2.jpg){kind=small}
The Kava bar or Kalapu (club) in its purest form is nothing new to the United States. Polynesians have gathered in their church halls, garages and patios to drink Kava since they first started immigrating in the early 20th century. Such venues were common knowledge amongst the Polynesian community but relatively unknown to the rest of the public.
In the 1990s we saw a Kava boom that swept primarily across Europe only to fall after questionable regulations were imposed on the Kava industry. These regulations crippled the GDP of the South Pacific Nations. With very limited resources on their tiny islands, Kava is one of the only industries that these islands have a global competitive advantage in.
Thankfully in the United States, Kava is still considered a dietary supplement. At the turn of the century we began to see the modern-day Kava bar establish itself. The growth of this bar scene would be slow but steady over the next decade. By 2011 there were about 20 different locations nationwide with high densities in Hawaii, LA/San Diego, and the Miami area. Around this time, Kava bars began to spread out of tropical areas and into cities like Portland, Oregon. Since then, the amount of modern-day Kava bars in the US have doubled and can be found in over eight states.
In a nation that is fueled on coffee and energy drinks, Americans need a way to relax and Kava may be that answer. If the growth of the industry continues as it has been over the past five years, a Kava bar will more than likely be opening near you soon.
A Kava Bar offers customers a lounge area with mood lighting, ample couch space, and alcohol alternatives.
Due to its calming and relaxing effects, kava is often considered a viable alternative to alcohol — one that won’t leave drinkers with a bad hangover the morning after consuming it. Kava bars are different. When you go to a kava bar, you get to know people. Magical things can happen at a kava bar that don’t happen anywhere else.
Along with kava, they usually serve alternatives like tea, coffee, non-alcohol specialty drinks, juices, snacks, etc.
Kava’s Tiki theme and peaceful music go along to create a tranquil and welcoming environment. The bars feature an array of couches, mood lighting, and various pictures representative of the island scene.
The bar’s relaxed, stress-free vibe is intended to complement the soothing properties of kava.
About the Kava: It’s a relaxant. It does not sedate you or impair your faculties in any way.
Kava is unique among "psychoactive" substances. Though some speak of being "krunk" or "rooted" in comparison to "drunk", virtually all kava consumers will agree that these feelings are dependent on their mental cooperation with kava. Alcohol provides a good contrast; if you drink enough alcohol, you are simply drunk, and nothing short of time is going to change that. Kava is markedly different, and for best effect it requires a process we call "listening to the kava". This is why nakamals (Island kava bars) are traditionally quiet, peaceful places, without loud talk or music. Loud noises and bright lights are not compatible with kava use, and these distractions and others like them tend to actually negate the effects.
In a similar manner, most kava drinkers find it possible to at least partially override the effects of kava by a simple act of will. This may be one of the reasons that new kava drinkers often go through a phase called "reverse tolerance", which is a period of regular use (usually about one week) before they feel any real effects. They are expecting to be "hit in the head" in the same tradition as pharmaceuticals, and kava simply doesn't work this way. Though some have theories about the physical body needing time to adapt, none of these theories are proven. Many feel that reverse tolerance is much more mental than physical, and occurs mainly because the mind needs time to learn how to listen.
This theory is further reinforced by another unique aspect of kava: veteran kava drinkers tend to use less, not more. Anyone who has been down the prescription anti-depressant path knows that dosage needs to be increased with some frequency, usually culminating in a point where the drug no longer has any effect. Then another drug is prescribed, and perhaps yet another to counter side effects, until eventually the patient is left with an ever-increasing collection of pills, minimal positive effects, a serious addiction, and the same problems they began with.
There's a very good chance that you can benefit from kava. You're probably not searching for a "legal high", and that's fine, because kava can't really provide that. What it can provide is literally what prescription anti-depressants and sleep aids promise, but consistently fail to deliver in the long term. Here's the best description of kava: Kava doesn't make you someone you're not, it helps you be who you are.
Some more info on Kava:
Kava or kava-kava is a crop from the South Pacific. The name kava is from Tongan and Marquesan; other names for kava include ʻawa, ava, yaqona, and sakau. The roots of the plant are used to produce a ceremonial drink with sedative and anesthetic properties, known for its calm soothing effect, while maintaining mental clarity.
One of the most potent strains is called "Isa" in Papua New Guinea, and also called "Tuday" in Hawaii. In Vanuatu, it is considered a type of "Tudei" kava, pronounced as "two-day" because it is said to have effects lasting two days due to its chemical profile being high in the kavalactone dihydromethysticin. The plant itself is a strong, very hardy, fast-growing variety with multiple light to dark green stems covered with raised dark spots.
In Vanuatu, exportation of kava is strictly regulated. Only strains they deem as "noble" varieties that are not too weak or too potent are allowed to be exported. Only the most desirable strains for everyday drinking are selected to be noble varieties to maintain quality control. In addition, their laws mandate that exported kava must be at least five years old and farmed organically. Their most popular noble strains are "Boroguu" or "Boronggoru" from Pentecost Island, "Melomelo" from Ambae island (called sese in North Pentecost), and "Palarasul" kava from Espiritu Santo Island. In Vanuatu, Tudei (two-days) kava is reserved for special ceremonial occasions and exporting it is not allowed. "Palisi" is a popular Tudei variety.
In Hawaii, there are many other strains of kava. Some of the most popular strains are the "Mahakea," "Mo'i," "Hiwa" and "Nene" varieties. The Ali'i (kings) of old Hawaii coveted the special kava they called "Mo'i" that had a strong cerebral effect due to a predominant amount of the kavalactone kavain. This sacred variety was so important to them that no one but royalty could ever experience it, "lest they suffer an untimely death". The reverence for Hiwa in old Hawai‘i is evident in this portion of a chant recorded by N.B. Emerson and quoted by Handy and Handy. "This refers to the cup of sacramental‘awa brewed from the strong, black ‘awa root (‘awa hiwa) which was drunk sacramentally by the kumu hula":
The day of revealing shall see what it sees:
A seeing of facts, a sifting of rumors,
An insight won by the black sacred ‘awa,
A vision like that of a sacred god!
Winter describes a hula prayer for inspiration which contains the line, He ‘ike pū ‘awa hiwa. Pukui and Elbert translated this as "a knowledge from kava offerings". Winter explains that ‘awa, especially of the Hiwa variety, was offered to hula deities in return for knowledge and inspiration.
Other strains are found in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
Kava Bars by State and City
California
Kava Bar Name
City
Melo Melo Kava Bar
Berkeley
Root of Happiness
Davis
Hayward Kava Club
Hayward
Root of Happiness Kava Bar
Rancho Cordova
Aladdin Café Hookah and Kava Bar
Roseville
Fiji Kava Pool Bar
Sacramento
San Bruno Kava Bar
San Bruno
Roots Kava Bar
Santa Cruz
Mystic Water Kava Bar
San Diego
Kava Lounge
San Diego
Rooted Kava Bar
San Diego
Kava Lounge SF
San Francisco
Colorado
Kava Bar Name
City
Kavasutra
Denver
Ohana Kava Bar
Colorado Springs
Florida
Kava Bar Name
City
Nakava
Boca Raton
The Nak Kava Bar
Boca Raton
Kavasutra Delray Beach
Delray Beach
Purple Lotus Delray Beach
Delray Beach
Delray Kava Lounge
Delray Beach
Kavasutra Fort Lauderdale
Ft. Lauderdale
Awa Na Kava Kava Bar
Ft. Lauderdale
Kava Bar & Hookah Lounge
Gainesville
Low Tide Kava Bar
Gulfport
Mystic Water Kava Bar
Hollywood
Kavasutra
Lake Worth
Purple Lotus
Miami Beach
Green Spot Botanicals
Miami
The Awa Kava Lounge
Miami
Island Root Kava Bar
Melbourne
Pacific Rootz
Orlando
Tenaga Kava
Palm Beach Gardens
Purple Lotus
West Palm Beach
Te Mana
West Palm Beach
Zen Root Kava
Pompano Beach
Awa Na Kava Kava Bar
Miami
Mad Hatters Ethnobotanical Tea Bar
St Peterburg
Kavakaze
Tallahassee
Hawaii
Kava Bar Name
City
Kava Kafe
Hawi
Bayfront Coffee, Kava & Tea Company
Hilo
Diamond Head Cove Health Bar
Honolulu
Kanaka Kava
Kailua-Kona
Uncle Roberts Awa Bar
Pahoa
La Hiki Ola Kava Bar
Pahoa
New York
Kava Bar Name
City
Brooklyn Kava
Brooklyn, NY
House of Kava
Brooklyn, NY
Kavasutra
New York
Mystic Water
Ithaca
New Mexico
Kava Bar Name
City
Santa Fe Oxygen & Healing Lounge
Santa Fe
North Carolina
Kava Bar Name
City
Noble Kava
Asheville
Noble Kava
Boone
Krave
Carrboro
Kat 5 Kava
Wilmington
Port City Vapo Kava & Oxygen Bar
Wilmington
Wow-Wee Maui’s Kava Bar & Grill
Wilmington
Oregon
Kava Bar Name
City
Bula Kava House
Portland
Pennsylvania
Kava Bar Name
City
Sol Luna Tea Room & Hookah Lounge
Trevose
South Carolina
Kava Bar Name
City
The Kava Konnection
Greenville
Texas
Kava Bar Name
City
Square Rut Congress
Austin
Square Rut Lamar
Austin