Can you drink your kava without straining it first? The answer to this is both a yes and a no depending upon your body’s ability to process the raw kava root. Generally, we always recommend straining your kava for the first couple of times.
If you are new to kava always make sure you strain your kava properly. Leaving too much root powder in your kava can make you sick and generally it’s a bad practice. Most people will take a cloth and kneed the kava out in a bowl filled with some room temperature water. Some people drink their kava without straining but this can be bad for you.
There really is no benefit to drinking your kava without straining. It does not increase potency and can lead to harmful side effects. However, some people prefer to drink their kava this way. The team here at Kava-Bula does not recommend drinking your kava without straining it first as this could cause problems. Here is an entire article answering the question of whether or not you should strain your Kava.
Not Straining Your Kava Makes It Taste Worse
Let’s face it not straining your kava makes the drink taste even worse. This is because at the end of the day kava is just a root that you grind up and mix with water. Do you really want to drink straight root juice?
This is one of the main reasons why everybody should strain their kava. Not straining your kava will make it taste significantly worse and also makes it hard to drink. When you strain your kava it should come out as a smooth beverage that can easily be sipped on. Having un-strained kava makes the drink extremely bitter.
The first couple of times you make kava the drink is going to be bitter. I tell people it’s like making alcoholic drinks, it’s an art form and really takes some time to perfect the taste and texture. Kava is no different. A kava master will be able to create the smoothest kava drinks imaginable and pair them with some great flavors.
However, all kava in the world is strained to some degree. Even back home the families strain their kava in their bowls through a kneading process and some fabric/quilted leaves. First-time kava drinkers make the mistake of mixing their kava power/root and not straining properly. This makes the drink taste awful and on top of everything makes you have to drink the raw kava root.
I don’t know about you but drinking fibrous kava root or the raw powder is not fun. I know some people who chew on the kava root but almost nobody I have ever met has decided to drink it raw. I would imagine that drinking the kava root without straining it would feel like drinking water mixed with some old dried leaves.
Just strain your kava, it makes the drink taste better and removes the root pulp that might be mixed in.
Not Straining Your Kava Can Make You Sick
Here is a major reason why you should always strain your kava. Depending on your natural immune system the kava root in high dosages can actually make you sick. This really depends on you and I have known some people who are fine chewing on raw kava root while others like myself feel sick from it.
Drinking strained kava does not have the effect of being sick. This is because when you properly strain kava you are removing the kava powder/root and only leaving the kavalactones which will give you a kava feeling without any of the bad kava effects. You should always strain your kava because not doing so might actually cause you to become sick and nobody wants that.
While people getting sick from kava has happened, normally it comes from an allergic reaction to the root itself. Imagine you drank or ate the raw root and then had an allergic reaction to it. Now you have to wait significantly longer for the reaction to go away because you drank significant amounts of raw kava.
I wouldn’t chance it. Instead, I recommend straining the kava properly by using just about anything that will let water through. You can strain kava with a t-shirt, leaves, coffee filter, or just about any water filtration device. Once you let the kava water infuse with the kava then you are fine to go and can remove the kava itself.
Always strain your kava, if you don’t it can make you sick and ruin your whole experience. I wouldn’t test drinking raw kava for your first couple of attempts. You don’t get anything different from drinking a raw kava drink instead of a filtered one, so I would spend the extra 5 minutes and strain the kava first.
Conclusion
You should always strain your kava. This will not only make the drink taste better but it will also prevent people from getting sick if they cant drink the raw kava powder or root.
You should always drink kava with a group of people. This is because kava is a cultural drink and should be used to help people connect together. That is why when we drink kava we always say “bula” which translates to wishing the local community and people around you good health.
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