When it comes to kava, no two are the same. And this makes choosing the best kava for you challenging. One of the reasons kava gets a bad rep is that newbies to kava don’t know these differences, and they can make or break your kava experience. It’s all based on how they affect you. Some affect you more mentally, like heady kava, giving you mental calm and increased social feelings. Other heavy kava will impact your body, making your limbs feel weighed down and tired. Knowing when you drink these different kavas is important to your kava experience.
Heady vs heavy: the best kava effects for your experience
Kava is generally divided into two categories: heady and heavy. Knowing which one to drink is important in choosing the best kava for you and ensuring you get the experience you’re looking for.
Heady kava
Kavas that are heady are those that affect your mind. They give you feelings of mental clarity and focus and make you more social. These are best drunk earlier in the day when you’re doing your tasks or getting ready for an evening of connecting with friends. Heady kava feelings are very similar to the effects of alcohol but without the hangover and other negative side effects.
Heavy kava
These types of kavas, on the other hand, have more of an effect on your body. They can make you tired and give your body and limbs a heavy, weighted-down feeling. Because of this, these kavas are best used in the evening when you are having a relaxing night in or winding down for bed. Drinking kava before bed has also been known to help people who have difficulty falling asleep. It’s also been known to improve sleep quality, and more research is looking into how this works.
What this means for finding the best kava for you
So you can see that not all kavas should be treated the same, and knowing the type of kava you’re drinking is important for figuring out the best kava for your experience. Drinking heavy kava when you’re going out to spend time with friends definitely would impact how your evening goes; it’d make you feel tired and lethargic. Likewise, drinking a heady kava when you’re winding down and getting ready for bed, would perk you up in a way that makes it difficult to fall asleep.
When buying or trying any type be sure you know what experience you want. The best kava for you will help enhance those feelings. If you are at a kava bar, ask the bartender what type they’d recommend. They should know all about the different types helping you find the best kava. If you are buying kava, be sure to buy from a high-quality source.
Newbie disclaimer
Something else new kava users aren’t familiar with is the numb feeling you will probably get in your mouth the first few times you use it. This comes from the analgesic or pain-killing effects it has. It’s completely normal and goes away over time.
