"That is some of the finest Kava I have had in my life," says Lua Alisi, one of the regulars at the local Kava bar after sampling a shell of Kali Kava's Kali-Kea™. For the few consumers who have had the privilege of tasting the first harvests of Kali Kava™, they immediately recognize the difference in taste, texture, and potency from the powdered imported kava they normally drink. They note the green astringent quality that leaves their tongue both numb AND dry; numbness being a sensation that they are accustomed to, but the dryness that leaves one's tongue feeling like a cat's tongue, is new to them. Thats the freshness that Kali Kava™ can deliver and its not present in imported kava powders, or even the best fresh frozen Hawaiian kava.
Aside from the fresh, smooth, cucumber taste and strong numbing sensation, consumers recognize the potency of Kali Kava™ cultivars as being much stronger than imported powders, or even Hawaiian grown materials which average in the mid 5% Kavalactone range. Kali Kava™ varieties are characterized as having more than 60% of the weight of the plant in highly potent, yellow lateral roots. These abundant lateral roots test at 11.1% total Kavalactones. The stumps, are also no slump, testing at 7%+ Kavalactones, even when peeled. The average Kali Kava™ Cultivar, as it comes out of the ground (Lateral roots and peeled stumps), tests at about 9.5% Total Kavalactones. Compare this with Fiji's average export of 5.2% powders. Even their highest grade "Waka" which fetches a premium price, tests at an average of 7.7%. Kali Kava™ offers a clear quality advantage over imported materials.
So what makes Kali Kava™ superior to imported Kava ? Is it the genetics? The newly created varieties? Is it the gene expression? Is it the climate? We firmly believe that quality kava is not just a genetic cultivar or a growing region. There are MANY factors that go into making great kava from the genetic selection, to the choice of organic fish based fertilizers, to the post harvest processing and even the preparation of the beverage itself. There are no shortcuts to producing excellent quality Kava.
'Quality Kava is a process. It's not a Noble cultivar or the specialized terroir of the South Pacific, nor is it the secret traditional growing methods. It's an entire process that starts with genetics and ends with the finished beverage. Everything in-between these two endpoints, determines the quality of the Kava.'
-Kali Kava™ Founder
We aim to provide our growers with the specific genetics needed to grow excellent kava 15 degrees north of the tropics and the provide support in all processes from cuttings to finished roots, the entire way through. Our full-system cooperative approach to farming Kava ensures that California will be an origin for the highest quality specialty kava on Earth.
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