More Kava Reviews Coming Soon!

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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