiness. But it also has a complete taste, and doesn't taste like "watered-down" Kava. It has a very "soft" taste which temps the drinker into making the somewhat presumptuous decision to drink a lot of it. I drank about six shells, pushing myself to make the not-too-difficult decision to brew a second bowl.

But the best thing about this Kava is that it didn't really get me krunked. It just got me.. well... happy. After all, it had been a long day, and I deserved it, right? I... think.. I'll.... have.... another....

Well, nevermind that. Maybe I was krunked after all. My legs felt quite heavy, nay, like two heavy logs attached to my thighs. My eyes felt deep, strong, and acute. My muscles felt warm, un-coiled and massaged. My mind grew steadily more relaxed. I was able to really enjoy the book I was reading on the post-colonial Congo (don't ask) with a nice rumbling jazz soundtrack to guide the narrative along. Shell after shell, I grew more and more content. About three hours later I was able to crawl into bed, put on some music, and become enveloped in great warmth.

This is really good Kava.

Really, at $25.00 a pound and 1 tablespoon to 16 ounces of water, how could you refuse?

Kava by Rex - Vanuatu 3 Special Edition

Taste 9/10
Effect (Mind) - 9.5/10
Effect (Body) - 10/10
Strength - Medium-Strong

Vanuatu 3 Special Edition - 9.5 shells out of 10

More Kava Reviews Coming Soon!

2010-11-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

Kavasseur has been a bit slow recently as a result of other obligations. But never fear, I have been continuing to order and drink different varieties of Kava and new reviews will be up very shortly. Readers can look forward to reviews of the following Kavas in the next few weeks:

Kava By Rex Vanuatu 3 Limited Edition
Paradise Kava 100% Hawaiian Awa
Kava By Rex Fiji Waka
Hawaiian Kava Center Mo'i

Also, if you want to submit your own reviews or share Kava stories, email me at kavasseur@gmail.com and I will post them on the blog.

Thanks, Douglas

Paradise Kava - Southern Fiji Premium Kava

2010-10-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more exciting in the Kava world than the debut of a new Kava seller online. I learned about Paradise Kava some months back - through casual internet browsing - and arranged to have a sample of their up-and-coming line of Kavas delivered to me prior to November 1, the launch of their website. I just received two of their Kavas - 100% Hawaiian Awa and southern Fiji Premium Kava - a few days ago and finally got around to brewing one up tonight.

As you can see from the picture, this Kava literally came as a small sample in a sandwich bag. There was about a full cup of Fijian dried root, and I wanted to save some for a second brewing. Upon opening the bag, I encountered one of the freshest smelling Kavas I have ever encountered. I don't know why, but everytime I open a bag of Fijian Kava I think to myself "now this is why I continue to drink Kava." This reminds me a lot of Pacific Kava's Waka Kava, which I reviewed some months back. It just smells great. I mixed 1/2 cup of Kava with 2 cups of water and let it sit for about 15 minutes before squeezing it through twice. The final product was a clean, milky Kava with a smooth texture and wonderful scent.

I don't pretend to be impartial about this - I love Fijian Kavas. Although I typically rate Vanuatu, Solomon, and PNG Kavas higher on rankings, I actually prefer to drink Fijian or Tongan Kavas. It is like the difference between a relaxing, tasty wine and a shot of whiskey. On most nights, you're going to want to reach for the wine. That is how I feel about Fijian Kava. It's a Thursday night and I'm a bit wound up after a hard day of work - time for some Fijian Kava.

Paradise Kava has sourced out a fine dried root powder that is fresh, tasty, and potent. It has that clean, smooth quality to it that permits you to put back several shells rather casually. As someone who has tried more than 20 strains of Kava, I want to emphasize that this Kava tastes absolutely wonderful. It has a low, soft, and creamy texture with a refreshing high bite to it. If you have had a good Hawaiian Kava - like Hawaiian Kava Center's "Hiwa" - you will know exactly what I'm talking about. The finish is smooth and the aftertaste has a pleasant chalkiness to it. Yes, I said "pleasant chalkiness."

The effects are most pronounced on the de-stressing and muscle relaxing fronts. Yet as with most Fijian Kavas, you are not going to be bowled over by an overwhelmingly strong punch. These Kavas are celebrated for their casual nature, for their sociable qualities, and for their medicinally mild stress-soothing properties.

A winner indeed.

Taste - 10/10
Effect (Mind) - 8/10
Effect (Body) 8.5/10

Paradise Kava - Southern Fiji Premium Kava - 8.8/10

Strength - Mild-Medium

Vanuatu Kava Store - Tanna Marang

2010-10-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is a great, mild, weekday Kava that will ease your stress while letting you relax reassured that it won't be too challenging to wake up the following morning and head off to work.

The taste is similar to Tanna Kaolik, though with a little bit of an added peppery flavor that probably also signifies its increased strength. It goes down very smooth and would be an ideal Kava for a first time drinker - good taste, mild effects, great for long Kava sessions. I made 2 cups of Kava/6 cups of water and shared with a friend. We drank through it slowly and by the end of the night were in the absolute ideal state of mind to part ways before heading home for some sleep. I would suggest serving this Kava with ice as it compliments the flavor quite well.

The mind effect is a mild, heady buzz that is most pronounced around the temples. Has a nice gentle effect on the eyes that is "stony." I would say this is an ideal Kava for its anti-anxiety effects and would be perfect for a weekday night. However, if you are a fan of Malekula Magic it would probably be best to stick with that delicious, consistent blend. Not too powerful on the muscles and limbs, which left me a little wanting, but still very nice overall.

Flavor - 8/10
Effect (Mind) - 9/10
Effect (Body) - 8/10
Strength - Mild

Tanna Marang - 8.5/10

Kule's Kava Farm - Fiji Kava

2010-10-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

What can I say, this tastes and feels pretty much like any Kava I've had from Fiji, with the single exception of Waka Kava from Pacific Kava. No hard feelings towards this Kava, or Nakamal at Home's Fiji Kava, but it is just not a buzz that I crave too much. Pleasant, tasty, and mellow? Yes. Mind-blowing and extra stress-relieving? No.

Of course, Fijian Kavas taste wonderful. Very refreshing and easy to put down, perfect for sitting around with friends. You could easily take down five or six shells of this stuff by yourself and still feel like drinking more. Very light, creamy, and smooth. Has quite the nice anesthetic effect on the lips, and doesn't cause any kind of serious gag effect or upset stomach. This would be the ideal Kava for a newcomer or for a Kava party. Probably even more ideal would be a cold pitcher of this at a Kava bar.

The effects are nice, with a mild stimulating buzz and a pleasant body high. Fijian Kavas - again, with the exception of Pacific Kava's Waka Kava - always strike me as being very utilitarian. You can brew this stuff up and just drink all night without having to worry about being blasted too far off. Imagine downing five or six shells of Solomon or Wow, that would take you pretty deep into the jungly heart of Kava-world. Fiji Kava allows you to be yourself with a little added buzz; it's a nice Kava that likes to be neutral in a world of extremes. Like I said in earlier reviews of Nakamal at Home's Fiji Kava, this stuff is good to keep around for Sunday and Monday nights. No excuse to get krunk, but you still need some Kava. I like it.

Flavor - 7.5/10
Effect (Mind) - 7/10
Effect (Body) - 7/10
Strength - Mild

Kule's Kava Farm Fiji Kava - 7.2/10

Kule's Kava Farm Fiji Kava, PNG Kava, and Vanuatu Melomelo can all be purchased from Amazon.com for a good price. Plus, you'll get 'em really quick:

Hawaiian Kava Center - Mo'i Kava

2010-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

These Hawaiian Kavas are quickly rising up on the Kavasseur's list of favorites, and Mo'i is no exception to the trend. With superb flavor, stimulating yet mellowing effects, and a medium strength that puts this Kava easily on the weekday menu, this could become the new "Kava of choice" for happy hours in Kavaheads' homes.

When you open a bag of Kava from Hawaiian Kava Center, it is a divine experience. They package their kava in vacuum-sealed bags that, once again, look like they were designed for espresso. It has a beautiful cocoa-tint and is ground to a thick powder that is not too fine and not too coarse. The kava looks and smells so good that it feels great to knead it through the mesh.

I would describe the flavor of this Kava as exceptional. It is that very top of my Kava list when it comes to flavor. As the description of the site claims, Mo'i Kava has definite chocolate notes with thick, almost buttery undertones. When I squeezed my second batch of Mo'i, I tried to build on its natural chocolately flavor by adding a pinch or two of cocoa powder. All I can say is this - I highly recommend trying it. A lot of purists don't like to mix Kava with anything, but try this out and you'll be glad you did.

It is a high, stimulating Kava that feels a lot like what I've come to expect from Hawaiian Kavas. Not what you are looking for if you prefer the effects of Solomon Kava, Tongan Kava, or Stone Kava. But it's very good for company and for new Kava drinkers who might be adverse to the flavor of Stone, Solomon (which I think tastes great, personally), or Chief's Jungle. It doesn't knock you off your feet the way that some Kavas do, but refined Kava drinkers know that is not what to look for in a good Kava. I feel like a good Kava does three things: gives you an immediate de-stressing, is easy to control by gauging intake (doesn't fall back or creep too suddenly), provides some kind of happy respite. There are some Kavas that, to me, just hit me too strongly or too weakly and then bounce around.

Flavor 10/10
Effect (Mind) 7.5/10
Effect (Body)7.5/10
Strength - Medium

Hawaiian Kava Center - Mo'i Kava 8.3/10

Kule's Kava Farm - PNG (Papau New Guinea) Kava

2010-09-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

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:

Kule's Kava Farm - Melomelo (Vanuatu)

2010-09-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Kule's Kava Farm offers Kava from different islands, apparently one from each of the major countries that celebrate Kava as one of their exports: Vanuatu, Fiji, Hawaii (US), and Papua New Guinea. If you order the Sampler Pack from their home website, which I did, you will get the Papua New Guinea Kava. You cannot order the PNG Kava by itself, apparently. For around $50, the Sampler Pack really is quite a good deal, especially considering that you can squeeze this stuff quite a bit before it runs dry.

Melomelo is a pretty run-of-the-mill Vanuatu Kava with a strong flavor and a heady, pleasant buzz. Owing to said flavor, however, I wouldn't brew this one up for newbies. It has a very thick, peppery taste with quite a sharp bite that stays in your mouth after you've downed a shell. When people talk about "Kava anxiety," they are referring to the anxiety that comes from this kind of pungent, "hot" Kava. It feels like it might give you an unsettled stomach, but it doesn't. Fortunately, you can brew quite a bit of Kava from one cup of dried powder - I was able to get a strong, consistent Kava by mixing 1 cup of Melomelo with 3 1/2 cups of water.

The buzz is certainly the better half of the package. It is comparable to Black Sand but is perhaps a notch weaker in its muscle-relaxant properties. It has more of a "heady" feel to it that acts as a kind of mild stimulant in a way similar to a Hawaiian Kava. The perky buzz is not something I have ever experienced from a Vanuatu Kava, so it is rather interesting. The website claims that Melomelo is given its name because of its very relaxing properties, which I find curious. This Kava seems like it would be better for socializing than fully relaxing.

As a side note, the website claims that this Kava is simply uprooted, dried in the sun, and then processed into its powder form. I definitely feel like the skin of the root is what gives it its strong flavor. Not something I prefer, but definitely worth trying at least once.

Flavor - 6.5/10
Body Effect - 6/10
Mind Effect - 7.5/10
Strength - Medium Strength

Kule's Kava Farm "Melomelo" Kava - 6.7/10

Hawaiian Kava Center - Hiwa Kava

2010-09-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wanted a great-tasting Kava that you can share with your friends and talk deep into the night over, look no further.

Due to amazing and creative presentation, unparalleled freshness, superior taste, and a high-quality, long-lasting Kava "buzz," this easily ranks as one of the best Kavas I have ever found on the internet. Hawaiian Kava Center ships their Kava in vacuum-sealed bags that look like they would sooner contain espresso beans than Kava. Rather ironically, "Hiwa" Kava produces a clean, stimulating Kava high that mimics what an anti-anxiety coffee might feel like. This Kava doesn't make you feel even remotely tired - just blissfully happy and grateful. In other words, the presentation matches the product quite accurately.

I mixed about 2 cups of Kava/9 cups of water with six friends of mine about one hour before and then again one hour after a nice meal. Of course, the first batch hit the best - we drank it on empty stomachs. The initial surprise with Hiwa is the taste - this stuff just tastes, well, magical. Clean, fresh, potent, numbing, complex, smooth. All of those words could be defined by the taste of this Kava. It has no bitterness to it, just a smooth, creamy texture and an almost buttery finish. It has a pretty strong anesthetic effect followed by an almost immediate draining of stress from your muscles, mind, limbs, and soul. The flavor and the effects dance together quite well. It is one of those really lovely Kavas where its hard to separate the components apart from each other. The mind mirrors the body and the body mirrors the mind. Yeah, I know that sounds a bit like contrived beatnik poetry, but it can't be said any other way.

This is only the second Hawaiian Kava I have tried, the other being Kona Kava. This blows Kona Kava away. Hawaiian Kava Center is extremely professional, quick to ship, and non-gimmicky. A 16 oz. bag goes quite a long way, and the powder is finely ground - which seems to preserve the freshness and the kavalactones. Though the website may come across as simple and to-the-point, don't let that discourage you from buying and trying this stuff. This is now my number one recommended Kava, with very high rankings in all respects.

Flavor - 9.5/10

Effect (Mind) - 10/10

Effect (Body) -10/10

Strength - Medium-Strong

Hawaiian Kava Center's "Hiwa" Kava - 9.8/10

Take 10 For Sleep - Review by Kaiden Fox

2010-09-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

It’s probably not the best time for me to be reviewing a new kava, but it’s probably the best time to be drinking kava anyway. If your life is at all like mine, you’ll enjoy some kava at the end of a day like today.

I have to explain tomorrow to my boss’s boss’s boss why I insist that that a yellow guy with a slanted eyes, lemon-yellow skin and a conical hat is an offensive racist caricature. Oh, wait, that’s right… Pekin, IL no longer calls their team the “Pekin Chinks” and thus has abandoned that mascot. The kava must have confused me, or maybe the other stuff they add to it in this mixture. The actual mascot I have to explain is an offensive caricature is Chief Wahoo. This is on top of arguing over an incorrect $35 charge, trying to choose a schedule when I don’t really know what will work best with classes, a car in need of repairs (but not dire need), and just a generally messed-up life situation.

Well, this stuff appears to be more or less kava. The taste isn’t too bad. I expected sweet. People like sweet. Kava isn’t sweet. I don’t think kava is bitter, but it is “earthy.” That is perhaps the best way to describe kava. This anti-energy shot is not “earthy.” Originally, I wasn’t going to rate the flavor, because the flavor isn’t kava. But, it’s not the citrus “rancid Mountain Dew” taste of an energy shot. The flavor is “blackberry,” and they come pretty close to mimicry of a berry flavor. Naturally, the recommendation to put the tropical fruit away goes double here. While I almost never cleanse my pallet with fruit after kava these days, I do recall a Laura Ingles Wilder story about a birthday party with cake and lemonade. The girl took a sip of lemonade, thought it was sweet, took a bite of cake, thought it was sweet, and took another sip of lemonade, and thought it was sour. The cake is a lie. I won’t lecture anyone on diet today, other than to say a good way to appreciate kava, as well as appreciate the taste of natural foods in general, is to completely eliminate all sugar and sugar substitutes and never look back. Of course, this is hypocritical of me to recommend as I drink a sorbital-sweetened elixir.

This is definitely kava, and a few other things. This is the first time I’ve drank kava since Monday, but the kava effects I’m feeling are probably due to the build-up effect. If this anti-energy drink is your first introduction to kava, it is probably a truer way than pills but a less frightening way than a shell or two of prepared or even instant kava.

Rather than using a shell, I am drinking these shots in-situ. Partly this is out of respect for the shell, and partly because the intent of the packaging is to have the drink be self-contained.

For effects, it is really not quite as “body” as many of the other kavas, but it is relaxing. Fatiguing, even, perhaps. Mentally, I feel creative but not under pressure. (To be fair, I started writing after deciding I had enough after writing a few paragraphs about the epistemological failure of H. Sapiens to grasp death as a state). Music euphoria is present. I’m listening to tracks with trance roots, four-on-the-floor beats, beats made for dancing, straight drum beats and a female vocal. This, according to Pandora.com, is the music I prefer when listening to kava.

This isn’t just kava, of course. We’re looking at a combination of various somewhat-narcotic herbs. With valarian and passionflower, this produces very relaxing sleep complete with the vivid dreams that kava sometimes incudes. The product, “Take 10 For Sleep,” lives up to its name. There does not appear to be much of a morning-after effect, but I did wake up quite happy.

At $4.50 for two bottles, (and the package says not to take more than two bottles at once), it’s about on par on the cost of a shell at a North American nakamal. I would recommend this product for short trips where you expect to have your luggage searched and don’t want to explain why you have a zip-lock bag of brown powder that numbs the lips and tongue when tasted.

Taste 9/10 (this is compared to “energy shots,” not kava)
Effect, 8/10

Overall, 8.5/10 “shots” of sleeping potion.

Vanuatu Kava Store - Tanna Kaolik

2010-09-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Despite Vanuatu Kava Store's claim that Tanna Kaolik is the strongest Kava from Tanna Island in Vanuatu, Tanna Kaolik is overall a relatively mild Kava that is appropriate for weekday consumption. I thought I was going to be getting myself into something overwhelming when I squeezed out a batch of Tanna, but in the end I was able to drink about 5 cups and only get a mild buzz with a little bit of pleasant tiredness.

Vanuatu Kava Store's two Tanna Kavas - Tanna Kaolik and Tanna Marang - both come from Tanna Island in Vanuatu. The video featured on Vanuatu Kava Store's website which is used to aid Kava drinkers in how to brew Kava features scenes from Tanna Island.

Tanna Kava is definitely not a "strong" Kava, as advertised on the VKS website. Again, it is difficult to know whether this is a problem with consistency or just because it is simply not a strong Kava. It is, at best, a slightly relaxing Kava that provides a good way to wind down after a long day. Unfortunately for Tanna Kaolik, there is already a perfect Kava for that - Malekula Magic. If I'm putting down money at the Vanuatu Kava Store, it's going to be on Malekula Magic.

In terms of taste, it is a pretty run-of-the-mill Kava with no really impressive differences. It has a pretty mild numbing effect and can be described as a slightly peppery, somewhat bitter Kava that is comparable to other Vanuatu Kavas, such as Nakamal at Home's Black Sand. Again, I am not a huge fan of the bouquet of flavors provided by Vanuatu Kavas - I prefer the milky, nutty taste of a Tongan Kava or the fresh, delicious flavor of a Fijian Kava. That being said, VKS' Malekula Magic is a Vanuatuan Kava that is prepared by peeling the roots before drying and grounding them. Reviewed earlier, Malekula Magic is one of my favorites. Tanna Kaolik is not.

Taste - 7.5/10

Effect (Mind) - 7/10

Effect (Body) - 7/10

Strength - Mild

Vanuatu Kava Store's Tanna Kaolik - 7.2 out of 10 shells

Let's Discuss Kava!

2010-09-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Responding to suggestions from contributors to this blog, I've set up a discussion board so that we can discuss Kava in a more organized environment (rather than just in comments sections).

Here is the link :http://kavalounge.yuku.com/ You will have to, of course, set up a free account with Yuku in order to post.

This weekend I will be reviewing the two Tanna Kavas sold by Vanuatu Kava Store. I've already sampled one of them and will be typing and posting the review by tomorrow evening.

A Message From Kavasseur

2010-09-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

If you love Kava and are following this blog, please make sure that you check out the comments that follow each review or news story. Some of the best stuff on this blog is in the comments section, where we have fellow Kavasseurs posting about their own experiences with Kava and their own suggestions. Furthermore, these comments sections offer a great wealth of knowledge about the chemistry, origins, and distribution of Kava throughout the South Pacific.

Finally, add your own comments! In order to keep this blog alive, we need contributions from readers like you. Oftentimes, fellow Kavasseurs are my inspiration to post more and review more. We are a small but growing community. Drink more, review more, celebrate more!

How to Make Kava From Dried Root

2010-09-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write up an illustrated piece on how I make Kava. It's a question I get a lot, and I think both first-timers as well as other Kavasseurs could benefit from seeing how I make it. It would be great to hear suggestions, advice, or any other tips you can offer related to how you make Kava.

Step 1 - Select Your Kava

Do you want weekend grade? Weekday grade? Weekday-with-nothing-too-important-the-next-day grade?

Step 2 - Collect your gear.

You will need two large bowls that can hold around 6 cups of water. You will also need soy lecithin. Next retrieve a large spoon, a ladle, and a measuring cup. It is good to have two sieves - a large sieve to squeeze the Kava, and a smaller finer sieve to strain the Kava after it is squeezed. At the end of this post, I have added a link to Kule Kava Farm's smaller sieves, which are absolutely perfect for the final strain.

Step 3 - Heat the water and add soy lecithin.

Once you have everything together, heat two cups of water until they are warm. Pour the warm water into one of the glass bowls and stir in the soy lecithin.

Step 4 - Add additional water and Kava.

Add two more cups of water to the initial two cups of warm water and soy lecithin, so that you have four cups of water with soy lecithin. Next, add ONE cup of Kava - compacted - to the water. If you want more Kava than this, double up your order (two cups of Kava to eight cups of water). If you want a stronger Kava, use less water - though I don't normally like to drink Kava that is too thick.

Step 5 - Let your Kava sit.

Just let your Kava sit in the room temperature water for about thirty minutes. The finer the Kava is ground, the less you need to wait. However, it is always a good idea to let it sit for thirty minutes.

Step 6 - Squeeze your Kava.

This is the most important step, and one that makes or breaks the final product. Drape your larger sieve over the edges of your second glass bowl and pour half (if one cup of Kava/four cups of water) of the Kava into the sieve. Let the Kava move to the bottom of the sieve and squeeze it for about six minutes, dunking it in and out of the water and finally squeezing it into the root is fully dry. Take out the squeeze-dried Kava and pour in the second half of the bowl, repeating the same process. You can put all of the dried Kava aside and start the whole process over, creating a second, much weaker batch.

Step 7 - Final strain.

Once you are satisfied with the consistency of the Kava you have squeezed, pour it into the second bowl that is covered with a smaller, finer sieve. Gently squeeze whatever Kava is in the bottom out, being careful not to let the bigger pieces of Kava through.

Step 8 - Add ice (if desired) and serve.

This is how I make my Kava. No blender, just strength. I used to use less water, but realized that Kava tastes much better when it is more diluted. I like to be able to drink four or five shells. It would be interesting to hear other suggestions for brewing Kava. Bula!

Vanuatu Kava Store - Malekula Magic

2010-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

*A NOTE FROM KAVASSEUR* This Kava reviewing business is much more difficult than many people would imagine, especially when it has grown to be something significant in the online Kava drinking world. I'll be the first to admit that my ranking scales are slightly difficult to interpret, and have evolved over time as I've tried new Kavas. I've even had to go back and tinker with old reviews because some of them were too low - or too high. Additionally, Piper methysticum tends to be a fickle plant - some perk you up, some wind you down, some "stone" you, some are better for sore muscles, some are better for colorful dreams, and some can even bring a spark to a relationship. To even further complicate things, Kava builds up in your system and can increase in effect as you drink it. In the end, you are the judge of what Kava is best for you. What I try to do with this blog is explain how Kava hits me and what some of the stand-out Kavas are. I realize that people who enjoy the taste of Kava are NOT a dime a dozen, so when I digress on what I consider to be a "delicious" Kava, just bear with me...

Vanuatu Kava Store - Malekula Magic

First of all, three "Bulas!" to Vanuatu Kava Store for making some of the best tasting Kava available online. On all three reviews of VKS' Kavas I have praised them for making fine-tasting Kava. This review will be make no exception to that trend. I can still remember making a gallon of Pentecost Pride for some first-timers who commented "this stuff is not as bad as you told us it would be."

Malekula Magic is a beautiful Kava - in color, taste, feeling, texture, and effect. I know that it seems like every Kava that is passing through my sieves these days is getting rave reviews, but I feel like I've just hit a good stretch of road. It is like test driving a lot of different cars that you are really happy with - which one do you choose? With Kava, it is a good idea to have a lot of different varieties around. To the real Kavasseur, Kava is an almost daily ritual. You want something that is perfect for almost every state of mind. An alcohol-replacement for a Saturday night (Nakamal at Home's Solomon Kava, Chief's Jungle, or Stone), a relaxing Kava after a stressful day (definitely this Malekula Magic, Nakamal at Home's Tongan Kava, Pacific Kava's Waka Kava), a middle-of-the-road Kava for a weekday where you don't have to wake up too early the next day (Nakamal at Home's Niugini or Black Sand), and a good middle-of-the-day Kava for stressful days (VKS' Quick Kava). I've added a new aspect to my reviews - strength. This will reflect how much a particular Kava, well, gets you "high."

According to the Vanuatu Kava Store's website "when you buy Vanuatu kava of this [Malekula Magic] type expect a milder taste and a mellow ride and buzz." Indeed. This is almost the perfect description of this Kava, but I will elaborate on it a little bit. Malekula Magic is prepared by harvesting the roots of the plant and then peeling the skin off of the root. The "bitter" taste that often comes with Kava mostly comes from the skin of the roots. Malekula Magic, in other words, doesn't have the "bite" that most Kavas do. Even if you like - nay, love - the bitter peppery taste associated with a hearty Vanuatuan Kava, you will still absolutely love the taste of Malekula Magic. It doesn't really have that "milky" taste typical of a Tongan or Fijian variety, but more of just a level, slightly sweet flavor that seems to be all low notes with almost an almond-like aftertaste. Ideal for newbies in flavor, but still delicious for someone who drinks a lot of Kava and can appreciate a more sophisticated taste.

Malekula Magic is definitely, as described by Vanuatu Kava Store, "mellow." It gives you a very nice, earthy buzz that works the same in the head as it does on the body. In this sense, Malekula Magic provides a more "balanced" buzz than most Kavas. Some Kavas have quite an "off-kilter" effect. Solomon Kava and Chief's Jungle, for example, give you a very powerful head buzz (Solomon being the most disorienting of them all), but Malekula Magic is like a full body massage with a bonus headbuzz. Music sounds absolutely wonderful - for some reason I automatically reached for some Van Morrison. It makes you want to stretch your body out and just put all the stuff that has been bothering you for the day - or the week - aside. If I had to pick an everyday-consumption Kava right now, I'd pick Malekula. Why spend money for a Spa when you could just drink four shells of Malekula? This Kava would be worth keeping a kilo around. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself!

Again, this Kava deserves the rating it gets.

Taste - 9/10
Buzz - 9.5/10
Body - 9.5/10
Strength - Medium (Weekday Grade)

Vanuatu Kava Store's Malekula Magic - 9.3 shells out of 10

Pacific Kava - Waka Kava

2010-08-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, this Kava caught me off guard. It is an excellent Kava. In fact, it is one of the best Kavas I have ever had the pleasure to drink.

I contacted Pacific Kava about one month ago asking them which of their Kavas I should sample. They only currently sell two varieties of Kava that come from one strain: Waka Kava which is the root of kasaleka Fijian Piper Methysticum , and Lewena Kava which is the stem part of the same variety. They advised me to try the Waka Kava first. I didn't realize that they were shipping from New Zealand until it arrived at my door in a small, plastic package that read "New Zealand Post". The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the mailbox was how heavy it was. This stuff is dense, powdery, and delicious. The bag (pictured below) is pretty basic - a ziplock bag with the Pacific Kava label on the front.

When I first opened the bag, I was greeted by probably the greatest scent you can experience from a Kava powder. This stuff smells fantastic, and its taste takes Kava to a whole new level. If you have ever tasted Nakamal at Home's Tongan Kava, or even their Fiji Kava, this Kava is pretty similar in taste - but better. It has that creamy base but still carries some peppery notes. It also has this unique, nay baffling, freshness to it that is almost like a sweet eucalyptus. It has a numbing effect that is pleasantly wedged between intermediate and high. I sampled it with some first-time Kava drinkers and they even commented that "actually, this tastes much better than we thought it would." I had prepared them for Kava anxiety, but probably won a few converts. Really, I am at a loss for words in describing the flavor of this Kava. It would probably be advantageous to take a video of just how beautiful the texture of this stuff is. Really, you have to try it.

Typically, Fijian Kavas are known for their subtlety and their good flavor. I don't think I have ever tasted a bad Fijian Kava. Waka Kava tastes amazing, but actually is a bit stronger than you would expect. It has an immediate effect. This Kava probably gave me more photophobia than I have experienced with other Kavas, but it makes the world seem like a soft, easier place. It doesn't give you photophobia in the sense that lights are offensive, but it gives you photophobia in the sense that you just want to be in a soft, low-lit place. A moonlit night by a pond would be ideal, or perhaps a half-moon bay with waves foaming up the beach shore, In short, this stuff gets you "high." It is like the Fijian equivalent of Nakamal at Home's Vanuatuan Wow! Kava. I can't say enough about this stuff - it is brilliant.

I will never underestimate a Fijian Kava again. Also, I will never again underestimate vendors who I haven't heard much about. Give Pacific Kava a try, you will be very pleased.

This one deserves its high rating:

Flavor 10/10
Mind Effect 9/10
Body Effect 9/10

Pacific Kava's Waka Kava (Kasaleka Fijian) - 9.3 shells out of 10

Vanuatu Kava Store - Quick Kava

2010-08-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Kava drinkers tend to be loyal. In Port Vila, Vanuatu, kavaheads can typically be found krunked at the same nakamals from night to night. Kavasseurs get into a certain Kava, learn to appreciate its consistency, become friendly with the person serving it up, and form our Kava bond. At a nakamal, this might mean strolling up to the same bar day after day and ordering up three shells of Kava; in the world outside, this means typing in our credit card information and waiting (im)patiently for our Kava to arrive at the door. When I first started getting serious about drinking Kava, I ordered up varieties from different vendors and started this blog as a way to collect my experiences and thoughts for myself, and to help others find the Kava they were looking for. The three vendors I ordered from were Nakamal at Home, Kona Kava, and Vanuatu Kava Store.

I would like to get something off my chest here: Kava sources seem to be inconsistent. I've had tins of Shaman instant Kava from Nakamal at Home that were underwhelming, and then I've had tins of Shaman that were extraordinary. I realize that there is probably very little that vendors can do about this, except perhaps forge good relationships with farmers and attempt to get honest judgments about the quality and consistency of their bulk purchases. To put it simply, I had a very poor experience with Vanuatu Kava Store's Pentecost Pride and didn't think I would ever order from them again. But it's good to give a store a second chance, especially when so many variables may possibly be at play.

One thing I don't typically discuss on Kavasseur is price. But it should be mentioned that VKS' Quick Kava is a great value. Take this into consideration: 100 grams of VKS' Quick Kava is $42.95, while 125 grams (N@H doesn't sell a 100 gram tin of Instant Kava) of N@H's Shaman Kava is $71.00. One could even go all out and by a full kilogram of VKS' Quick Kava for $189.95. That's a great deal.

Earlier in the month, I was asked to pit VKS' Quick Kava against N@H' Shaman Instant Kava. In a comment on Kavasseur, someone commented that while Shaman was "plastery," VKS' Quick Kava was pleasant in flavor and mild in effect. To be honest, it's a tough match. VKS' Quick Kava has a lot to offer in terms of taste, effect and value. I was pleasantly surprised by its flavor when I made my first shell. As with my review of Pentecost Pride, I have to admit again that VKS seems to know how to source out really good-tasting Kava.

VKS' Quick Kava doesn't taste like an instant Kava - it tastes like a freshly brewed bowl of decent, mid-strength Kava with an added "smoky" flavor. Shaman tastes like an instant Kava, and if you look back at my earlier reviews, that was one of my major complaints about it. In fact, the commenter called Shaman "plaster" tasting, and I actually think that is quite appropriate. But don't misunderstand me as stating that I think Shaman tastes "bad," because I'm not. VKS' Quick Kava has a very pleasant taste for any Kava, and must be commended for its very good flavor. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have that gritty, thick flavor that a good shell of hand-squeezed Kava root would have, but it does offer something of a unique, somewhat smoky flavor that makes it quite enjoyable to drink.

It isn't as potent as Shaman. Not even close. But it's still good. Where Shaman feels like Vanuatuan dehydrated Kava juice, this makes me feel like VKS took some Tongan dried roots, brewed up a cistern of Kava, and dehydrated it into Quick Kava. Don't let this confuse you - VKS' Quick Kava IS a Vanuatuan Kava. The effects are very mild, but very pleasant. Some of you may know that I prefer Nakamal at Home's Tongan Kava for everyday drinking, so don't misinterpret this as a "bad thing." The effects of VKS' Quick Kava are very satisfying.

In this sense, VKS' Quick Kava succeeds as a good instant Kava. If you want to get krunked, you normally don't drink an instant Kava anyhow. VKS' Quick Kava is ideal for an on-the-go Kava drinker, who needs to mellow out a little bit without turning in for the night. Where Shaman is too strong to drink during the day (or before a presentation), VKS' Quick Kava would do the trick as a quick, nice-tasting relaxing beverage.

In the end, VKS' Quick Kava isn't quite capable of dethroning Shaman for the coveted title of "Best Instant Kava," but it does put up a very good fight. I almost want to say "it's too close to call," but I am quite fond of Shaman's potent abilities. In some respects, such as flavor, it beats out Shaman. In terms of its portability and its convenient calming qualities, it also outdoes Shaman. But it doesn't reproduce the strong, krunking effects that a fresh bowl of Kava would - something that Shaman mimics quite well. So if that's what you are looking for, stick with Shaman. It certainly beats out Fire Island in almost every respect.

With a great instant Kava flavor and mild-yet-satisfying effects, it stands alone as a good instant Kava. I'd reach for this before I'd reach for Fire Island, and quicker than I'd reach for Shaman on a weekday afternoon.

I highly recommend it.

Taste - 9/10
Mind Effect - 6.5/10
Body Effect - 7/10

Vanuatu Kava Store's Quick Kava - 7.5 shells out of 10

The War on Kava

2010-08-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this month, Kava resurfaced in the news as part of a concerted campaign spearheaded by Consumer Reports. It was listed as part of the "dirty dozen" supplements that can be purchased online and in health food stores - aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, colloidal silver, coltsfoot, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia, yohimbe. According to Consumer Reports, these "dirty dozen" supplements have been proven beyond a doubt to be detrimental to your health. Kava kava (Piper methysticum) was included in that list, based on research that led to the banning of Kava in Europe in 2002 (see Escher et al 2001; Kraft et al 2001). The story quickly spread throughout American news networks, newspapers, and internet sites. Once again, our beloved beverage is in the cross hairs of regulators. Unfortunately, the same data that was used to ban Kava in Europe eight years ago was cited by Consumer Reports to support increased regulation of dietary supplements - including Kava.

The European Union's ban on Kava was lifted in 2008. In 2006, Germany led the way by lifting the Kava ban in its own country. Why? Because Kava is safe. Early reports of the relationship between Kava consumption and liver problems were based on samples that involved parts of the Kava plant not recommended for consumption by, well, anyone. The only part of Kava that is traditionally consumed in its home islands are the roots. Many tinctures and supplements sold in Europe prior to the Kava ban were amalgamations of leaves, stems, and roots. The leaves and stems (and pretty much any above-surface part of the plant) contain chemicals that may be toxic and lead to liver damage. The studies that led to the banning of Kava were biased towards doses of Kava that were incorrectly prepared and would never be imaginable in Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, Papau New Guinea, or any other island in the south Pacific.

Kava liver damage is a myth. Even those cases of liver damage cited on the CDC's website are purely circumstantial - there is no way to know that Kava was the variable for liver disease in the cases mentioned. Furthermore, these studies were sponsored by pharmaceutical companies that have a vested interest in giving Kava a bad name. After all, how could they possibly compete with a natural, safer alternative to their anti-anxiety medications? They can't. Now, with the help of Consumer Reports, pharmaceutical companies, and possibly even big alcohol, the war on Kava is resurfacing. What is so amazing about this second attack is that it is based on the same biased, completely bogus data that was used ten years ago.

A great resource for reading more about this issue is Erowid Kava Vault, which supplies links to many of the original statements and arguments made against Kava, and finally evidence that supports the position that Kava is safe.
(http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/kava_health_liver.shtml)

For more on this issue, visit Kona Kava's "Kava Safety" link on their website. They have done a very good job defending Kava.
(http://www.konakavafarm.com/blog/?page_id=184)

REFERENCES

Escher M, Desmeules J, Giostra E, et al. Hepatitis associated with kava, a herbal remedy for anxiety. BMJ 2001;322:139.

Kraft M, Spahn TW, Menzel J, et al. Fulminant liver failure after administration of the herbal antidepressant kava-kava. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2001;126:970--2.

Nakamal at Home's Chief's Jungle Kava - Review by Kaiden Fox

2010-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Kavasseurs,

It's going to be a busy month here at Kavasseur. I'll be reviewing several varieties of Kava from Vanuatu Kava Store and Pacific Kava. I'll also be doing another review of Chief's Jungle Kava (the new batch). But before I do, here is Kaiden Fox's own review of Chief's Jungle Kava. I also put a link to a really great book I just finished reading at the end of this post - Kava: The Pacific Elixir by Lebot et al.

Krunk on, Douglas

Nakamal at Home's Chief's Jungle Kava - Review by Kaiden Fox

For Saint Patrick’s Day, I wanted to do something a little more Irish with my kava. Looking at my South Pacific map, I noticed the Madang Province, where Chief’s Jungle PNG kava originates from, is pretty much a straight shot from the island of New Ireland.

First, the taste… not bad. I noticed, when mixing up the bowl, it was very ginger smelling, with an undersmell of something I would say was anise or licorice. It actually smelled, and tasted, quite good. I drank it at room temperature. No stomach upset.

Being a perseverant researcher, I had noted the chemotype of this kava was quite different than the Borogo kava blends I normally drink. It was low in kavain by high in desmethoxyyangonin. Over the centuries, kava has been cultivated to be higher in kavain and lower in desmethoxyyangonin. Madang Short is a less cultivated variety, and in fact was originally classified not as piper methysticum but as piper wichmannii before Vince Labot demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were not enough morphological, chemical, cytological and genetic distinctions between the two “species.” Still, “Waeld Koniak” is a waeld variety of kava.

At first I thought, “tasty, it’s kava, but it’s nothing to write home about out.” I had experienced “powerful” effects mixing Shaman into White Sand kava, where the eyes see but do not care, and where the ears are content to “harem singsing blong kava.” I should note that I was sitting through most of this. When I did recline my body in bed, I suddenly felt much better. Posture plays a big role in helping this kava kick. I’d recommend a hammock chair, ideally. I didn’t really experience the music euphoria I normally do with kava. Eventually I did put on an audiobook, and that was better. This kava also had less of an appetite suppressant effect, but that could be just me becoming used to it.

The next morning I discovered it was, indeed, weekend-grade kava. I woke up very pleasant and peaceful. No grogginess, maybe a little clumsiness, but a definite feeling of well-being. I was keenly aware of the samsaric suffering of all sentient beings. At the same time, I felt ready to go. My fiancée called me near the point of tears. She had just wasted over 20 minutes on hold to find out the item that she ordered a fortnight ago, which the company she ordered from still shows as being in stock, is now out of stock. Being a high-quality but discontinued item, she doubted the two left at Amazon.com were still there. Normally, panic is contagious, but I was in my own bubble of happiness and was able to calmly hop on, find the item by visual description, confirm it was correct, and place an order.

After breakfast and a shower, the kava is starting to kick in again. I can feel a pleasant tingle and Led Zeppelin is bringing a mild music euphoria. It feels like I’ve just drunk a single shell of a good-but-not-krunking kava, like Fire Island.

As an experiment, I would like to see how long I would stay in bed if no one called and if I had no pressing concerns.

My overall bottom-line review here is that this is not the kava to be totally krunked-out on – that kava is Black Sand or White Sand made into super-kava with Shaman. While Nakamal@home markets Jungle Chief’s as nasty-tasting super-kava, it’s really a pleasant-tasting kava that has a comparatively mild but disproportionately long-lasting effect.

Taste: 8/10 shells
Effect: 7.5/10 shells
Aftereffect: 10/10 shells

Overall: 8.5 shells of ginger-licorice sleepytime goodness

Search Amazon.com for kava

In a League of Its Own - Nakamal At Home's Solomon Kava

2010-08-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

*A NOTE ON PREPARATION: I brewed Solomon Kava using 1 cup of Kava to 2 1/2 cups of water and kneaded it twice before adding ice. I prefer not to use a blender in Kava preparation. I also did not add lecithin this time around. Still, the Kava was quite thick and oily by the time I poured it into a serving bowl. The dried, squeezed, Kava roots produced another 4 cups of relatively strong Kava. In other words, 1 cup of Solomon Kava should produce an impressive amount of Kava. If you buy a 1/2 kg or a 1/4 kg you will be getting enough Kava to last you a long time, depending on how much Kava you drink.

The Solomon Islands are comprised of a chain of islands that essentially spill out from the eastern part of Papau New Guinea. During the colonial era, the British called the Solomon Islands "the Happy Isles"because of the graceful countenance of the archipelago's inhabitants (excepting the headhunters, of course) and today one can visit the Solomons and continue to find some of the world's most gentle and friendly people. Kava is not widely consumed in the Solomon Islands and, indeed, when I visited the Solomons to do anthropological research in the summer of 2009, I didn't encounter one single Kava bar. It would be very interesting to know where exactly in the Solomons this Kava comes from.

That being said, I have never seen a more beautiful looking Kava than this Solomon Island's Kava, nor have I ever felt a Kava like this Solomon Islands Kava. As I will describe below, this Kava has a very strong mental impact and a totally different physiological impact. I titled this entry "In a League of Its Own" for a good reason: Solomon Kava feels and tastes like a completely different plant than Piper methysticum. I would invite Kaiden Fox and Anthony LaRusso (regular contributors to this blog) to comment on what the breakdown feels like for this Kava, since they have also drank most of Nakamal at Home's Kavas and commented on their variable chemotypes and their respective effects. I for one am still trying to get into Kava jargon, but as a social scientist most of the complicated terminology flies right over my head.

Before I talk too much about the flavor, I want to say something about how this Kava looks. To me, it looks a lot like hot chocolate that someone has decided to add a lot of creamer to. It has the most calming, appetizing look of just about any Kava I have ever seen. Too bad I never created a category for the aesthetics of Kava. And no, I won't start today. So, let's take a break and take a look at a shell of Solomon Kava.

I, for one, did not find much of the peppery flavor that is described on the Nakamal at Home website and in Kaiden's review from last month. I found the Kava to have more of a general bitterness slowed down by a milkier undertone. Brewed the way I describe above, this Kava definitely didn't give me "Kava anxiety" the way that some stronger-flavored ones like Chief's Jungle do. It tastes like Tongan with perhaps a chunk of ginger and, yes, pepper added to it. But really, the peppery flavor doesn't dominate the way it does in Vanuatu varieties. To me, it is surprisingly mild compared to the euphoric chaos that ensues.

Alas, I can understand why Kaiden commented that this Kava could bring upon an unexpected emotional outcome. It is very cerebral. It has the highest "mind" effect of any Kava I have ever consumed. Most Kavas I have consumed seem to permeate my body but leave my mind relatively untouched. Well, not this Kava. In fact, it is quite close to a medium-strength cannabis buzz, or perhaps even a mild psychoactive hallucinogen. Not entirely relaxing, but more of a "lift" that is combined with a sort of introspective gaze. You could drink this Kava and go watch a jazz quartet play until dawn. It has a stimulating intellectual effect that makes you want to talk a lot, but also makes you want to be conscious of your speech. In some ways, I feel like it is the ideal Kava for me - I like to be inspired and stimulated, but also to have something prepared to hold me back. If I was forced to compare it to any other Kava that Nakamal at Home sells, I would place it somewhere between Niugini and Chief's Jungle, only with a more satisfying flavor than either of those could ever boast. On top of that, it has a longer lasting buzz that throws any notion of sleep in the near future out the door. If you are looking for a Kava that deals with insomnia and restlessness, this won't be the Kava for you.

Another feature of this Kava I want to comment on is its relationship to food. Kaiden claimed that when he drank Solomon Kava he finally discovered the true complexity of the bouquet that is a common banana. Yes, indeed. Drink a few shells of this and take a spoonful of Ben and Jerry's... dear God that tastes complicated, and about ten times better than it normally would. Another quite unusual effect of this Kava is a mild form of dry-mouth. You will feel hungry, parched, and high.

Physiologically, this stuff is a dream. You will melt into your furniture. Every muscle in your body will turn into jelly and you will lose whatever soreness has been bothering you. I can see this stuff being peddled as sports medicine, or for people who are suffering from arthritis or joint pains. It is really quite therapeutic, and one thing I noticed after taking three shells of this was that the numbness on my lips, in my throat, and around my jaw didn't slip away. After three hours, it is still there. Extremities will become numbed - fingers, toes, and ears all tingling in bliss. Really, really satisfying.

I would picture the ideal evening to drink Solomon Kava as such: you have been working hard all day and you are very sore, but you want to go out with some friends anyhow. You are a bit tired and need a bit of a pick-me-up, but nothing that will make you irritable or anxious. You don't feel like sleeping anytime soon, but want to take the edge off. Drink three shells of Solomon Kava and you will be set.

For Solomon Kava I want to start a new trend - Taste, Psychoactive (Mind) Effect, and Physiological (Body) Effect.

Taste 8/10
Mind Effect 10/10
Body Effect 9.5/10
Strength - Very strong

Nakamal at Home's Solomon Kava - 9.2/10

Kavasseur Is Back Online!

2010-08-17T01:54:00.003-07:00

Fellow Kavasseurs,

I have completed my fieldwork in Ghana and will be getting some new Kava reviews out within the week. I will also be updating the website to make it more interactive and helpful. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Here is what you can look forward to:

Reviews of several Fijian varieties from Pacific Kava, reviews of several Vanuatu Kava Store Kavas, and new reviews of Nakamal at Home's Solomon Kava and fresh shipments of their other varieties.

Nakamal at Home's Solomon Kava - Reviewed by Kaiden Fox

2010-07-04T02:40:00.003-07:00

The first thing I noticed about this kava was the smell. It smells pretty much like “WOW” Kava, only with WOW Kava, I have to bring my nose very close to the bowl to smell it. With Solomon, it pretty much smells like pepper. If you don’t like black pepper, don’t drink Solomon kava. If your ideal beverage would be to take a few tablespoons of peppercorns ground up and made into tea, then drink as much of this stuff as possible.

This is pretty much the worst tasting kava I’ve ever had the displeasure of gulping down. Thankfully, it has a rather high quantity of crown roots to help take some of the edge off.

My best advice for anyone trying to drink this kava is to put it in the freezer for about an hour. The colder you come to ice cold, the easier it will be to drink. This is probably true of all kava, but especially true of Solomon Islands Kava. In the Solomon Islands, nakamal owners do serve their kava very cold – probably for that reason.

With that in mind, don’t be fooled. This is strong kava. One of the surprising effects is a rare talkativeness combined with a sort of pseudo-honesty. In situations where I would normally say the polite version of “none of your business,” I said a metaphorically true version of very personal things. I felt like John Cusak’s character in 1408 saying “My brother was eaten by wolves on the New Jersey Turnpike.” Now that I’m aware of the effect, I suspect I can exert more conscious control.

The emotional side of this kava is potentially not fun, depending on stimuli. I’ve found this to be true of other kavas as well, especially Shaman. While I normally take kava to deal with the stresses of daily life (sometimes immediately after) I’ve found that if I drink a bowl of Shaman instant kava and then someone starts doing or saying something that would normally upset me a moderate amount, that I am likely to lash out with what appears to be excessive anger. Solomon kava amplifies the “sad” stimuli more. So far, since I started writing this review, I’ve watched a short news broadcast about the BP spill and how they’re using dispersants to hide the oil, rather than to make any real effort to clean it up, and listened to two rather sad songs.

I’m especially sad because my brother was eaten by wolves on the New Jersey turnpike.

Seriously, this would probably be an excellent kava for bonding with others via self-revelations.

One of the things about this kava that I’ve never really noticed with other kavas is that bananas taste divine. Having never experienced the effects of cannabis, I can only compare it to the food appreciation based on second-hand experience, but it seems pretty close. Music euphoria is also prominent.

The physical effects are also pretty strong. Numb lips, of course, but also it appears to numb the hands with fewer shells than other kavas I’ve drunk, but perhaps I am simply loosing my tolerance. While I’ve heard reports that this kava has a strong stupefacient effect, other than the massive disinhibition, I don’t notice any. Then again, when I first drunk it, I was either too distracted, too demotivated, or perhaps too stupefied to actually write a review.

I didn’t notice any major after-effect like I did with Chief’s Jungle Kava.

My overall impression would be that I would enjoy this kava most while watching a Shakespearean tragedy, as part of a group confessional, or when performing minor surgery on myself.

Taste – 6/10 shells
Effect – 8/10 shells
Overall – 7/10 shells

The Effects of Various Kavas

2010-04-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

There are different camps of Kava drinkers. Some are into the aesthetics of Kava - the taste, the smell, and the way it tickles the mind and body. Others are into the deep chemistry and medicinal value of the brew - the jargony breakdowns of the chemotypes and their various impacts. These are obviously not mutually exclusive categories, and they definitely intermix - so it seems to come down to those who really like Kava and those who really like Kava and know a ton about it. I drink for smell, texture, and taste and I judge by, well, smell, texture, and taste. But we all feel the same effects of the same Kavas, so what is your favorite Kava when it comes to the effect?

Here, I will group my favorite Kavas into two camps of effectiveness - krunkness and mellowness. Again, these are two categories that I have arbitrarily created. I would like to know what your categories are and how you chose them. One will be the best and five the least (of the best, mind you). So here goes...

Krunkness (heavy, gravity body effect and strong attitude change *excited, sociable, and emotionally liberated*)

1. Nakamal at Home - Chief's Jungle
2. Nakamal at Home - Stone Kava
3. Nakamal at Home - Wow! Kava
4. Nakamal at Home - Shaman Kava
5. Nakamal at Home - Niugini Kava

Mellowness (nice, overall numbing body effect and anxiety-relief, with low pressure in the eyes and increased sociability. In general, you can drink more of these Kavas on a regular basis without going "out of orbit.")

1. Nakamal at Home - Tongan Kava
2. Kona Kava - Mahakea Kava
3. Nakamal at Home - Fiji Kava
4. Nakamal at Home - Black Sand Kava
5. Vanuatu Kava Store - Pentecost Pride

Nakamal At Home - Fire Island Kava (Reviewed by Kaiden Fox)

2010-04-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tanna goes by the nickname "the Island of Fire" because of Yasur volcano... the single most accessible live volcano in the world. While Nakamal@home markets Fire Island as a friendly kava for its new kava friends, the serious countenance of the Tam Tam on the cover shows that Fire Island kava is a serious kava and deserves a serious review.

First a quick ethnobotony lesson from Vince Labot, "In countries where kava is prepared from fresh roots, it is rarely prepared from dried roots and vice versa."

Knowing that in North America, it is exceedingly difficult, if not actually impossible to obtain kava from fresh roots. (Hawaii, while being one of the United States of America politically, is not part of North America geographically)perhaps the next best thing actually is Fire Island kava.

Some Kavasseurs may dismiss this kava out of hand, but I think that is premature. The marketing of this product as ‘newbie kava’ may turn off some people. I would advise giving this kava a try, though.

As a newbie kava, it does its job wonderfully. I remember the first time I tried to turn dried kava roots into an infused psychoactive beverage. I wound up with a very muddy kitchen and no drinkable kava. True, it was due to a blender malfunction, but these things happen. Fire Island Kava is wonderful for a first-time drinker because it’s no where near as messy as hand straining and blendering, and it produces a consistent beverage. (One “kaviet” – due to the nature of the different cultivars of kava, one cannot simply speak of a single beverage called “kava,” but rather we are discussing a class of beverages, each with different properties). One can know right away if, and how much, one likes kava.

The taste is unlike the dried kava infusions, although there are some similarities. Kava, as a beverage, ranges from slightly spicy to very bitter. Fire Island Kava is not on the bitter end at all. One of the reasons for this is the bitterness comes primarily from bark material, which is rich in tanins and polyphenols. Fire Island Kava comes from the juice of fresh kava roots.

I find it hard to describe the taste. The underlying medium plays an important role in this. This morning, I sampled Fire Island in Fiji bottled water, electrolyte-enhanced water, Yogi Aztec Sweet Chili tea, Bon-Dai pomegranate- açaí water, and apple juice. Usually, when I mix a shell of it, I also add a scoop of Life Extension Foundation’s “CocoaGold with Beta-Glucan Unsweetened powder.” I purchased some after I noticed eating chocolate improved my fiancée’s health and energy levels. The predominant taste is “numb.” Of all the things I mixed with it, the sweet chili tea was the only one that tasted horrible. Nakamal@Home’s website also recommends against orange juice. If you’re used to mixing a much thicker kava, the fact that this kava is powder one adds water to might turn some people off. I usually mix about an eighth of a cup of water with the powder to form a thick paste, and then fill up the rest of the shell once I see it’s dissolved. The texture of that thick paste is probably what many people are used to. Joseph, who started me on the path of detailed kava reviews, compares it to the textural differences of normal soda and diet soda. If you’ve ever been to a large picnic with a barrel of soda cans, the diet floats because it’s less dense than water, while the “real” soda sinks to the bottom. A more apt comparison might be skim milk to eggnog, if you can forget about the flavor and focus ONLY on the texture.

The effects are what one would expect from fresh kava. The onset is immediate. I felt a relaxed excitement wash over me, and became more talkative. It usually doesn’t produce the euphorias of other kavas I’ve sampled, but it does give some degree of bodily pleasure. I also tried using Fire Island kava instead of prescription painkiller after a surgery a few months ago. I enjoyed the analgesic effect for about three hours before I couldn’t sleep and needed to reach for a Percocet. The effects are relatively short-lived compared to say Chief’s Jungle Kava, but with a duration more-or-less on par with the other Nobel varieties I’ve tried.

Even if one is an experienced kava drinker, I would sill recommend trying Fire Island kava at least once. To quote Vince Labot, ”Drinkers who ingest fresh kava juice, notice a rapid and sudden high that dry kava cannot produce. There are obviously many compounds that are interacting together to induce this subtle physiological effect. For a given cultivar, two very different brews can be prepared with dried or fresh roots of the same plant. The taste is different as is of course, the total kavalactone concentration and chemical composition.” I regret that I do not have the experience to compare Fire Island to fresh kava that has not been dehydrated for export, but I have been shocked at times when I’ve made Fire Island at how immediate the onset is compared to Black Sand or White Sand kava.

Besides the much faster onset, I noticed the effects are also different as compared to the dried root beverages of the same cultivar. The photophobic effects are less, and the talkativeness is much more pronounced. My suspicion is that Fire Island kava either has more kavain, or that something else is boosting the effects of the kavain. Another aspect that supports this is that I often become very excited after a shell or two of this. Despite my physical relaxation, my mind takes on a sense of clarity and eagerness that I would normally associate with caffeine. Unlike caffeine, there is no urgency or stress in this, simply a giddy “can do” feeling when it comes to mental tasks, and feel a mental clarity as if someone has lit a tiki-torch in the dark. Perhaps this is why the kava is "Fire Island."

Before I conclude with the rating, I must let you know that because Fire Island is the first kava I tried, the rating is an artifact of the scaling system. On a “ten scale,” only a 9 or 10 would be “enthusiastic,” while 7 or 8 is passive. It does not follow a bell-curve where most things fall on a 5. On the “ten scale,” 6 is functionally little different than 1. (Would you buy a kava I rated as a 6)? Because Fire Island is my first “real” kava, anything else has to beat it to warrant repurchasing. Even though it is more expensive per shell, the fact that I can simply mix up a shell in a few minutes which will give me a pleasant high was enough to warrant upgrading my initial 55g order to a 500g order the next time I stocked up.

Taste – 8/10 shells
Effect – 8/10 shells

-Review written by Kaiden Fox

Nakamal At Home - Niugini Kava

2010-04-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

Niuguni is Melanesian pidgin for "New Guinea," which refers to the most linguistically and culturally diverse country in the world - Papau New Guinea. Located east of what is widely accepted as the origin of Kava, the Republic of Vanuatu, Papau New Guinea boasts some of the strongest-tasting Kavas available in the United States. By law, the most potent and viscous Kavas from Vanuatu aren't exported, so a lot of the really strong Kava we can buy here (such as Chief's Jungle Kava, another Nakamal At Home variety) comes from Papau New Guinea.

What is great about the Niugini variety is that it is not as overpowering as Chief's Jungle Kava, a Kava that you can really only consider drinking on a Friday or Saturday night. Niugini Kava gives you a chance to enjoy a Papau New Guinean Kava on any weeknight. It maintains the powerful taste of a Kava like Chief's Jungle, but in a much more mild manifestation with much more subdued effects. I can drink three or four shells and just kind of coast through the night with a relaxed body and mind. Niugini Kava also has a slightly different flavor than Chief's Jungle Kava, with milky Tongan-like undertones that create a nice foundation for that "grassy" (to quote Kaiden, a regular contributor this blog) taste that all the Papu New Guinean varieties I have tried have contained, sometimes in overwhelming quantities.

You will notice that my rating for the flavor on this Niuguni Kava totally overshadows that of Chief's Jungle Kava. That is because this Kava is absolutely delicious and contains high and low notes, where Chief's Jungle is just a high grassy flavor with no solid, milky base to fall back on. I absolutely love the balance of the flavors in this Kava. Unlike what the Nakamal At Home website claims, this Kava is actually noticeably non-spicy, and it has several layers of flavor that are sweet, creamy, and nutty. It tapers off with probably the best aftertaste (with noticeable exceptions in Tongan and Fijian varieties) that I have encountered in a Kava, but it has a more unique nutty flavor where others have either a milky or a sour taste. With some hesitation, I would argue that this is tied with Stone Kava as being the tastiest brew available. Also, this Kava must be tried for its sheer uniqueness in flavor. It would be difficult to find a Kava that tastes like Niugini Kava, and even more difficult to find one that tastes better.

In terms of effect, this Kava is much more mild than I expected it to be. I thought it was going to have a Chief's Jungle kind of effect, but it is much more subdued and, indeed, much more pleasant. In addition to Fiji Kava and Tongan Kava, this will probably be my next go-to Kava for a stressful weekday. It has a "mind and body" kind of buzz, with no real dominance in either area. It has a great effect on the muscles that makes me believe it would be good for people who are sore or experiencing arthritis. After a long day of working on a big project outdoors that involved shoveling, lifting, and pretty hard labor, this Kava took away every last ounce of pain in my body. Of course, it also has that profoundly nice de-stressing effect that we all look for in Kava. Great stuff for everyday consumption.

Taste - 8.5/10
Effect - 7.5/10

Nakamal At Home's Niugini Kava - 8 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Chief's Jungle Kava

2010-03-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

**I will more than likely have to come back and edit this, as I have just consumed about three shells of Chief's Jungle Kava, which is quite a few as you will soon find out.

All Kavasseurs have a few friends who claim that Kava doesn't effect them and that it lacks the power they look for in a good night of enhanced socializing. They sink back a few shells, comment on the cool numbing effect, and then wander over to the cooler for a cold beer.

Friend who doesn't believe Kava is powerful, meet Chief's Jungle Kava.

This is my first time drinking a Papua New Guinean Kava, and it won't be my last. From the time you cut open the package and unlock the resealable bag, you are in for a real treat. This stuff is just different. The smell of pine cones and sage describe the nose of this root. If you just feel this stuff with your hands, you will be in love with it. It has this great twiggy, non-powdery density to it and just feels nice to play with. The scent of pine cones just emanates from this stuff and makes the whole house smell wonderful. I was enchanted with this Kava before it even touched water. And when it did... wow. Watching the roots absorb water, expand, and exude their spiciness was just ridiculous. I followed the provided recipe pretty closely, sans the blender, and kneaded for about 15 minutes before I had a good thick Kava to drink.

Now, the flavor. Well, what can I say? It is evil. Now I understand Kava anxiety. I took my first gulp and was totally overwhelmed. I feel like I should brew some Fiji or Tongan Kava as a chaser for this stuff. I wanted to spit it out like I would if I took a bite out of a fresh, green pine cone. It is really like no other Kava I have ever tasted, and I feel like I'm being redundant in saying that. I started out drinking Vanuatu Kavas and falling in love with them, and was extremely surprised at the wonderful flavor of Tongan and Fijian Kavas. I even enjoyed crashing through my kilo of Vanuatu Kava Store's Pentecost Pride for its mild and satisfying flavor. Kona Kava is extremely nice, but isn't very rewarding. I'll tell you, Kavasseur to Kavasseur, that this stuff is not pleasant to drink. It brings on the gag effect, but in the end it kind of makes sense. The only thing I might recommend is watering this down and drinking twice as much, because if you just drink it raw you are going to get pummeled. The ends justify the means. I don't even know how to rate the flavor on this, so I won't.

Chief's Jungle Kava is extremely powerful. You feel it as you are drinking it, almost right out of the gates. It is pretty close to a Vanuatu Kava in that it has that kind "heightening" kick to it. You feel it in your head before you feel it in your muscles. Your eyes kind of glaze over as if you had just smoked some cannabis. You move slower, see deeper, and hear everything loud and clear. Lights are brilliant and somewhat offensive. Chief's Jungle must have its roots in Vanuatu, because it has a nearly identical effect. From what I understand from looking at the literature, you can't export super high-grade Kava from Vanuatu by law, so some of the most potent stuff you can drink stateside is from Papua New Guinea. (Can anyone confirm this?) After drinking three shells of this stuff, that seems like a more than likely scenario. In terms of effect, this is the one you want to brew for those friends of yours who have downplayed the power of Kava.

I need to lay down...

Flavor - 6.5/10 (high grassy notes dominate, too overpowering for my tastes.. try Niugini if you want a tasty Papau New Guinean Kava)
Effect - 9.75/10

Nakamal at Home Chief's Jungle Kava - 8.125 shells out of 10

Kona Kava Farm - Mahakea Kona Kava

2010-03-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, I picture Kava (or Awa, as it is called in Hawaii) varieties growing weaker and weaker as they radiate away from Vanuatu. A great web of Kava with a muddy, spicy, numbing core on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. Tongan Kava represents a kind of alternative core in the Kava world, a place from whence a mysterious white Kava emerges that has peculiar qualities and is incredibly medicinal. Vanuatu Kava is thick and ritualistic, Tongan Kava is milky and utilitarian, Fiji Kava is stranded somewhere in between, and now Hawaiian Kava....

Well, it's pretty damn good. I should say that, like Tongan Kava, it has a completely different taste, texture, and effect. According to Kona Kava Farm, the Mahakea Kava Root has the "426 kavalactone/chemotype line up," whatever that means. I used the Kona Kava Farm recipe, which included a small bag that came with the Kava. They recommend two tablespoons of Kava to half a quart of water. I felt like that was pretty low, but went for it anyway. The final product, after ten or so minutes of squeezing, was a Kava that had a more transparent color than others I have had, but had a more "agreeable" taste as well. This Kava would be beyond ideal for a beginner, because it has a very neutralized and mild taste. It has a bit of a spicy edge to it, but is more notable for the relatively big anesthetic effect it has. Compared to most Kavas, this one produces a fairly high amount of the lip and mouth numbing effect. In terms of flavor, it is really good and has a lot of complexity. For someone who has drank a lot of Kava, it would probably be passed off as too mild. But if you really swish it around and focus on the flavor, it actually does have a lot going for it. And again, this one would be good for those friends of yours who have pushed shells away in the past.

The effect is great as well. It is extremely relaxing. It doesn't give you a great buzz, but it does offer a good route for winding down. I drank three shells and the minor headache I had floated away, the soreness in my legs from running disappeared, and I felt like I could easily fall asleep if I desired to. You're not going to wobble like you would after draining three shells of Stone Kava, but you'll definitely notice the effect and feel very happy about it. Like I said, it doesn't have the ritualistic intensity of a viscous Vanuatu Kava or the intensely relaxing glory of Nakamal at Home's Tongan, but it is a good alternative if you're not in the mood to lose yourself. I'd probably reach for the Tongan Kava on a weekday night, but I might reach for this on a weekday afternoon. Tastes good, feels good, and will be good to have around.

Taste - 7/10
Effect - 6.5/10

Kona Kava Farm's Mahakea Kona Kava - 6.75 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Fiji Kava

2010-03-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have a cool story to tell about this Kava. Actually, it's not so cool in that it is correlated with a $200 traffic ticket. But hear me out.

I was driving home from a friends house after having a Kava Party. We drank probably about four shells of Fiji Kava each. We were melting into the couch, laughing like crazy, and watching Lost on the television (if you are a Lost fan and remember 3/23/2010, than you know how awesome that was). After watching Lost I got into my car to drive home. A guy pulled a u-turn at the stop sign in front of me and I kind of inched through it. Next thing you know, I was being pulled over with lights and sirens blaring behind me. But le Kavasseur didn't worry, because he was krunked and just rolling through the night anyway. "Good evening officer, I really appreciate your service to society!" Le Kavasseur abides.

This Kava is pretty damn tasty. I'm not going to rave about it and create a shrine to it, but it is beyond a "good" in terms of taste. In some ways, it has a Tongan Kava creaminess to it, but in other ways it retains a Vanuatu spiciness. From what I recollect, Kava came later to Fiji than to other islands, yet strangely holds more prominence in Fiji than many other islands. In that sense, it has a nice balance to it that I haven't tasted in other Kavas. Again, it's closer to Tongan than to Vanuatu, but has a little bit of its own character. It has a milkier color than most Kavas, but is slightly darker than Tongan Kava and lighter than Wow! It has more spiciness than Tongan Kava. Tastes closer to Black Sand than to Tongan. In that sense, it is fantastic tasting and will fill a nice niche in my Kava cupboard. This Kava also seems to avoid whatever part of the stomach Kava has a negative impact on. Usually I get a bit of a stomach ache off of two shells of strong stuff, but this Fijian Kava didn't even make me feel off after four shells. Pretty awesome.

Now, for the effects. Well, it probably does more of the de-stressing than any other Kava. You don't really get "high" in the way that you would if you drank Black Sand or Wow!, but you sure do feel nice and de-stressed. The cop knocking on my window didn't bother me at all. It totally relaxes you. If you are going for what most natural medicine shoppers go for in Kava, than you have found the right Kava. If you are trying to get super Krunked and numbed from the inside out, than you'll probably want to skip it. I'm not crazy about it, but I'll definitely keep it around for other Tuesday nights. I wasn't expecting Fijian Kava to floor me, so I don't feel at all conned. Good flavor, nice medicinal effect, but not as powerful as other Kavas I've had.

I would definitely recommend it to fans of Tongan Kava or other lighter Kavas.

Flavor - 7.5/10
Effect - 7/10

Nakamal At Home "Fijian Kava" - 7.2 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Tongan "White" Kava

2010-03-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

**This Kava is quite thick. The normal 1 cup of Kava to 2 cups of water will give you a sludge that won't be very satisfying - and far too powerful to stomach. Instead, start out with 1 cup of Tongan Kava to 3 1/2 cups of water. I learned this the hard way, trust me. On the bright side (though there really isn't a dark side), you're going to get a lot more out of this than you would another variety.

I was very happy when I heard from the folks at Nakamal at Home that I had just ordered Kava that was fresh from the airport. I had heard things about Tongan Kava that were all but enthusiastic. "It's kind of weak and it tastes different." "Most of the Kava from Tonga really blows." But I was happy that, assuming this Kava was going to be at least decent, it was fresh from Tonga and I could really wrap my mind around it and give my honest opinion. I could picture the journey from a bush garden in rural Tonga to Nuku'alofa, across the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. I pictured the root harvested, sold at an outdoor market, ground, flown, processed, and finally poured into the airtight golden package in Boca Raton, Florida. True to their word, I received the package a few days later and opened it up, noticing that there was still powdery fingerprints on the package. That's how fresh this stuff was. The freshest Kava I have ever brewed in the United States, hands down.

This Kava is really quite hard for me to explain. There is something so peculiar about it, something that I can't quite find the words to explicate. I find that the name Nakamal has given it - "White Kava" - is really the best way to explain it. It is thicker and creamier than any other kind of Kava I have ever had. Its color truly is white - it looks like you are about to drink some kind of white chocolate coffee drink when you peer into the shell. I would even venture to say that this Kava looks and tastes like it could be a different plant altogether. It would already have been quite interesting to do an analysis of different varieties of Kava, but with this contestant thrown in the mix we truly see the endless surprises the world of Kavasseuring has to offer. In that sense, this Kava is already a welcome addition to the pantheon of Kava gods we have learned to give offerings to.

On a side note, let me just rephrase that this Kava was fresh. By fresh, I mean that it tasted like it was harvested within the last thirty days. It still had the flavor of a fresh garden root. The ground root was literally exploding with scent and earthy powder. The folks at Nakamal at Home have to be intensely congratulated for their hard work. You guys rock!

The taste of Tongan Kava is considerably different from that of a Vanuatu Kava. As stated above, it is creamier and thicker. But there is also something else that can only be explained as a "chalkiness." And before you cringe, remember that that is not a bad thing. This is Kava we are talking about, after all. It goes down smoothly but has a kick at the end that makes you feel like you are truly taking a shot of something. But it has a nice, almost menthol-like effect on the mouth that sticks around for at least twenty minutes. As I write this, I am draining my third (and last) shell for the night, dwelling on the flavors. There is an incredible sweetness that you will notice while taking it down, a sweetness that you will probably forget about once you get to the chalkiness. That sweetness, however, seems to be what gives you the aftertaste. Just for the sheer surprise of its difference and thick, chalky goodness, this Kava rocks the charts in terms of its flavor.

The great thing about being a Kavasseur is that Kava isn't the kind of thing that you grow accustomed to. You can never drink so much Kava that you will need to drink more and more to get krunked. Nope, quite the opposite. It is one of the stranger substances in this world in that when you drink it, over time, you actually become more sensitive to it. Coming into this Tongan Kava I can freely say that I drink Kava probably at least once every three days. Typically, I drink enough of it to "feel good." By that, I mean I drink either three or four shells, or two cups of the super-potent Shaman Instant Kava. Being an anthropologist who has to write quite a lot, I love Kava because I can drink it and then dive into my prose. I can also journey deep into texts with a fully alert mind - yet a completely relaxed being. Obviously, I am krunked as I write this. Suffice it to say that Tongan Kava is a step in a new direction if you are a Kava drinker. It even provides you with a buzz that I am still unsure of how to explain. Strangely, it might be best to say that this Kava feels like a more powerful muscle relaxer than other Kavas. It is less heady, more relaxing, and brings you to a kind of blissful tiredness that could never be confused with lack of inertia or enthusiasm. This is the perfect end-of-the-workday Kava. I am incredibly pleased, and will probably buy more of this Kava than any other. It will surprise you in its sheer difference from other Kavas. Enjoy it.

Taste - 8.5/10
Effect - 8.5/10

Nakamal at Home - Tongan "White" Kava - 8 1/2 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Shaman Instant Kava Reconsidered

2010-03-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, even Le Kavasseur gets it wrong. I initially tried a one shot packet of Shaman Instant Kava on a dry afternoon, just to quickly get a taste of it and write up a hasty review. What can I say? I've grown an aversion to instant Kavas, they are normally bland, thin, and diet-tasting. They seem to lack the depth and earthiness that we all love in a good Kava. Something that goes down viscous, spicy, and deeply numbs is what a Kavasseur longs for. What people typically fear about Kava - what normally brings on "Kava anxiety" - well, that's what a Kavasseur has grown to love. Pour a shell, stare at the horizon, and gulp it down slowly as the numbness drains from your brain to your toes. I never got that from instants, until now...

I decided to get a tin of Shaman Instant Kava because, well, I get a little lazy sometimes. Although my initial experience with Shaman Kava was underwhelming, I still thought it was good enough to keep around for a "quick dip" every now and then. After all, it's not everyday that we find time to knead, and knead, and knead again until we have a nice frothy bowl of Black Sand Kava. When I got the tin, I was blown away by its appearance - an extra thick hockey puck with a transparent lid and dried Kava juice just bursting from the seams. "How convenient," I thought "I can just dip a teaspoon in here and mix this with water to get a shell of Kava!" One of my original complaints about Shaman Kava was how much I would seemingly need to justify keeping it around. I've had this for a few days, gotten krunked a few times, and the tin still looks pretty damn cool. Le Kavasseur is pleeeeased. Tres bien, Nakamal.

Well, my previous review of Shaman Instant Kava needs desperately to be disregarded. I was wrong in almost every way, except for the fact that it's instant and that it's terribly easy to prepare. I just drained a shell about three minutes ago, and I am currently in a state of bliss. I don't know whether this batch is better than the one I tasted before, but hot damn this stuff tastes fine. Sure, it's a little bit thinner than what we would expect from Black Sand or Wow!. But the flavor contains a lot of sophistication, a lot of depth. It's a bit on the clayey side, with undertones of cashew or almond, and definitely stands in stark opposition to the peppery, spicy, thick Kavas that are kneaded tirelessly before they are ready for consumption. But this stuff is very nice, very balanced, and very ready. It is so instant that it makes Nescafe look like a chore. If you are not blown away by the flavor, you will be blown away by the impact. It's what you need if you are low on time and need a good Kava fix. I, for one, will be drinking Shaman Kava after a long day of work where I don't feel like kneading some ground roots.

Keep this stuff around, you won't regret it.

Flavor - 7/10
Effect - 8/10

Nakamal at Home Shaman Instant Kava - 7.5 shells out of 10

More Kava Reviews Coming Soon

2010-02-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

I've been down and out with the flu for about eight days now, but once I feel better I'll get some more Kava kava reviews up. It's very difficult to enjoy a good Kava session with a stuffy nose and headache, though it can undoubtedly give you temporary relief of a sore throat. Just to give you a tease for what's coming up, here are the next few Kavas in line for review:

Chief's Jungle Kava
Kona Kava
Tongan Kava (hopefully)

After I finish reviewing those, I want to start posting some more stuff on Kava history and culture. Thanks for reading!

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Stone Kava

2010-02-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

** First, a note on Kava preparation. I typically use about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of ground Kava root to every 2 cups of water. I follow Nakamal At Home's recommendation of one teaspoon of soy lecitin for each cup, but if I am preparing a higher-grade Kava (like Wow!) I sometimes add an extra half teaspoon and use warmer water. For some reason, it just seems like the intuitive thing to do when you really want to get krunked. And it works. Once I finish kneading (I usually knead for about 30 minutes, repeating the process over and over again) I submerge the used root in an additional two cups of water overnight. The following afternoon I will then knead that Kava and try to squeeze out an additional two cups of weaker Kava. Let me leave no doubts, the second batch isn't the gravy that you get in the first batch. It is, however, perfect for a mid-afternoon session. Two shells of weaker Kava can take a load off.

After a long, stressful weekend (seems like a contradiction, no?) I decided to brew up some Nakamal At Home Stone Kava and settle into the sofa and catch up on some reading. It was my first time drinking Stone Kava and the first thing I noticed was the beautiful color and texture of the Kava. Stone has a cocoa-tint to it and is thicker than other Kavas, it has a very pleasant consistency and feels very nice going down. This seems like the perfect Kava to serve chilled. The highly palatable scent and texture, combined with a good numbing buzz, made for a very pleasant initial reaction. But the flavor was something else entirely - it raised the bar interminably for me. Until further notice, I will be rocking a quart or two of Stone in my refrigerator for guests who want to jump right in. This Kava has an amazing flavor - a bit more than mild, but a lot less than strong. It comes on earthy, which is par for the course, but slowly progresses through a nutmeg and almond taste until it leaves an extremely pleasant cashew-like aftertaste. I could easily make the mistake of drinking eight shells of this stuff just for the flavor and not be able to wake up the next morning.

The buzz is epic. This is what you are looking for, folks. It doesn't completely bury you the way Wow! does. Alternatively, it completely relaxes you and gives you a deeply satisfying, totally anxiety-relieving, nerve-calming body and mind buzz. Lately I've been running two or three miles a day, and this Kava completely relaxed my leg muscles after thirty or thirty-five minutes. It is downright medicinal. After drinking two shells, I found some Solomon Islands music I collected while doing fieldwork last summer and drifted back to the turquoise south Pacific seas. In terms of effect, this Kava is the real deal.

Taste 10/10
Effect 9.5/10

Nakamal At Home Stone Kava - 9.75 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Vanuatu Kava Store - Pentecost Pride

2010-02-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

We all know that Kava kava is a hard taste to acquire, and that many dedicated Kavaheads continue to despise the earthy taste of the sacred root. For some of us, Kava kava tastes wonderful - the peppery, gingery, and nutty subtleties can surprise and satisfy us. But when it comes to Kava initiates, the flavor is often the first and last obstacle that separates them from a long-term relationship with Kava. If your desire is to introduce some friends to Kava kava on a weekend night, and you are a bit concerned that it might overwhelm or disgust them, then Pentecost Pride is the ideal powder for you.

Now don't get my wrong, I'm kind if pissed that Pentecost Pride fills this niche. For $79.99/kg I was expecting something mind-blowing; I was expecting something that you might find at a Nakamal overlooking the turquoise waters of the Pacific. I was expecting to be transported to Pentecost Pride in my Kava-inspired dreams. But Pentecost Pride is alas not a strong Kava - at best, it is very mild and very clean Kava.

It is delicious. I would even venture to call it a "treat." You could possibly even leave this out at a party and incite comments such as "what is that peculiar yet pleasant drink over there?" It has a very creamy and nutty taste, and goes down quite nicely. No peppery or gingery tones to this variety, which unfortunately for Pentecost Pride are two of my favorite flavors. With much disappointment, I must add that the numbing effect is abnormally subtle. Isn't one of the best things about drinking Kava kava the satisfying tingle it puts on our lips?

The effects of Pentecost Pride are shockingly mild. One cup of Kava kava to two cups of water will leave you with a Kava that is almost incredibly weak. I kneaded and soaked for over an hour, and this is the result? I drank it with a couple friends who were Kava-newcomers. Though they felt relaxed after drinking it, it failed to launch them into the Kava bliss that Kavasseurs have come to expect from their hard-won bags of imported powder. I drank about four shells over a couple hours and felt nothing but a low, mild buzz.

Flavor - 8.5/10
Effect - 4/10

Vanuatu Kava Store's Pentecost Pride - 6.25 shells out of 10.

Nakamal At Home - Wow! Vanuatu Kava

2010-02-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

In J. Maarten Troost's "Getting Stoned With Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu," he describes his first experience with Kava kava as something like an opening up to the world, a new liberation into a social universe he had never before known. Meeting an acquaintance at a Nakamal in Vanuatu for the first time, he calls him his "brother" and remembering his wife is around exclaims "that's my wife.... I love my wife!" The importance and poignancy of everything close to him in his life is revealed to him at once. Well, at least after two shells. He senses serenity, contentment, and an emotion as far from dissatisfaction as one can possibly feel. This is how good Kava is supposed to make you feel.

"Wow"doesn't even begin to describe Wow! Vanuatu Kava. At $30.00 for 250 grams, one feels like they have cheated Nakamal At Home. "Really, this was only thirty bucks?" It is a very fine, Kavasseur grade Kava kava that can only be described as perfect. It is far easier to prepare than coarser Kava kavas like Black Sand Kava. One cup of Wow! is good for about two and a half cups of cold water, but after kneading I transferred the remaining root into another cold cup of water and got a few more shells of weaker Kava kava out of it. With something as high quality as this, you want to lick the dish when you're done.

First, the flavor. Very good. After brewing, note the gorgeous color of this Kava - it looks like Chai Latte or White Chocolate Milk. This is about as mild as Kava kava can taste. My advice is similar to what Thelonious Monk's would be: Straight, No Chaser. Put the tropical fruits away, you'll want to navigate through the whole bouquet of flavors Wow! has to offer. Although not as tasty as Black Sand Kava, this brew is very satisfying.You will feel numbness in your nose just sniffing the shell. The flavor lacks spiciness and has a creamier, almost taro-like taste. There is even some minor natural sweetness to be found in the aftertaste. It is mild, but serene. If you don't like the taste of a typical shell of Kava, you will love this. But chances are that this Kava is far too powerful for you (in terms of the effects) if you haven't grown to appreciate the flavor of a good Kava kava. With that in mind, be careful who you brew Wow! for. This is absolutely NOT for newcomers.

I wasn't prepared, or worthy enough, for the powerful effect this Kava kava had on me. As Kavasseurs in the Pacific say, this "kava speaks to you." Rating the effects/potency of this Kava is impossible, because it simply sails off the charts. Nakamal At Home is quite honest when they tell you to avoid machinery after drinking Kava kava, but after drinking Wow! don't even get into a car. Three shells will get you krunked enough to want to find the nearest bean bag and just dream away. About an hour after I drank three shells I got into someone's car to get some dinner and felt very dizzy - I asked to go back home and once I was on solid ground I felt fine. This is real Vanuatu high grade Kava kava - respect it.

That being said, holy shit. This is the real deal. Believe me when I say that this stuff will floor you. If you drink Kava on a regular basis, don't even think twice - buy Wow! right now. I wish it had more to offer in the way of flavor, but Nakamal At Home aren't lying when they tell you this stuff is rare, potent, and connoisseur grade. What is even more impressive is that Nakamal At Home claims that Chief's Jungle Kava (a Papua New Guinean variety available at their website) is even stronger than this. I'll believe it when I feel it.

Flavor - 9/10
Effect - 9/10

Nakamal At Home - Wow! Vanuatu Kava - 9 shells out of 10.

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Shaman Kava (Instant)

2010-02-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

*** THIS KAVA WAS REVIEWED AGAIN ON 3/7/2010, PLEASE REFER TO THAT REVIEW FOR MY REAL FEELINGS ON THIS KAVA ***

One thing is for sure: you don't drink instant Kava for the flavor. The last time I had instant Kava was simultaneously the first time I ever experimented with Kava. That was about 10 years ago, when I was working at a natural food store near San Diego. I bought a tin of Kava King instant powder, put some tablespoons of it into a pint glass and stirred it with some cold water. The experience got me excited about Kava, but I fell quickly into that trap of thinking: "Kava isn't supposed to taste good, so this is acceptable." If you've ever enjoyed a peppery, viscous Kava like Nakamal's Black Sand Kava, imagine all of the good things about that flavor disappearing - leaving you with hollow, light, wood-flavored water.

Shaman Kava is the same way, albeit leagues better than Kava King. If you've been drinking kneaded, thick, pungent Vanuatu Kava for a long time and try Shaman Kava, you'll feel a bit like you're trying diet soda for the first time. It tastes flat and uninspiring. The lightness of it gives way to a menthol undertone. Instead of the pleasant, shimmering numbness that traditionally prepared Kava gives you, instant Kava makes you feel like you just ate some low-grade cough drops. There is nothing to enjoy in the flavor - it is utilitarian.

The effect is adequate for instant Kava to have some appreciable value. This is important to keep in mind. For instance, if you are on the run (hopefully not driving) and are pining for some Kava spirit then Shaman Kava will probably be a good companion. It certainly does the trick, though if you want to feel anything like you would after three or four shells of real Kava, you'll probably have to drink a couple 10g packets. One packet will get you buzzed, but you'll be wishing for two once the glass runs dry. At $6.00 a packet, that's a hefty price for convenience.

It would be interesting to know how long Kava lasts if you bottle it up. Can you make some Kava in the morning and have it with you to drink at night? Does anyone have any experience with kneading some Kava and bottling it up? I'd be curious to know how well it works. If it does, Shaman Kava is a pretty futile endeavor.

Taste - 2/10
Effect - 6/10

Nakamal At Home Shaman Kava - 4 shells out of 10

-Le Kavasseur

Nakamal At Home - Black Sand Kava Review

2010-02-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Available at http://nakamalathome.com

Before I begin, let me say a few things about Nakamal at home. I have never been to their Kava Bar, and I have never corresponded with them at all. I came across their website while surfing for new sources of Kava kava. I ordered a half kilo of Black Sand Kava, a quarter kilo of Wow! Kava, and a quarter kilo of Stone Kava. I also ordered some straining bags from them, and two half coconut bowls. I ordered everything on Friday, and it was delivered by Monday. Free shipping, three days - unbelievable. Great costumer service, check.

After processing Nakamal at Home's "Black Sand Kava," I sat down to drink it and immediately indulged in the scent. I made the Kava so that it retained a nice froth, and put some ice cubes in it to give it a nice chill - I like to drink my Kava a little cold. The head is nice, earthy, and has a fresh rain smell to it. Some people don't like the taste of Kava but enjoy the feeling it gives them. I like the taste of Kava and the feeling it gives me. This Kava seems to retain the rich, deep, flavor of the black volcanic soils it is grown in. It is very spicy, and the spice seems to almost naturally dance with the numbing qualities of the kavalactones. It has an almost peppery taste, but the ginger tones of stronger Kavas aren't present. It has more of a nutty flavor than other Kavas - the clay, earthy taste is minimized by the peppery pistachio flavor. But still, you get a taste for the fertile volcanic soils it is grown in. Very pleasant, the best flavor I've tasted in a Kava. Kava is a root of the earth, so it seems obvious that it would embody the flavor of the soils it is grown in. The flavor of this Kava kava is unparalleled, unique, and on flavor alone is very high on this Kavasseur's list of Kava kava varieties.

This Kava has quite mild effects. Even though the effects are quite mild, Black Sand hits you instantaneously. I was literally already feeling the impact during my first cup - tingle, numbness, slight giggles, and then euphoria. The dizzying numbness that Black Sand Kava produces on your lips doesn't seem to quite match the relatively mild satisfying buzz it gives your body. I'm not saying it doesn't feel good - it does. It is light and has a mellow lift to it that you can feel in your head. It gives your skin a nice tingle. Perfect for the Kava newcomer. If I wanted to really shake off some stress I'd go for something stronger - but this is more than adequate for a Monday night. If you are expecting guests and want them to have a taste of the Pacific, this is perfect.

I look forward to reviewing Stone Kava and Wow! Kava here within the next week.

Flavor 10/10
Effect 7/10

Nakamal At Home's "Black Sand Kava" - 8.5 out of 10.

-Le Kavasseur

Kava Kavasseurs Unite!

2010-02-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

A Kava Kavasseur is someone who loves the taste, effects, and history of Kava Kava (Piper methysticum). Most of all, a Kavasseur appreciates Kava culture, and the sense of well-being Kava Kava brings to those who partake in it. Whether introduced to the Kavasseur as a way of dealing with stress or anxiety; during a trip to Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, Hawaii, or the Solomon Islands; or simply by trying to discover a good, safe high; this blog is for those of us who have experienced the glory of Kava Kava and can't imagine life without it. Join us in our goal of collecting links to Kava-related sites, reviewing Kava varieties and brands, and providing a space for Kavasseurs to express themselves!