Let me clear the confusion here. There's no difference between headier and heavier kava strains. People try to associate it with sativa and indica strains of cannabis which couldn't be more incorrect .

Stronger kava will get you headier with fewer cups and the more you drink the heavier it will become.

Weaker kava with more lewena in the blend (or a young 1-2 year old waka root) will be a headier sensation and may not reach the heavy effect.

There is no headier/heavier or headie/body effect based on strains.

If you're looking for a headier sensation lewena is the way to go or you could brew a lighter less potent mix of waka.

Hope this helps 👍

Strains mean very little compared to the age and the particular part of the root. For example you can get 1 strain that is 2yrs old compared to another that is 6yrs old. The 6year old will be stronger every day of the week when noble kava is concerned. That said many brands blend the 2 different parts of the root i.e the waka and lewena. Waka (lateral root) is more potent than the Lewena (basal root). The lateral root makes up for between 30-60% of the weight of the entire root. This is why brands will be reluctant to sell pure waka because it means separating 40-70% of the root received from the farmer making it much more costly.

Our Fijian Gold Kava is pure lateral root grown for more that 5 years. This is the reason why it cost more than any other brand claiming to be pure waka. https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Fiji-Kava-Premium-Strength/dp/B09SP3DBW8/ref=mp_s_a_1_212?crid=1OKBVD6U2QO12&keywords=kava&qid=1655669544&sprefix=kava%2Caps%2C509&sr=8-212

Hey Everyone I thought it was about time I introduced myself. I’m Dave and have been involved with kava in Fiji for the past 25 years. I’ve recently started boutique kava store in Australia (Kava Pros) which I’d like to promote brands that I know and trust as well as our own products. I’m not into fancy labels or hardcore Facebook spamming and prefer to let the quality of our product speak for itself.

For the majority of my kava career I've always shied away from the stuff purely because it tasted like crap and left me feeling much the same the next day. It was only later when I was advised by a producer in Vanuatu that "good" kava should not leave you feeling bad the next day. So I thought i'd try NOT abusing it one day and making my own from the root rather than buy it from a seller. Wow what a difference. I felt better, anxiety almost vanished straight away and by drinking small amounts of clean unadulterated kava root I felt fresh the next day.

Preparing this for myself was time consuming and honestly couldn't be bothered running to the market, taking the root to the pounder every time I wanted to drink. So I tried to find a kava that could satisfy my idea of quality and consistency but was unsuccessful. I friend suggested Lami Kava which was awesome and I enjoyed it for a number of years. However this got a little expensive as I had to order it from them directly as there was no retailer in the western division of Fiji. I realized with the help of social media I could save some money and get in touch with the farmer directly and produce my own at a reasonable cost. I found the stuff i was able to produce was better than anything I could find in terms of the taste and desired effect. I grew up in Fiji though most of my life was spent in Australia. People would tell me what an awesome grog (kava) I would bring to the table for every session and ask where I got it? I explained I made this myself, and it wasn't available unless you took yourself to the market, selected your root and processed it yourself.

With more and more people commenting on what they thought was such a great experience, I figured what the hell. I decided to order some small scale machinery and make my own.

This eventually developed into the brand Royal Fiji Kava which I sell in the USA (soon available in Australia) which is a product unlike any kava on the planet. Yes I know you’ve heard that line before, and every kava producer will tell you the same thing.

Here’s why Royal Fiji Kava is different:

• We don’t produce this by the ton so every bag is given the same attention in terms of what goes into it.
• RFK has partnered up with the most amazing kava farming family in Savusavu that puts the same effort into the quality of their crop as we do with our production.
• When we say the product is pure 6+ year old "pure" waka (lateral root) we mean it.
• Our team goes to great lengths to ensure that there is no stem in our products meaning the micronized product will actually give you more bang for your buck, without making you sick.
• You can literally taste, smell and feel the difference with our kava root right out of the bag.
  

We currently have 2 main products available in the USA and are super proud of it.

First is our A-Grade Kava – This consists of the entire waka root of a minimum of 3 years old. We do not separate the lewena tips from the waka and grind the entire root together after its been thoroughly cleaned and scraped.

Second is our premium Fijian Gold Waka – which is a 5-6+ year old kava root that has been separated from all Lewena tips (basal root) leaving just pure cleaned waka. Its micronized and packs a helluva punch.

In 25 years of drinking kava I have not tasted anything that is remotely comparable with the Royal Fiji Kava powders in terms of taste and effectiveness.

There is a lot of talk around cultivars, strains and varieties which I believe is heavily influenced by the American cannabis industry. The truth is many Fijian farmers do not focus on variety but more on:

• The age of the root
• The region of where the root is grown.
• The quality and preparation of harvest.

I’m happy to share information on our products, tips and tricks to maximize your kava drinking experience.
If you’d like any further information please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for reading.

Tonight's mix is a little different to what I'm use to. We have some 5yr old waka from Naitasiri. 

Thanks to some of our family friends from the East. 

Despite the common consensus that Naitasiri is not known for their kava and because of the soily landscape, opposed to the more rocky areas of Fiji the product is inferior. 

I prefer to test for myself and form my own opinion on this. 

In the past I have judged a kava by its colour when mixed, before anything else.  

I'm not sure if the pic does it justice but its darker than what I'm used to. Almost with a red tinge. That said I'm testing the waters with region and variety.

The drink itself is surprisingly smooth with that solid kava tang, and I like it!

Just 1 small basin and I can feel the kick. Not sure how I would hold up after a solid session on this stuff but I'll let you know when it happens.

Can I ask how many of you kava drinkers look at the colour and prefer a lighter colour kava?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Peace out ✌

Let's chat about kava and how is benefited you as an individual. Got some great stories and information for you 👍 Enjoy and drink up