Opinions - The Taste of Kava-kava: Pleasure or Annoyance?

[Bajeda]

Do the good people here at drugs-forum and their various test animals enjoy the taste of Kava?

I'm wondering whether or not people like the taste of Kava, and whether that has always been the case. Some people seem to acquire a taste for it over time, while others never are able to stand the taste. Different strains have different degrees of taste, but it doesn't seem to make enough of a difference that one's basic opinion would change.


Answer the poll if you would, and feel free to provide any additional comments or observations in posts.

All the critters who have used Kava on at least several occasions, please let us know what your initial reaction was to the taste and how you perceive the taste now after getting some experience with Kava.

[Devotchka]

Swim has tried mixing kava kava with a drink a few times and cannot stand the taste at all. In fact, it makes Swim want to vomit even thinking about the taste. Swim likes using capsules more.

[enquirewithin]

Originally Posted by Devotchka

Swim has tried mixing kava kava with a drink a few times and cannot stand the taste at all. In fact, it makes Swim want to vomit even thinking about the taste....

My animals agree entirely. Even the smell is not pleasant. The texture of the root is unpleasant. What a shame-- the effects are great.

[PoolShark1184]

Maybe we can turn this into a "How to make kava taste better" thread as well? Anybody have any ideas? SWIM has tried a few different methods but none of them work too well. Though he has gotten used to the taste...

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by PoolShark1184

Maybe we can turn this into a "How to make kava taste better" thread as well? Anybody have any ideas? SWIM has tried a few different methods but none of them work too well. Though he has gotten used to the taste...

Swim has heard good things about flavouring the Kava brew with vanilla or other extracts, though he needs to experiment with this more himself.

Swim has come to really enjoy the taste of kava though, so he doesn't have much motivation to try experimenting with flavour enhancement.

[snapper]

SWIM finds the taste of kava neutral, though the numbing, tingling sensation SWIM has learned to enjoy. Since SWIM considers this a tactile sensation and not a taste, SWIM has voted neutral.
SWIM prefers kava extract (powder lipophylized) since root is often not strong enough. SWIM usually uses root as powder blenderized into soymilk with vanilla extract and a little sugar or honey.

[Benga]

swim likes it, and finds it somehow ginger-like in a way. swim eats slices of ginger in his morning miso soup. the earthy part reminds him of korean red ginseng, which swim also likes a lot.

but swim still has to taste what really well prepared strong kava root. his experiences with various root forms and preparation recipes (including ones using saliva, soy milk or lecithin etc) and more recently 30% PE extract just made him drowsy.

b

[radiometer]

The flavor is neither great nor as bad as some make it out to be.

I like how kava smells like sex juices. An hour after fixing some kava, one's hands smell as if one had given a woman a handjob earlier. A bit of powder spilled on one's shirt can make for happy thoughts throughout the day.

[Benga]

Originally Posted by radiometer

The flavor is neither great nor as bad as some make it out to be.

I like how kava smells like sex juices. An hour after fixing some kava, one's hands smell as if one had given a woman a handjob earlier. A bit of powder spilled on one's shirt can make for happy thoughts throughout the day.

interesting. never noticed. a younger swim always associated such undertones with the smell of a pencil's lead, which is most often graphite.
but kava, never occured. will pay more attention next time

b

[radiometer]

Traditionally, kava is associated with semen. According to Pendell, male islanders will often make jokes like "here, have some of my kava," or "that new woman, I think I'll give her some kava."

But the odor is rather unisex, or I guess - just plain "sex."

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by radiometer

Traditionally, kava is associated with semen. According to Pendell, male islanders will often make jokes like "here, have some of my kava," or "that new woman, I think I'll give her some kava."

But the odor is rather unisex, or I guess - just plain "sex."

I think you are ruining the flavour for me!


My camel is drinking a fresh and frothy brew now and can identify with what you are saying about the taste. When he drinks a strong preparation left to sit overnight or chews on the root he finds that the taste becomes much more peppery and spice-like, which overpowers any other flavours my camel can identify. He says its all good though.


The last quote in your post provoked a disturbing yet somewhat funny thought. I can picture Australian authorities or other drug officials in countries with heavy kava use trying to vilify the substance by calling it the new date rape drug! Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if I already read something like that, probably from one of the Australian 'save the aborigines by cutting off their kava supply!' articles.

[enquirewithin]

Originally Posted by radiometer

Traditionally, kava is associated with semen. According to Pendell, male islanders will often make jokes like "here, have some of my kava," or "that new woman, I think I'll give her some kava."

But the odor is rather unisex, or I guess - just plain "sex."

The taste and smell of kava just got even worse!

[RealGanjaMan]

Well I was introduced to Kava (ava) in Western Samoa where it is a cultural tradition and is looked at as more than a substance. I appreciated the taste from the first time it touched my tongue. I would never trade the taste of Kava for any pill or other form of taking it.

note: Kava is legal in Samoa, but not the US. no swimming practice today

-RGM

Reputation Comments on this post:

A clarification: Kava is certainly legal in the US. Also, swimming is necessary whether it is legal or not where you ar...

[PoolShark1184]

Kava is still legal in the us...lets keep it that way!

[BEEKSc1]

Someone else on df described kava as tasting earthy
You have to pull it onto your tongue slowly; pretty much like wine, if you drink it quickly, it might be a little much

[radiometer]

Originally Posted by BEEKSc1

You have to pull it onto your tongue slowly; pretty much like wine, if you drink it quickly, it might be a little much

Actually, the traditional style is to gulp it down!

[belladonna]

Hmm, my faerie friend had a rather yummy extract powder which she used to just take under the tongue.. nicely potent, and she said she used to do take a little bit here and there like this, sometimes a few times a day, sometimes not at all... probably the size of 2 match heads.
other faeries she shared it with often reacted funny to the flavour, but she actually rather liked it.. and the peppery numbing she found quite delicious

She is however, a bit weirded out by the flavour equating to semen.. hmm, she never thought of that, and doesn't fully agree, but then she says, she has never tried fresh root.. maybe she's in for a surprise... haha..

[E-Danarchy]

SWIM has never had kava root, only an extract powder mixed with various liquids, mostly water, which would seem to result in a stronger flavor than root. SWIM has also mentioned that the flavor is rather unpleasant. SWIM has said that a touch of honey and/or lemon juice can go a long way toward making the taste more pleasant, though would like very much to experience kava in a more traditional setting than his dorm room.

[penta]

Kava, in swim's opinion, is one of the more foul smelling / tasting things that swim has ingested. Swim hasn't had fresh Kava before, but the pills the swim has bought at the store almost make him sick just from the stench.

[wOrship]

Swim didn't initially like it too much, he never found it gut-wrenchingly putrid like for example his lab rat found liberty cap tea but certainly wasn't in danger of confusing it for a pint of Guinness..

He had all sorts of odd recipes for masking the taste, then one day ran out of most of the ingredients so just used the olive oil and a bit of sugar. Swim then wondered what all the prior fuss was about, that's his 'recipe' now, kava, water, olive oil and a little sugar - swim likes the taste of kava and has done for a good while now.

Just as an afterthought to the above, swim has sampled many of the cultivars now, I think I should add that he likes the taste of most, generally he likes the taste of all the hawaiian strains but he did have an Isa from Papua New Guinea a few months back that was a bit on the chewy side..

If Kava is supposed to taste like semen then swim says he'd imagine PNG Isa to be something like the taste of a specimen collected from the bollocks of a thawed siberian mammoth

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thank you for explaining your views.

[cosmicruler]

swim has tried fresh kava in fiji where swim really enjoyed the ceremony and the effects but not so much the taste...just tasted like muddy,bitterish water...
swim has also tried kava extract and kava tincture,extract was taken in capsules and therefor wasnt tasted but the tincture was shot back and was plain nasty!!!

[Bajeda]

Well, the poll has alot more responses now, and it appears that a majority of respondents didn't like the taste at first, though just under half of those eventually acquired a taste for it.

People who enjoyed the taste from the start are definitely in the minority.

I feel like this thread deserves a bump, so more people will see and hopefully respond to the poll. I would also appreciate more feedback in post form, especially from the people who acquired a taste for kava despite not liking it initially, or from people in the undecided categories.

I am wondering if it is preparation method (especially use of additives such as honey or chocolate milk or other flavourings) or strain selection that accounts for variable or changing perceptions of taste. For instance, with people who didn't like the taste at first I am wondering if they simply got used to the taste, or if their perspective changed because they just found a better way to mask or enhance the flavour, which they still don't especially care for on its own. Or maybe some found a better tasting strain, which could account for "enjoyment varies with use" responses, seeing as some strains have remarkably distinct tastes relative to other types of kava.

Also, for people who "acquired" a taste for kava, I would be interested to know how much they disliked the taste initially. I wonder if the people who selected this option tended to have a mild aversion to the taste at first simply because they weren't used to it, or if they had a really hard time getting it down (some people seem to find it so terrible that its nauseating) and then somehow had a complete reversal in opinion. wOrship's post is a good example of the type of response I am looking for.

[ianzombie]

Swim has experimented with Kava several times and likes the effects, however Swim never liked the taste and it became harder and harder to down it every time until he finally gave up. Its a shame really because Swim thinks its a nice alternative to Alcohol.

Swim usually always prepares his with water in a traditional method, Swim hates Milk with a vengeance so that is not an option.

Maybe Swim will give Kava another shot using some of the interesting recipes he has read here lately

[salviablue]

The etherlectricpenguin loves the taste of kava, so he's told me. Loved it from the first taste. Nice in hot milk. Mmmmmmm.....he said.

[G_nome]

My pet's only on his second strain of kava root, and the strain he just received yesterday is much more stronger tasting and way more pungent than the last lot, which was a Fijian strain.
This latest strain, which is from the jungles of Papau New Guinea, makes my pet get a kinda numbing sensation just by smelling it! It also reminds him of the smell of cocaine he used to get when he still done that shit over three years ago, which makes him wonder.
But man, my pet thought poppy pod tea would prepare him for the taste of kava, how wrong he was. Kava's on another level completely! Especially this jungle kava, it's very strong tasting. Very earthy and peppery tasting. And less than a tablespoon of this stuff and my pet's on his arse!

So my pet is still undecided on the taste of kava, as the Fijian strain didn't taste too bad at all. So he'll have to try a few more strains and then decide.