Kava, or kava-kava, comes from a very interesting plant that grows on various Pacific islands in Oceania. It comes in a variety of different cultivars like the kinds we’re discussing today: noble kava.
Today, we’ll answer:
- What is noble kava?
- How is noble kava made?
- Is noble kava better than other kavas?
- What are noble kava extracts?
- What should you look for in a daily kava product?
Plus, we’ll share a bit about the different types of kava so when you go shopping for the best kava you can buy online…you’ll know what you’re doing.
Let’s get started!
What Is Noble Kava?
Kava is used in a variety of ways to enhance social interactions, deepen ceremony or tradition, and as a relaxing drink for your well-being. Today, when we sip a cup of kava tea with our friends, we are continuing a long-held tradition for this botanical gift. Kava comes from a bushy plant called Piper methysticum, which is a member of the pepper family. The quality and type of the kava plants lends to our experience when we consume them. Some are stronger. Some are poor quality. Some aren’t suitable for everyday use. This is where the distinctions of noble kava vs non-noble kava becomes important.
Kava plants have been cultivated now for so long that they rarely flower, and even when they do, they do not reproduce. This means that kava plants essentially are sterile. Today’s kava plants exist entirely by grafting cultivation done by humans. Think about that. The plant is so important to humans that we’ve become partners to each other – kava caring for humans, humans caring for kava. Kava, indeed, is a precious botanical.
As you can imagine, people grow kava in a variety of soils and with varying degrees of care. Some kava plants, naturally, are going to be better quality or more pleasant to use. Kava’s classified into noble and non-noble (also called Tudei) types. Noble kava yields more predictable and arguably safer results, and is considered the highest quality.
Noble Kava vs Non-Noble Kava
Let’s take a look at the differences that determine a noble kava variety from a non-noble one.
| Noble Kava | Non-Noble Kava |
|---|---|
| Calming effects | Can have unpredictable effects |
| Gentle enough for daily use | Too strong for daily use |
| Predictable longevity | Stays in the system a long time (several days) |
| More pleasant to use | Less palatable and can be rather unpleasant to drink |
| Low risk of side effects | May produce side effects that linger into the next day or two |
| Considered high-quality kava | Considered lower-quality kava |
Kava Cultivars
Noble kava vs non-noble kava are matters of where and how the kava is grown, and the plant composition – the plant’s unique combination of active compounds. There are many kava cultivars (varieties or strains); in fact, over 150 of them, each with a unique kavalactone content. Higher-quality noble kavas are celebrated for their ability to make us feel good and not cause a bunch of unpleasant, lingering side effects. Thus, the noble distinction can be helpful to us when we are shopping for the best kava to buy online or in a health foods store (if you don’t live in Fiji or another area where the kava is produced).
How Noble Kava Root Is Prepared
To prepare kava root for use, it must be cultivated, harvested, cleaned, dried, and ground. Traditional grind kava is kava root powders that have been prepared traditionally. These powders are then steeped in water, agitated (stirred), then pressed out or strained to retain the liquid for consumption.
If the grounds are further pulverized before use to create super-fine powders, these can be made into instant kava which is stirred right into a liquid for consumption, or micronized kava which is stirred in and then strained before drinking.
Preparing Kava Root Into Powders
Here’s we take the plant-nourishing kava roots and rhizomes and make them into a powder we can use in calming kava beverages:
- First, the kava is cultivated – often grafts are started in a nursery to protect them from weather patterns or natural disasters, both big threats to young kava plants – and then nurtured to maturity. This takes 3-5 years!
- Once mature, the kavalactones (the active phytochemicals in kava) present in the roots are plentiful and ready. Each cultivar has its own unique combination of active compounds. The roots are dug up carefully by the farmers and cleaned.
- The stalks, stumps, and roots are then separated, saving the stems for future plant propagation. The roots and stumps are carefully washed to remove soil and debris. The stumps are peeled.
- The stumps and roots are then laid out to dry.
- The dried materials are then pulverized by pounding or grinding.
Read More: How to Prepare Kava Tea
What Is Noble Kava Extract?
One of the useful things we get from noble kava root is extract. This is concentrated active compounds that can be made into tinctures, tablets, or other kava products. Think of it as liquid form without the powder. When high-quality noble kava plants are used to make the extracts we get noble kava extract.
Considering Daily Kava for Calm and Relaxation?
Kava plants grown in different areas have different properties so they may taste or affect you differently. “Heady” and “heavy” distinctions can help you to know what type of experience you can get from a particular variety of kava. Some of the kavalactones produce more marked relaxing effects, creating a “heavy”-er experience. Other kavalactone profiles are better for daytime use and feel like a “lighter” experience. In-between ones are sometimes called “well-balanced” or “balanced” kavas.
Important factors in choosing a kava brand for daily use:
- Where and how the kava is grown.
- Whether the kava is or is not a noble kava.
- Whether or not you want a heavy, heady, or balanced kava.
- That a kava distributor implements good manufacturing practices and rigorous testing on their products to ensure qualit
- That the product and company have good online customer reviews.
Gentle reminders: Always consult your doctor before adding a new supplement to your regimen, and use it wisely. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on proper dosage.
Kats Botanicals
At Kats Botanicals, we are a seller of all-things wellness and well-being; like kava, kratom, CBD and other botanicals. We believe not only in the power of plants to improve our lives, but that connecting you to the botanicals you need is a responsibility we want to do with honor. This means we provide the best in plant wellness and we employ high standards – from where we source our materials, to how they are handled, packaged, stored, and delivered.
Click here to see our wide selection of wellness botanical solutions.
