Hello folks, anyone here drink kava?

I would guess that in a community like this, a number of folks would have to stop drinking alcohol for whatever reasons (myself included), but still enjoy the good old tradition of inebriation of some variety. Kava seems to be a favorite choice of many, as a kind of alcohol substitute, or just as an alternative way to relax or achieve some level of social lubrication. So like the beer thread, how about a kava discussion?

I myself enjoy kava pretty frequently to chill out. I have been drinking micronized, but it really dehydrates me so I've recently switched to medium grind and traditional brewing method. Just got a package of Vanuatu "Melo Melo" in the mail from Bula Kava House. My first impression is that it's great, more anxiolytic but less heady than the micronized Waka or the Nambawan I'd been drinking. I also enjoy going to kava bars to study or relax, though that can get somewhat pricey.

Anyone else enjoy getting bula'd? If so, what do you drink?

I've tried it once and didn't produce the effects I expected. This was also years ago when all I wanted was to get wasted.

Now, reading into it, this is something I would like to try again. I have cut back on drinking and I currently can't smoke. This may be an option to relax. But I'm not sure where to start? Lots of mixed reviews about brand quality lately. Would you mind recommending any brands or pertinent info?

Tried it once; didn't understand why someone would enjoy making their mouth feel ("feel") like it just left the dentist. Still don't. It had no other effect on me (well, apart from tasting bad), so I haven't tried it since.

I don't remember what the preparation method was.

I tried it once at a kava bar in St. Augustine, FL, with my ex. It wasn't like being drunk, but I was definitely inebriated in some way. As best as I can recall (it's been almost a decade since then), it was kind of a lightheaded, wobbly feeling. The flavor I had wasn't bad - kind of vanilla-y - and I bought a pack to bring home, but it remained unopened for a very long time. When I finally did open it, I must have made it wrong, because it was awful; maybe it just went bad. Needless to say, it did not replace alcohol for me. But it was worth trying.

Yeah, kava is definitely nothing to get annihilated with. But if you are just looking to chill out, it's pretty damn effective. As some people have said they didn't notice too great or any effects, keep in mind that kava does have what people have called a "reverse tolerance", and while I'm not sure that's the right designation for it, it definitely takes less to get the same effect if you drink it regularly for a few weeks. First time drinkers might need 4 or 5 times the amount of kava to get the effect a regular drinker gets from a single serving. Something like that. And different kavas have quite different effects to them, from relaxing to quite heady and intoxicating to euphoric.

I'd say for those who want something stronger than chamomile and warm milk, but not as strong or potentially debilitating as pharmaceuticals, kava is nice.

As for brands, I have had a lot of good luck with Bula Kava House, though I also have heard great things about Gourmet Hawaiian Kava. For me, I started by drinking the 11 year waka from BKH for a few weeks. It is micronized, so you don't have to brew it but just mix it in any liquid and drink it. It's pretty strong stuff, rather heady. It was good to use since I didn't have to put time into brewing it and the effects are very noticeable. But I think switching to traditionally brewed ones is good. It really depends on what you are looking for, basically intoxication or anxiolysis.

If anyone is considering trying it out, I'd recommend trying it regularly for a week or a few to get the full effect; it's got to build up in your system (or something like that, not entirely sure how the mechanism works).

We tried it years ago with no efect (since it seems to have to be prepared in an emulsion while we just boiled it in water):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava
Maybe sometime again.

I got two kava experiences.

The first I drank with a mate. Seemed to give the feeling of numbness (mostly face) while drinking. But no lasting effects. So basically, you just have to keep drinking.

The second time was with a friend who had just returned from Fiji and was really keen on the whole ritualistic aspect of it. While it made for a more fun social element, it was quite ineffectual in its effect (possibly poor quality kava), pretty much just like drinking muddy water.

All in all, not really in to it.