Kava has deep historical roots in Pacific Island culture, as centuries of islanders have sipped beverages made from freshly ground kava root. As the world has evolved and kava has spread across the globe, kava enthusiasts have created new ways to experience the ancient beverage, like with kava concentrate, kava extract, and even kava gummies. While many of these products have allowed more people to #relaxtheislandway, other kava products may not live up to the hype and offer a less impactful kava experience because of their extra ingredients and how they are prepared. One kava product that often gets confused with a traditional bilo of grog is kava tea.
What is kava tea and how does it differ from traditional kava beverages? In this post we’ll clarify the differences between a traditional kava drink and modern kava tea and explain why purchasing quality Noble kava drinks from established and reputable vendors like Kalm with Kava is your best bet for a safe, immersive, and relaxing kava experience.
Origins and Composition
Kava Drink
Kava, also known as Piper Methysticum, is a small shrub native to the Pacific Islands, mainly Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, and Vanuatu. There is a long history and tradition of islanders using kava plants for social rituals, religious ceremonies, and medicinal purposes. When the root and stump of the kava plant are ground down into a powder, made into a beverage, and consumed, the effects of kava’s active ingredients help promote psychological and physiological relaxation. At Kalm with Kava, we sell 100% ground Noble kava root, freshly sourced from the Pacific Islands. Our line of kava products, specifically our medium grind kava root products, are as close to the kava experience of the ancient times.
Kava Tea
What is kava tea? While sharing a similar name, modern kava tea lacks few similarities to the traditional kava drinks served on the islands of the South Pacific and the products we sell at Kalm with Kava. Today’s kava tea products often blend a small amount of kava extract or powder along with fillers and flavoring additives like carob pod, Indian sarsaparilla, cinnamon bark, cardamom, and ginger root. Manufacturers often do this to help ease kava newcomers into a more welcoming taste experience.
While a tasty drink, these teas typically contain only minimal amounts of kava, often not enough to produce the mouth-numbing effects of traditionally prepared kava drinks. The kava itself also may or may not have been sourced from the preferred and pure Noble kava varieties. Additionally, because kava tea bags are often steeped in boiling water, the active kavalactone compounds in the tea have much of their effectiveness depleted, rendering the drink far less potent in relaxation effects when compared to traditional kava drinks.
Kava Drink Vs. Kava Tea: Distinct Differences
There are three key differences between the traditional kava drink and kava tea that are worth examining: the preparation differences, the strength differences, and the cultural significance differences.
The Preparation Difference
Preparing kava for the first time is an experience many people in the kava community never forget. With any kava beverage, the strength and flavor profile can change drastically depending on the preparation method. Today, modern technology and tools have helped generate new ways to prepare kava beverages. While some of these more modern preparation methods mimic traditional practices, the result is often a kava beverage that looks and tastes different and stimulates less impactful effects.
- Kava Root Drink Preparation
When preparing purer and directly sourced kava products, like our medium grind kava and micronized kava, there are both traditional and easy methods of preparation. The traditional way of preparing kava is often compared to brewing tea. You place medium grind kava root powder in a straining bag, then steep it in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. After steeping, knead and squeeze the strainer bag to strain the liquid out of the bag into the bowl. When you’re finished kneading and squeezing, chill your kava in the refrigerator or add some ice before drinking. For a quick, easy kava preparation method, simply add your medium grind kava and hot water into a blender. Blend on high for 4 minutes, empty and strain through a cloth strainer, then chill before drinking.Micronized kava makes prepping a kava beverage sleek and simple—there are only two steps. Micronized kava doesn’t require brewing or straining because all the coarse fibers in medium grind kava root have been removed. To prep a micronized kava beverage, simply mix 1 tablespoon of micronized kava into 8-12 fluid ounces of a nonalcoholic beverage of your choice. - Kava Tea Preparation
If you decide to try kava tea, whether in pre-made kava tea bags or loose-leaf form, the preparation directions are simple and quite similar to traditional teas like green or black tea. While for regular tea, you would put a kettle of water on, wait for it to boil, then steep your tea in the boiling water for a few minutes, kava tea requires a more temperature cautious preparation. For kava tea, you only want to use hot tap water that has not reached the boiling point. Many people believe that water heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit may degrade kava’s active ingredient, kavalactones, ruining the desired effects and leaving your kava tea unpleasant and ineffective. Put your kava tea bag into this hot tap water. After it has steeped for about 5-10 minutes, the bag is removed. Then you simply drink your kava tea. For loose leaf kava you would need to additionally use an infuser or strainer bag to make the process of separating out the tea particles.
The Strength Differences
Having a quality kava experience means enjoying the relaxation effects of your chosen variety. While both kava tea and kava root drinks contain elements of the same active ingredients, the strength of the two drinks is entirely different in terms of how much you feel the kava’s relaxation effects.
Traditional kava beverages and store-bought kava tea bags differ significantly in terms of strength. In contrast, store-bought kava tea bags often contain processed kava extracts or weaker kava cultivars, resulting in a milder and less robust kava experience. While convenient, kava tea bags typically do not match the strength and cultural significance of traditional kava ceremonies.
- Kava Drink
Traditional kava, prepared from the root of the kava plant, is generally much stronger due to the use of fresh, potent kava root and the preparation process. The potency and effects of traditional kava can vary depending on the cultivar and preparation method, but it is typically stronger and more authentic in its psychoactive properties.Additionally, you can select the type and strength of relaxation effects you want based on the variety kava you choose. There are estimated to be over 100 different varieties of the kava plant, and each variety has a different composition of the primary six kavalactones. Each variety provides totally unique relaxation effects. Heady varieties, like our House Blend kava, are more uplifting and great for daytime drinking. Heavy varieties are better for nighttime drinking and great as a sleep aid like Vanuatu Borongoru or Melomelo. Fittingly, “balanced” varieties, like Vanuatu Borogu, are a balance between heady and heavy kava varieties. At Kalm with Kava, we specialize in carrying a wide range of kava products to fit your relaxation needs, tastes, and lifestyle preferences. Thanks to our in-house experts and kava variety selection tool, we can help pinpoint what kava variety will best suit you. - Kava Tea
In contrast, Store-bought kava tea bags often contain processed kava extracts or weaker kava cultivars, resulting in a milder and less robust kava experience. Additionally, store-bought kava tea bags are not necessarily the strongest option because you have no control of the dosage amount. While convenient, kava tea bags typically do not match the strength and cultural significance of traditional kava ceremonies.
The Difference in Cultural Significance
- Kava Drink
Drinking kava has been an important cultural tradition of most South Pacific Island nations for centuries. Kava’s cultural significance goes far beyond a beverage. Kava is ingrained in everyday life. Through the traditional lens, people don’t drink kava for the taste; it’s about culture, practice, and connection. Kava has been a core part of ceremonies since ancient times. Though the ceremonies themselves may vary between the islands, the community is always right at the heart. The installation of a new Chief, agreements between communities, or the welcoming of visitors all include a kava ceremony. Kava culture goes beyond ceremony in the Pacific Islands as it is also used medicinally, for conflict resolution, and every day for socializing. Regardless of what it is used for, kava truly has a unique way of bringing people together. - Kava Tea
Thanks to globalization of kava, this special plant is now used by non-Pacific peoples as an alcohol alternative in recreational settings and as a natural health supplement. While the growing interest in kava is a testament to its inherent relaxation properties, kava’s modernization has also led to a depletion of the community and ceremonial foundation on which kava’s identity was founded. While kava extract may be listed as one of the active ingredients of kava tea, the origin, variety, and quality of that kava are a total mystery to consumers. What’s more, modern kava tea products are stacked unremarkably alongside other popular teas like Earl Grey on store shelves. So, without any previous education, new kava consumers are completely unaware of the substantial history, benefits, and tradition of kava.
Shop Kalm with Kava: Your Source for Authentic Relaxation
Kalm with Kava is your source for authentic kava products. Shop our selection of premium kava products today and rest easy knowing our kava is founded on purity and tradition you can trust. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or a curious newcomer, our kava shop is a welcoming haven for all. Explore the multifaceted world of kava and be propelled into a journey of both relaxation and tradition.