How to Prepare Kava
The amounts suggested here are meant for one user per one session and only apply to high-quality, potent, pure and noble kava products (such as the kava powders available here). Low quality kavas are unlikely to be enjoyable at these or any other doses. At the same time, note that each person requires a different amount of kava to feel and enjoy its effects. Remember to consume kava slowly and in moderation.
For a more in-depth read, check out our post on kava ratios and consumption pace, and our post on kava dosage.
Traditional Preparation Method:
This is our preferred method. It’s not just time-tested and effective, but it’s also quite calming in itself. You can easily chat with friends, or listen to a podcast or your own thoughts while preparing kava this way.
Insert a desired amount of kava inside the bag.
Place the strainer containing the kava powder into an empty bowl. Next, pour room temperature/lukewarm water directly into the bag with the kava (make sure the powder stays inside!). We recommend the ratio of 1:15 (1g of kava powder to 15ml of water - read more about the choice of kava to water ratio here).
Twist the top of your kava strainer closed and gently press out all the excess air.
Begin kneading the powder that’s inside the bag in the water. Knead the bag in the bowl and from time to time twist it to strain all the water out. After a few minutes your water should turn densely brown and should start feeling a bit oily (that's thanks to the kavalactones being released into your liquid). Use force, but be careful not to rip your strainer! Knead for a few more minutes (max 10 minutes in total) and then squeeze the bag to remove all water from the root particles while not letting any actual root into your ready beverage.
Your kava is ready!
If you want to, you can pour the ready beverage into a separate bowl and add some fresh warm water (half of the original amount) to your original bowl to prepare a "second wash" using the same bag with kava. It will be much weaker than the first one, but it can still offer some nice effects (you can add it to your original mix or drink it separately).
Traditional Grind Kava
Ingredients:
1. Approximately 35-40g (a little less than half a cup) of traditional grind kava powder. Visit our shop to explore the different types of high quality traditional kava powders.
2. Strainer bag. Some people use classic "Fijian-type" strainer bags, cheesecloth, socks, t-shirts or nylon stockings. However, these options often let too much sediment through and/or are not necessarily food safe . This is why you might prefer to use a finer, food grade strainer, such as a nut milk straining bag , which can produce a much smoother, easier to drink beverage. We personally use and highly recommend getting one of the excellent, food grade kava straining bags that we sell through our Kava Shop.
3. Two cups (around 500-600ml) of cold (room temperature) or lukewarm water. (In general, we like to use 15ml of water per 1g of kava, but feel free to use any ratio you find effective and convenient).
4. One extra cup of water if you wish to make the so-called "second wash".
Quick/Blender Method:
This is perhaps the quickest way of making traditional grind kava. Not as calming and pleasant as the traditional method described above (mostly due to the noise), but good if you cannot or prefer not to knead the kava manually.
Place the desired amount of kava into your blender.
Add cold water at 1:15 ratio (1 gram of kava powder to 15ml of water).
Blend on high for 2-3 minutes.
Once you finish blending it, pour the mixture into your strainer bag and strain + gently squeeze the kava into a clean bowl.
Note that the blender method is relatively quick and easy, but also has one potential disadvantage: agitating the powder with sharp blades for too long can result in fibres getting chopped up very fine and passing easily through the strainer. These fibres are not harmful, but they aren’t digestible and hence may produce some GI discomfort.
Drinking kava made with traditional grind powder:
Kava servings should be chugged quickly in order to prevent the sediments from settling down and also because it's not very pleasant to sip it slowly. Drink one shell of kava (half a cup or 100-150ml) at a time. It is a very good good idea to use a chaser (e.g. a fresh fruit or some coconut milk) to wash away the earthy kava taste. Take at least 15-20-minute long breaks between servings as it may take a while for the kavalactones to start acting and for you feel the effects. Remember that kava works best on an empty stomach (try not to eat anything for at least 3 or 4 hours before drinking kava).
Drink each serving quickly to prevent the sediments from settling down.
Instant Kava
Ingredients:
Apx 15g (apx 3 teaspoons) of instant kava. You can find some excellent, real instant kava in our small shop.
Two cups of cold water (ideally purified and chlorine-free) or any other soft drink/fruit juice mix you like.
Preparation:
Add instant kava powder to your choice of liquid and stir it well. You can either start by just mixing 1-2 teaspoons of powder in one cup of water or prepare the whole amount in a bowl or jug.
Drinking instant kava:
Instant kava can be skulled (just like medium grind) or sipped slowly when mixed with some juice. If you drink it slowly, remember to stir it occassionally. If you mix it with nothing but water, drink half a cup of kava (or one coconut shell) at a time and use a chaser (e.g. a fresh fruit) to wash away the earthy kava taste. Take at least 10-15 minute long breaks between shells as it may take up to 15-20 minutes to feel the effects. Remember that kava works best on an empty stomach (try not to eat anything for at least 3 or 4 hours before drinking kava). Also note that some people experience the so-called "reverse tolerance" and they need to try kava a couple of times before they can enjoy its effects.
General notes on kava preparation and consumption
Many people think of kava as if it was similar to regular tea or coffee. Consequently, they believe that it needs to be either brewed or dissolved in water. What they are not aware of is the fact that kavas' active ingredients, kavalactones, are not water-soluble. In other words merely pouring warm or hot water over kava roots is very unlikely to produce desired effects. Instead, when using traditional grind kava, root particles must be physically agitated, softened and hydrated in order for the kavalactone resin to get separated and suspended in water. This is the main idea behind most of the traditional kava preparation methods (this point does not apply to micronised or instant kavas).
Kava powder to water ratio is a matter of personal preference, but the choice of specific ratio will affect not just the taste, but also the type of experience you get from your kava. Just like a quick shot of espresso delivers a different experience to a large milky coffee consumed over a longer period of time, thicker kava acts faster and is great for contemplation and more intense experience, but not well suited for longer conversation or as background night-cap type companion to a relaxing evening. Read more about these differences here.
Kava is known for its well-documented "reverse tolerance" phenomenon meaning the effects of kava may not be felt fully with the first couple of times of use. Most first time users need to take kava for a few of days before its benefits become clear.
Water temperature. We recommend using cold (apx room temperature) or lukewarm (apx 35C) water. Most people tend to agree that using warm water in traditional preparation can improve the emulsification kavalactones from the root particles into the liquid. However, avoid using hot water as it can make the kava taste noticeably worse. Boiling (and straining) kava root can result in a potent beverage, but also in an almost unbearable taste and consistency. Additionally, using hot water seems to alter the chemical properties of the resulting beverage and make it generally less pleasant. It is therefore certainly not recommended.
Freshly prepared traditional kava (our famous Pacific Elixir blend). Auckland University (2017).