Key Information
Premium Papua New Guinea Kava
Single Cultivar Kava - Madang Short ISA
Chemotype: 254 / 256
Potency: ~7%
Characteristics: Mentally sedating - Strongly physically relaxing - Long lasting
Our Premium Papua New Guinea Kava is the result of several years of of collaboration with the largest Papua growers and processors, to produce a smooth, drinkable, low Flavokavain content kava that consumers can safely enjoy when they need a reliable heavily physically sedating kava that won't disappoint. Through this lengthy collaboration, a private Papua Kava Standard was created in which only certain cultivars from certain regions may be used and only after they undergo proprietary processing techniques that were developed to yield a medium potency, low flavokavain content kava that can be safely consumed. In fact, we're proud to say that our Premium Papua Kava has a lower Flavokavain content than most Beverage Grade Kavas!
Papua New Guinea has domesticated several cultivars of Papua New Guinea kava or “Kau” as it is called locally, from its wild predecessor Piper witchmanii similar to how the people of Northern Vanuatu domesticated their cultivars. According to advanced DNA marker testing conducted by Vandenbrouke et al in 2015, Madang Short kava is neither noble, nor tudei. Rather, it took a separate evolutionary path than all other Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian kava varieties, while still being Piper methysticum.
It has been well documented by early explorers of Papua that Kava drinking existed at the time of European contact in Madang as well as the Manus region in Lou, Buluan, Pam, Rambutyo, and the Fedarb Islands, as well as along the Rai Coast and some areas of the Ramu River and the Bagabag and Kar Kar Islands. From these Kava drinking regions of Paupa, several varieties of Papau New Guinea Kava have been domesticated including Madang Short, Madang Tall, Manus Green, Manus Pink, Manus Tall, Daru, among others.
This is to say that Papuans intentionally selected and planted these cultivars for the purpose of consumption over the course of thousands of years through a painstaking process of deliberate selection from either wild Piper witchmanii plants, or a very primitive domesticated Kava cultivar from Vanuatu that was brought early on in the domestication process. These cultivars are genetically Piper Methysticum and have been continuously planted and consumed from introduction until the present day.
Unlike typical noble kavas that may offer lighter, more heady effects, and unlike tudei varieties that can be overwhelming, our Premium Papua Kava occupies a special middle ground—providing robust relaxation without excessive intensity or duration.
This cultivar is known as Madang Short, an "ISA" cultivar, which is renown throughout PNG and parts of Fiji for its piney taste and strong, relaxing, long lasting effects. Our Madang Short is tamed to consistently tests between 5-7% total Kavalactones with a very physically sedating 254 / 256 chemotype. This is to say that this kava is high in Dihydromethysitcin (DHM), Dihydrokavain (DHK), which are 2 and 4 times the potency of their single bonded counterparts methysticin and Kavain, making it perfect for supporting normal minor aches and pains and soothing muscle tension.
This Papua New Guinea Kava powder is quite potent, lasts longer, and has a stronger physically relaxing effect profile. These effects MAY, but not always, pleasantly linger into the next day. If you’re looking for a light, social, heady, noble Kava experience, this is not the Kava for you. If, on the other hand, you’ve ever wanted to experience the strongly sedating effects of heavier Kavas, this Papua New Guinea Kava powder an excellent opportunity to do so.