Kavasseur

All Kavasseurs have a few friends who claim that Kava doesn’t effect them and that it lacks the power they look for in a good night of enhanced socializing. They sink back a few shells, comment on the cool numbing effect, and then wander over to the cooler for a cold beer.

Friend who doesn’t believe Kava is powerful, meet Chief’s Jungle Kava.

This is my first time drinking a Papua New Guinean Kava, and it won’t be my last. From the time you cut open the package and unlock the resealable bag, you are in for a real treat. This stuff is just different. The smell of pine cones and sage describe the nose of this root. If you just feel this stuff with your hands, you will be in love with it. It has this great twiggy, non-powdery density to it and just feels nice to play with. The scent of pine cones just emanates from this stuff and makes the whole house smell wonderful. I was enchanted with this Kava before it even touched water. And when it did… wow. Watching the roots absorb water, expand, and exude their spiciness was just ridiculous. I followed the provided recipe pretty closely, sans the blender, and kneaded for about 15 minutes before I had a good thick Kava to drink.

Now, the flavor. Well, what can I say? It is evil. Now I understand Kava anxiety. I took my first gulp and was totally overwhelmed. I feel like I should brew some Fiji or Tongan Kava as a chaser for this stuff. I wanted to spit it out like I would if I took a bite out of a fresh, green pine cone. It is really like no other Kava I have ever tasted, and I feel like I’m being redundant in saying that. I started out drinking Vanuatu Kavas and falling in love with them, and was extremely surprised at the wonderful flavor of Tongan and Fijian Kavas. I even enjoyed crashing through my kilo of Vanuatu Kava Store’s Pentecost Pride for its mild and satisfying flavor. Kona Kava is extremely nice, but isn’t very rewarding. I’ll tell you, Kavasseur to Kavasseur, that this stuff is not  pleasant to drink. It brings on the gag effect, but in the end it kind of makes sense. The only thing I might recommend is watering this down and drinking twice as much, because if you just drink it raw you are going to get pummeled. The ends justify the means. I don’t even know how to rate the flavor on this, so I won’t.

Chief’s Jungle Kava is extremely powerful. You feel it as you are drinking it, almost right out of the gates. It is pretty close to a Vanuatu Kava in that it has that kind “heightening” kick to it. You feel it in your head before you feel it in your muscles. Your eyes kind of glaze over as if you had just smoked some cannabis. You move slower, see deeper, and hear everything loud and clear. Lights are brilliant and somewhat offensive. Chief’s Jungle must have its roots in Vanuatu, because it has a nearly identical effect. From what I understand from looking at the literature, you can’t export super high-grade Kava from Vanuatu by law, so some of the most potent stuff you can drink stateside is from Papua New Guinea. (Can anyone confirm this?) After drinking three shells of this stuff, that seems like a more than likely scenario. In terms of effect, this is the one you want to brew for those friends of yours who have downplayed the power of Kava.

I need to lay down…

Flavor – 6.5/10 (high grassy notes dominate, too overpowering for my tastes.. try Niugini if you want a tasty Papau New Guinean Kava)
Effect – 9.75/10

Nakamal at Home Chief’s Jungle Kava  – 8.125 shells out of 10