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
Just ordered 250g of this. Cant wait to try it. How many teaspoons/tablespoons do you use per serving?
ReplyDeleteI usually eye-ball it, but aim for about two tablespoons for an 8-oz class.
ReplyDeleteHi 'yall, a newbie here...Ditto on all points. I've also tried Naky's Fire Island a good while back. And it's da bomb & good stuff! :) But first of all, I've just got to say that Hawaiian 'Awa RULES! And, oh yes...Tuday is piney & spicey, just they way I love it of course! I prefer mine WILD, spicey & piney! :) For what it's worth, my favorites are Isa, Hiwa, Wild PNG, Nuigini and Solomon, & Vanuatu. I'd like to try the Black Mo'i & Papa ele'ele sometime.
ReplyDeleteIf I may digress here. So anyway, I made my very first incursion into 'Awa with Kona Kava's Mahakea. It had a bit of a spicy & piney edge to it and a pretty big anesthetic numbing & narcotic effect which I really enjoyed it! :) The overall effect is was great. It is extremely relaxing and great buzz for a beginner. But of course, I over do it just a little you might say! LOL.
Later.
-Jim in Nashville Tn.
I thought the instant Kavas were more concentrated. Douglas is that two tablespoons / 8oz, or two teaspoons?
ReplyDeleteOn the back of the packet it says 1 teaspoon /5 grams is a serving so 2 teaspoons should be plenty
ReplyDeleteI overdo it, for sure. I don't think I would get much out of two teaspoons. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteDouglas, you have a GREAT blog. I never used kava and i'm just waiting for Kava by Rex - Fiji Waka's review to buy it (or not).. since i'm from south america, because of shipping and taxes i have to be very careful about what kava to buy! Best regards.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was disappointed in this instant kava. As a matter of fact, this may have been the most disappointing kava product I have ever tried. Tinctures, pills, root powder, all of it. Just not impressed.
ReplyDeleteThe soluability is just okay so you still usually suck down alot of muck at the end of your gulp. The effects are not pronounced or long lasting at all.
As far as 'insty' kavas go I think it does the job, but I find the Shaman variety from the same supplier [although it is plastery as hell] a GOOD deal more potent.
Quick Kava, a brand from another supplier, seems to me to be a better ride and taste too. It still has a good kick to the head, but [like any instant] it does not last too long or hit too hard.
Although stronger, the cost for a serving of the Shaman is straight up loony to me and hard to justify. I just don't wanna blow a couple bucks a shot for instant kava, and only have a half-buzz anyway.
If you don't mind the taste of spackling compound, Shaman is a better bang by far. For the dollar though, I'd have to say Quick Kava povides the best ride while still being easiloy drinkable.
I am just not at all impressed with fire Island on any level whatsoever. I like many of your other reviews, but sorry, I have to take you to task on this one and respectfully disagree... after all, you are just one man with his opinion.
So my take would be: If you really want the best effects from an instant, break the bank and spend the big $$$ and get the Shaman. Or go with Quick Kava, and have a much nicer ride without thinning the wallet too much.
I have to say, I have recently tried Fire Island and Shaman Instant Kavas (Bought a packet of each) and the difference is almost night and day. Respectively.
ReplyDeleteI've found that while Shaman is a great day-time drink, Fire Island during the day is probably not a good idea. If I could group these Kavas, I'd say Fire Island is more Indica (though not very much so), and Shaman is a lot more Sativa-like. Just a word of advice. I personally love Shaman a lot more, and have since re-ordered. I wonder what the kavalactone breakup in each one is that leads to such different experiences.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI have recently heard about kava and want to try it. Just wondering how long the "euphoric feeling" from the instant kava last for. Thanks
Are you sure you dont have shaman and fire island mixed around anonymous 6:56PM? I think fire island is muchhh more mild and dosent make you very sleepy, while shaman blasts you and puts you to sleep.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried this since N@H says they received a new Shipment on Feb 22nd, 2011? I ordered some yesterday... And with their speedy shipping (included) I should get it possibly tomorrow and find out for myself, but I was wondering if anyone else out there had experience with the newest batch?
ReplyDeletei tried the stone as the second kava i ever tried and i loved it alot. right now i have some tongan pride from kava by rex and i love that too rex is amazing.
ReplyDeletei'm waiting for stone from nakamal. i've only tried ground root from kona kava and it was ok. i just hope stone will be alot stronger. i've tried extracts and pills and found both to be crappy and expensive
ReplyDeleteNewbie here. Fire Island in hot chocolate with lecithin (about 1 tsp. of Fire Island in the cup) was mildly relaxing. However, the same amount of instant Shaman put me to sleep for three hours and I had a headache afterwards. I used a cooking thermometer to make sure the hot chocolate was not above 140 degrees (it was 135 degrees) to protect the kavalactones. The Fire Island effect lasted about an hour. I did not enjoy the Shaman. That is just my experience in case any other Newbies are interested.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy reading your reviews! I'm a new Kava head, unfortunately started on Kava by downing Kava Gaia extract and some Kavalovetone nonsense from iamshaman. After downing tons of capsules at a time and being very disappointed with results, I did my online research and finally placed an order with nakamalathome. Ordered 3x Fire Island instant Kava 10g packs, and 2x Shaman instant Kava 10g packs. I've been absolutely blown away by both varieties! First tried the Fire Island (all 10g) before an evening of with friends and had the greatest time in recent memory hanging out shootin' the shit! Last night tried the Shaman kava and actually had a difficult time falling asleep due to the euphoric warmth pulsations transversing through my limbs and gut. Best compared to those first days of trying Vicodin and attempting to fall asleep afterwards...body almost feels TOO good to want to sleep! I think I'm hooked! Can't wait to try this stuff in a variety of different social settings. Mind you, I don't suffer from anxiety and am quite the social butterfly...this instant Kava just made my night BETTER than it already would have been! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be honest with you here. Informational content usually puts me to sleep, and I snore quite loudly. Your content not only kept me awake, it intrigued me.
ReplyDeleteI personally felt a great deal more from the Fire Island variety than I did with the Shaman. I am sure there were other variables at work to somewhat cause this. For instance, I was working before the Fire Island, so I probably ate less throughout the day. With the Shaman I was off from work, so I had some larger meals in the day. I still planned out that I didn't eat before I took it and don't feel I should have to starve myself all day just to feel the effects. I may still go back and order the Fire Island again since I had the greatest success with it, but am still on the fence. One thing that did kick my butt was starting with a Fire Island 8oz. glass, then about an hour later taking a Shaman 8oz. glass. I had a great buzz going that felt like 3-4 beers in my system, but with a greater clarity to my thoughts and work...I was working on something for my house at the time. When normally I would have drank more than 12 beers, screwed something up I was working on, and woke up groggy...None of those occurred while drinking the Kava.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to the whole world of kava. Very interesting reading your reviews. Could anyone tell me where I can find the Fire Island kava? I can only find the Shaman variety on the webshop
ReplyDeleteHi, can you plz review the Kava.com instant?
ReplyDeletehttp://shop.kava.com/p-282-kava-dot-com-instant-kava-mix.aspx
just tried the Fire Island, for the first time I just mixed a little and 8 ounces of cold water. I will continue to increase the dosage as I see what the effects are. I am interested in experimenting with this as I want to stop drinking but still want to feel good and euphoric in social settings. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteFire Island hasn't been available for quite some time now.
ReplyDeleteCan you recommend another instant that would give similar effects?
Thanks so much!