i've tried kava before a few times. had varying success, but i'm interested enough to try it again. i have 1 oz. of powdered kava root that i plan on making in a tea tonight... i'm just gonna wrap the powder in cheesecloth and knead it in a bowl of cold water. but i've been reading that some kavalactones are only fat-soluble... so they won't dissolve in water... so would vegetable/olive oil be good to add to my tea, to help dissolve some of these kavalactones? it's the only thing i have readily available that might work.
so i went ahead and did it... worked well, i'm defnitely going to add oil to my tea from now on. i really enjoy kava. i'm not "high", but i feel different. i'm thinking more, in a better, more direct way than usual. and it's nice to relax... i wouldn't exactly consider it a drug... but it's nice and personal.
Kava is stronger when mixed with fats. I would recommend kava mixed with coconut water. It makes a mean kava that is strong and sweet. Another option is to mix in soy lethicin. It can simply be put in the strainer with the kava and mixed as one normally mixes kava. The last recommendation comes directly from my kava bar in hawaii. http://www.kavakafe.com/menu.html I mix the kava with coconut milk, it enhances the effects while making the taste better. Give it a try or contact me for more details.
Like Mr. Kafe said, coconut water/milk is probably your best bet, it adds to strength and taste and is exceedingly cheap. If you need to mask the taste even more add cinnamon and honey.
I find that the best strainers are nut milk bags. They can be squeezed extremely tight without any sort of tearing or wear and fine enough to keep in the particulate that isn't needed anymore (the kavalactones have already been extracted). The resulting kava is both stronger (well kneaded and wrung out) and taste better (not as muddy).
are nut milk bags generally available in most stores? and i did come across some coconut milk, very very cheap so i will definitely experiment with that. thanks for the suggestion.
The most likely location to find nut milk bags is a healthfood store. Wholefoods definitely has some. They are relatively cheap ($5-$7) and will last you many kava mixings. I use them at my kava bar and they have hundreds of pounds of kava mixed in them each month with little to no wear. A cheap alternative is panty hose. These are stitched close enough to let very little kava particulate out and are easy to clean. I have seen people use many things though (coconut fibers, screens, t shirt, their hands, etc).
oh that's perfect, there's a whole foods vry near where i live. i usually use a t shirt which does work but a lot still gets through. i'll give the bags and coconut milk a try. thanks for the suggestions
Glad to help. I would love to know how it worked out for you. Hit me up. If you have any problems feel free to email me. Aloha.
OK special report from ancient. He drinks Kava lots. heres his personal recipe. Take your blender and fill it with 16oz water and add 2 heaping tbsps or 8 regular tbsps. Blend for a few minutes and let sit in the fridge for 30min. Blend for 4min and strain through a large muslin bag. A muslin bag is essential for kava. go to kavafarm.com. Put the extract back in the blender and add some pineapple juice and regular coconut milk at a personal preference and pulse. Pour over Ice and mix each time you pour a new drink. This is a surefire recipe
I agree with that ratio of water to kava. In my kava bar we serve it 1 heaping tbsp. of kava powder to 8 oz. water. Which equals about 1 cup of kava powder to 1 gallon of water. I dry cup of kava is a little under 4 oz. in weight. 4 Oz. Bag of Kava (Variety: Hiwa) I have a friend who prefers his kava gnarly strong. (ie: 1 cup kava powder to 1 cup of water) I find it to be to powerful for me. I like to control my relaxation a little more. For a nice mellow experience try the above ratio or double the kava. (ie: 2 tbsp. kava powder to 8 oz. water). Both will give you the desired effect in a managable serving size.
It sounds like you are having a spiritual kava experience - all power to you. I use it medicinally to calm anxiety and relax muscles. You can do a very strong extract of kava using high proof alcohol such as everclear. I use a percolator - like a bottle with the top cut off - you pack the kava or other herb in it and then dribble your liquid through it. But you can also just mix them up and shake. After you filter out the ground bits add glycerin and water. Heat the mixture gently to evaporate off the alcohol. I add lecitin to keep it all together. Also sometimes I add raw cacao extract for flavor.
4 cups of cold water in a blender. 4 heaping TBSPS of powdered kava root. 1 Large TBSP of powdered soy lechtin. A splash of lemon or lime juice. Blend on whip for 4mins. Pour into a 10inx6in muslin bag inside a large bowl or large measuring cup. Gently allow the mixture to filter, gently squeezing it slowly. Towards the end, massage the root mud and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Turn muslin bag inside out over a trash can to remove the exhausted root powder. Rinse bag in sink and set somewhere to dry. Pour filtered extract back into the blender. Add 1 cup pineapple juice + 1/2 cup regular cocunut milk (no fat free ew!) Serve on the rocks everytime. Hold beverage in mouth for a few seconds to cause a numbing sensation in mouth. This usually only works during the begining of a kava session. The buzz usually comes on quick and is relatively similar to an alcohol buzz. It is not possible to get drunk off kava and there seems to be a level that can only be prolonged and that is reached during the first serving. Kava is the only herbal supplement I have found comparable to alcohol. Even though you can not get drunk off kava you still recieve a buzz similar to sipping alcohol without overdoing it. Try konakava.com for your kava paraphenilia
