We have a new question that we get asked more and more these days. It’s how to make the strongest Kava possible. Well, lucky for you, there are plenty of ways to make your Kava as strong as possible!

First of all, anyone who has experience with Kava knows that Kava drinks are usually made with water or coconut water. Fruit juices are often added, but mainly, Kava drinks are made from water.

The problem is that Kavalacatones, the active ingredients in Kava responsible for the pleasurable effects, really like to be extracted into fat. Fats include liquids that we are all familiar with, such as milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and many others. Oils are fatty too, but who wants to make a drink with olive oil? I do not!

The other problem is that fats and oils don’t mix. If you’ve ever tried balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, you know you have to shake the oil and vinegar to mix. And even then, it only mixes long enough to get into your salad! So, let’s do a little math:

Kavalactones make up only 10% of the total Kava root powder material. Doesn’t that mean we could use a 10% fat solution for our drink to get that 10% kavalactones? Well, unfortunately, it doesn’t exactly work like that. Things like soy milk are already water-based and contain a lot of water. So if we wanted the strongest possible drink without any extra additives, we could simply use 100% milk, soy milk, or almond milk, since these are already mixed with plenty of water, instead of just water.

Kava Additives

But there are not a few natural products that act as emulsifiers. What is an emulsifier you say? I’m glad you asked! Emulsifiers help bridge the gap between water and oils (or fats). Emulsifiers allow water and fats or oil to play nicely together and stay mixed in your drink. So if your salad dressing had an emulsifier added to it (many do), you’d never have to shake your dressing!

Knowing that, what could be the typical emulsifiers of Kava? Making water and fats play nice together makes Kava drinks stronger. A very common emulsifier is coconut milk and another is soy lecithin. These are used quite often as a way to give your Kava that extra “oomph”. They are both safe and vegan too. Therefore, they are popular options. There is another product available online called Kava Blender. This is an organic, rice-based product that does a very similar job to soy lecithin, but in powder form rather than a thick, gooey substance or granule form. I really like it and prefer it to soy lecithin at the moment.

Heat your Kava

They also ask me if Kava can be heated or not. Even though the decomposition point of Kavalactones is only 140 degrees Fahrenheit, we’ve made plenty of Kava Tea, Kava Brownies, and a host of other Kava-related items that still pack a punch. So even though Kava is not approved as a food ingredient, there are many reports online of people making Kava treats and enjoying a Kava brownie along with that Kava drink. And, from personal experience, I can say that this is an effective way to have a stronger Kava experience without having to make stronger Kava.

Drink more Kava

Let’s now look at the most obvious ways to make strong Kava. One of the easiest ways is to simply drink more! I know the focus of this article is on making strong Kava, but the beautiful thing about Kava is that there is no immediate tolerance while drinking it. This makes it possible to enjoy several shells over the course of a few hours. In social situations, my friends and I enjoy several cups (“shells”) of Kava over the course of a few hours.

No matter how strong you make your Kava, the effects only last about an hour when single servings of Kava are taken. But, when you start consuming more than one shell per hour; say 2 shells per hour, some very relaxing and pleasurable effects start to show. And that’s when things can get very interesting.

Another easy way to increase the effectiveness of your Kava is to simply add stronger Kava to the drink you are making. This is most easily achieved using items like Kava Tincture Plus or Kavalactone Paste 55%. These items are emulsified and will mix easily with whatever Kava extraction you are working on. If you’re looking for a bigger initial “kick,” these simple additives are the perfect solution for making strong Kava drinks.

And, like anything else, both responsibility and moderation are the keys to having a safe and fun time with Kava. It is completely legal worldwide for personal use (except Germany as of this writing), but can have effects that could make driving difficult. So, if you plan on making strong Kava, make sure you’re in a safe place, like a Kava bar or your own home, and familiarize yourself with the effects before you venture out into the world.

In summary

So what have we learned today about how to make strong Kava drinks? That it is possible and fun at the same time! You can express something that already contains natural fats, such as soy milk, almond milk, or even cow’s milk. That will make the Kava drink stronger than if you had extracted it with just water.

There are also additives that can be quite effective and are only needed in small amounts. Next, always drink more Kava! You’re not technically making Kava stronger, but you’re definitely concentrating your Kava inside your body.

Lastly, be responsible and don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun with your Kava trips. And now, hopefully, you can do it like a better informed Kava drinker!