I made my way down to Bula Kava House on SE Division in Portland, OR where I learned three things.

1. Kava ain’t cheap

2. It tastes horrible, seriously, can’t stress this enough

3. It feels great

While there, I tried a cup of their hand pressed waka which came highly recommended. It comes in a coconut shaped bowl and you chug it down including the sediment on the bottom. You do this in a public, yet very chill, dimly lit environment.

The store had a great selection and I learned that there are Kava’s they recommend for body relaxation and others for a mental/brain impact. I purchased a pound of the Waka because I’m all about the mind feel and a nylon bag that I’m pretty sure was made out of a vintage dress from the Salvation Army store.

I was about fifteen minutes out of the store when I noticed I was quite happy (I wasn’t driving) and the lights looked brighter and things seemed prettier.

Went home and made a second batch for me and a friend. Here’s how:

Step 1

I put everything in a big pyrex mixing cup but you can use a bowl or tupperware.

1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil (most people use soy lecithin but I didn’t have any, the fat is supposed to make it more effective)

2 cups warm but definitely not hot water (hot water kills the kavalactones). I happened to have an instant read thermometer and it was 110 degrees – enough to melt the coconut oil.

Added 8 slightly heaping tablespoons of the dried kava root, stirred it in.

Added 2 more cups of water, stirred.

The ratio for a standard one cup strong serving is 2 tablespoons per cup of water.

Covered with cling wrap and let sit for 25 minutes.

Step 2

Got a bowl

Put the nylon bag in the bowl.

Poured all the contents in the big measuring cup through the nylon bag.

Kneaded the bag in the liquid for a few minutes.

Squeezed all the liquid out of the bag.

Poured the bowl contents into cups.

The debris and sediment that gets into the drink is supposed to be good for the effect and apparently some people drink all the root any everything and its okay. Just gulp it down as fast as possible. I had a dried mango ready to drive the kava taste away.

The results

My mouth and tongue got numb which was kind of fun. Two cups in one night was absolutely plenty. I felt very relaxed and at ease about life and the world, and unlike the effect of alcohol my head was clear and I could still read and write. I almost felt clearer than normal, like the usual garbage worries had clouded my thought. I ended up skipping dinner so I think its an appetite suppressant for me. I slept well and woke up relaxed and clear headed.

I liked it somewhat warmer than room temperature, but it can be fridged and kept for a few days.

I’ve read some of the health concerns on the net. My own reading led me to believe that the health concerns like liver damage were due to kava pills which included parts of the plant. Traditionally, only the root is used and the plant is thought to be toxic. I’m not sure if this is true or if it is actually damaging. My extremities got really cold which is usually a sign for me that my blood pressure is low. Not sure if that is a known side effect or not. Other than that, felt great.