This one has been my go-to variety all week. I picked up a 4oz sample from Kava Kava 'R Us last week and have been putting it through its paces. It's provided my strongest Pouni Ono sessions to date, and the stomach discomfort is minimal.
Preparation and Taste
Preparation and Taste
I've been mixing about 3-4 *level* Tablespoons to 18 oz. of water in my glass water bottle, shaking vigorously and regularly throughout my session, and quaffing roughly a quarter of the bottle each time. This amounts to 4.5 oz. shells, roughly. It's really hard to beat the convenience of micronized. Especially when I'm back from the gym and my arms are made of rubberized rubber bands covered in rubber and kneading is a challenging, but doable, proposition.
This stuff is a little gritty, even towards the end of the bottle. It doesn't dissolve like an instant kava. Steeping doesn't seem to affect the consistency much. I don't mind the grit. It's not chalky, and the grit isn't large enough to be left over in my mouth as discernible little chunks of stuff... it all washes down pretty well. It's definitely not the same consistency as my traditional prep strained through the 25 micron filter. I've grown to love the creaminess of the grog I get from my traditional prep regimen, and this is something else. Not unpleasant, but not the same.
Onset and EffectsThis stuff is a little gritty, even towards the end of the bottle. It doesn't dissolve like an instant kava. Steeping doesn't seem to affect the consistency much. I don't mind the grit. It's not chalky, and the grit isn't large enough to be left over in my mouth as discernible little chunks of stuff... it all washes down pretty well. It's definitely not the same consistency as my traditional prep strained through the 25 micron filter. I've grown to love the creaminess of the grog I get from my traditional prep regimen, and this is something else. Not unpleasant, but not the same.
I get pretty good effects at the 30 minute mark, after two shells worth of it. It hits a little faster and a little harder than the traditional prep Pouni Ono, and gives me a stronger effect. I'm used to the super-fine-filtered stuff, so having the particles in the mix let my stomach go to down and extract the goodness that might otherwise be left behind. I have had my strongest Pouni Ono sessions with this micro.
After an hour, I'm in full blown kava mode, with the tinnitus, pink cheeks, heady energetic outlook and restlessness of body that I know well from my heady kava. There's a little eye lag and a looseness of body that I associate with DHK and enjoy. Pouni Ono isn't a purely heady variety, it's maybe 75% heady, 25% body. With the micro, I feel more pronounced body effects than with traditional prep medium grind.
Final Thoughts and ConclusionsAfter an hour, I'm in full blown kava mode, with the tinnitus, pink cheeks, heady energetic outlook and restlessness of body that I know well from my heady kava. There's a little eye lag and a looseness of body that I associate with DHK and enjoy. Pouni Ono isn't a purely heady variety, it's maybe 75% heady, 25% body. With the micro, I feel more pronounced body effects than with traditional prep medium grind.
It's great! It's very convenient, it's seeming to last a long time. My 4oz sample has lasted me four sessions so far, and I have about one more good session in the ziploc it was given to me in. For roughly $20, five good strong sessions is acceptable to me. Especially given the strength of the effects.
What's particularly interesting to me is that the stomach discomfort is pretty minimal. I noticed that with Kava King's micro, I didn't get much stomach upset either, but was stricken with a sort of rawness around the guts the next day. The same is true for Kava Kava 'R Us's Pouni Ono grind. I don't get gurgling and up-all-night makkarena pillow dance like I do when I strain with coarse strainer bags and medium grind. I do get some uneasy tummy feelings the next day, and a little gas. More gas than per usual.
As an experiment, I brewed a batch of medium grind through a 55 micron bag, thinking that maybe I'm less sensitive to the larger particles now than before. No dice. The 55 micron bag still gives me gurgling the evening-of that I don't get with 25 micron filtering. The micronized Pouni Ono must be getting the particle size below 55 microns. That or their maka removal process works well enough to pull the maka fibers out where the 55 micron bag doesn't.
I love this stuff for two reasons: it's a strong Pouni Ono every time, and it doesn't destroy my digestive system. Win-Win!
Next Day EffectsWhat's particularly interesting to me is that the stomach discomfort is pretty minimal. I noticed that with Kava King's micro, I didn't get much stomach upset either, but was stricken with a sort of rawness around the guts the next day. The same is true for Kava Kava 'R Us's Pouni Ono grind. I don't get gurgling and up-all-night makkarena pillow dance like I do when I strain with coarse strainer bags and medium grind. I do get some uneasy tummy feelings the next day, and a little gas. More gas than per usual.
As an experiment, I brewed a batch of medium grind through a 55 micron bag, thinking that maybe I'm less sensitive to the larger particles now than before. No dice. The 55 micron bag still gives me gurgling the evening-of that I don't get with 25 micron filtering. The micronized Pouni Ono must be getting the particle size below 55 microns. That or their maka removal process works well enough to pull the maka fibers out where the 55 micron bag doesn't.
I love this stuff for two reasons: it's a strong Pouni Ono every time, and it doesn't destroy my digestive system. Win-Win!
Pretty minimal. Good sleep, waking up feeling a little TOO happy to be in bed (bed-lock, as @Bert07 calls it) and throughout the day I feel a little off-center in the guts. I'm also a little more windy than I normally am after a medium grind session filtered through the 25 micron bag.
It's Pouni Ono, so my next day mood is quite good. Maybe a little slow in the morning, but generally pretty positive and uplifted.
It's Pouni Ono, so my next day mood is quite good. Maybe a little slow in the morning, but generally pretty positive and uplifted.
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