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Traditional use of 'awa spans over 3,000 years in time and 4,300 miles of the Pacific ocean. Today, methods of use vary from country to country and range from chewing the root fresh from the ground all the way to sipping highly refined, standardized extracts. 
Making a drink from dried 'awa - The drink is made traditionally in many Pacific island cultures by straining the dried 'awa powder in water. Here in Hawaii, the strainer is often a nylon stocking or cheesecloth shaped into a bag, but I use a fine, silkscreen cloth that has been sewn to resemble a bag. A simpler method is to just tie cotton string around the silkscreen cloth so that powder does not leak out directly into water.
Figure on 2 to 3 ounces of powder per person, depending on the strength of the 'awa. Place the powder into the strainer bag, hold its edges together at the top with your hand so that none of the whole powder escapes, and immerse the bag into a bowl of cool water. The amount of water will vary according to individual taste, but a good rule of thumb is 2-3 ounces of good 'awa to a quart of water.
Use your other hand to knead the bulk of powder under the water, as you would dough. If the 'awa has a high kavalactone content, it will feel oily, almost like a ball of greasy clay. This is the kavalactone resin. The longer you press and squeeze the bag, the less oily it will feel and the more oily the water will feel and look. The water should take on the appearance of mud. To get the most from the already wet 'awa powder, some people place it again in a smaller amount of water and continue the kneading process, then combine this weaker mix into the stronger.
Traditionally, each serving of this prepared 'awa is swallowed in one or two quick drinks from a coconut shell. It's a good idea to space servings at least 10 minutes apart. Kavain, the kavalactone highest in most Hawaiian 'awa varieties, is usually felt quite soon after drinking, but the other kavalactones' effects may not register for 20 minutes or so. In some ways, learning to drink 'awa is a lot like developing an appreciation for fine wine. However, with 'awa, in addition to variations in taste and smell, the different combinations of kavalactones in the many 'awa varieties produce differences in the psychoactive effects, some quite subtle, experienced by the drinker. Store 'awa in an airtight container in the freezer. Even dried 'awa will lose some potency if left at room temperature more than about six weeks. | ||
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Pu'u O Hoku Ranch PO Box 1889 Kaunakakai, HI 96748 hoku@aloha.net 808.558.8109 - Voice 808.558.8100 - Fax |
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