Kava Root Powder

Amazingly enough, as I looked through our informative blog articles (close to 200 of them!), I was very surprised to see that I have missed a number of simple topics regarding Kava Kava root.  One of those glaring omissions is an article on Kava root powder!  Kava root powder is and will probably always be our Top Selling product here at Kona Kava Farm.

We offer several cultivars of Kava root in various forms, but I will focus only on the powders for now.  In its simplest form, Kava is a root that grows both underground and along the ground.  Kava root that grows along the ground is called “lateral root”.  Any Kava that grows underground is simply called “Kava root”.  We focus on Hawaiian Kava, since that’s where our farm is, and that’s the variety we feel is the happiest form of Kava around.

At Kona Kava Farm, we first offer Powdered Kava Root, which can be a blend of various types of Kava.  It works well for those who don’t consider themselves connoisseurs of Kava as it’s the least expensive root we offer.  It’s an inexpensive way into the wonderful world of Kava, and definitely has plenty of kick with a verified 9% Kavalactone content on average.  Just a couple of tablespoons blended and then strained will offer all the pleasures of Kava.

The most popular Kava root powder we offer is the “Powdered Kava Root Plus”, which can be found on our main Kava Page as well as on the Kava Marketplace, on The Find, and various other places.  This is a Hawaiian Noble Kava Root with a chemotype of either 4-2-6 or 2-4-6.  Kava that’s high in Kavain is also known as the “happiest” Kava there is, and our Noble variety Kava root powder plus is no exception.  We manufacture all of our root under very strict conditions, testing the Kava when it comes out of the ground, and then again, after it’s been packaged into our classic gold foil pouches.

The next question on most people’s mind’s is “How Do I Consume My Kava Root Powder?”  Fortunately, we’ve got plenty of helpful articles on that very topic.  Two of the best, complete with lots of customer comments articles are “What’s The Best Way To Take Kava?” and “How to Use Kava?”  If you don’t want to read yet another article, then I offer the simplest preparation method below.  It’s the traditional way of making powdered Kava root into a drink, and it’s also the most popular.

Strain the dried kava powder in water. In Hawaii the strainer is often a nylon stocking, cheesecloth, one-gallon paint strainer, or muslin bags. Use 1 ounce of powder per person (2 tablespoons). Place the powder into the strainer bag, hold its edges together at the top with your hand so that none of the powder escapes. Then, immerse the bag into a bowl of cool water. The amount of water will vary according to taste but a good rule of thumb is 1 ounce of powder to a pint of water. Use your hand to knead the kava under the water or bring the strainer out and squeeze then immerse it again in the water.

The kneading is the most critical step in the entire process!

The kava should feel oily at first which is due to kavalactone levels. Keep repeating this process until the kava in your strainer no longer feels oily. The water should take on the appearance of mud; the color of your kava brew may range from tan to dark brown depending on the varietal of kava used. If you wish, you can also add soy lethicin to your kava drink as an emulsifier to increase the extraction of kavalactones into your drink. That’s it; you are finished!

A single serving of kava usually comes to about 4 ounces of prepared brew, so traditional kava recipes like the one above will yield multiple servings of kava. Unless you’re intending to serve a large gathering, you’ll probably end up with leftover kava. Luckily, kava can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in a sealed container, such as a carafe with a lid.

Many people wonder if they can consume the root or if it has to be strained out.  Instead of writing a new section, let me borrow content from one of our other articles:

As a general rule, we always suggest filtering out the Kava Root after running it through your blender for a couple of minutes.  We prefer plain old muslin bags, but there are lots of people who have all kinds of solutions to this filtering question.  It certainly is not harmful or dangerous to ingest the powdered Kava root after extracting it.  In fact, it might actually have some health benefits, especially since it’s a fibrous root.*  But, to keep things simple, pour your extract through a muslin bag, cheesecloth, a clean t-shirt, or whatever you have lying around that you want to use as a filter.  Experiment.  Play.  This is all part of the joy of discovering Kava Kava and the many ways to enjoy it!

If there are any other bits about Kava root powder that you’d like me to include here, just leave a comment below and I’ll personally respond to you.  We love Kava at Kona Kava Farm and we love talking to you as well.  Helpful agents are waiting to help you make a selection from 9:00AM – 5:00PM, CST, 5 days a week.  Shop at either Kona Kava Farm itself, or over at the Kava Marketplace, where our entire line of Kava products are featured on a modern website, complete with Order Histories, Wish Lists, and one-click re-ordering.

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