Beverage Grade Vs. Non-Beverage Grade Kava
Every lot resolves to one of two answers, and the Kavalactone and Flavokavain content decides which. Beverage grade covers Noble and ISA cultivars below 0.4%. Non-beverage grade covers everything above it, plus Tudei and Wild.
Every lot we evaluate resolves to one of two answers, and the answer is not a matter of opinion: Beverage Grade or Non-Beverage Grade. For our quality evaluation, beverage suitability depends on both cultivar/chemotype classification and flavoKavain content. Our flavoKavain specification is below 0.4% of dried weight and below 5% relative to total Kavalactones.
Beverage grade covers Kava with total flavoKavains A, B and C below 0.4%. Two cultivar classes sit inside it — Noble, which divides further into heady, balanced and heavy, and ISA.
Non-beverage grade covers everything with total flavoKavains above 0.4%, plus tudei and wild cultivars regardless of any other reading. It is not sold for drinking.
Tyler Blythe Co-Founder Root of Happiness
The Complete Kava Classification
The Beverage Grade classification tells you whether a Kava belongs in the beverage category. Cultivar class and chemotype describe what kind of Kava it is. Read together, they provide a more complete picture of the lot.
| Reads as | Chemotype | Total flavoKavains | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverage Grade — Noble, heady | 461, 462, 463, 641, 642, 643 | Below 0.4% | Lighter, mentally uplifting, sociable |
| Beverage Grade — Noble, balanced | 426, 423, 436, 421 | Below 0.4% | Even-handed; the most forgiving place to start |
| Beverage Grade — Noble, heavy | 243, 246, 264, 245, 425 | Below 0.4% | More physical and relaxing; longer lasting |
| Beverage Grade — ISA | 254, 256 — Madang Short, Madang Tall | Below 0.4% | Heavy and long lasting; not an everyday noble |
| Non-Beverage Grade — Tudei | 253, or 254 and 256 above the limit | Above 0.4% | Lingering effects, nausea, next-day heaviness |
| Non-Beverage Grade — Wild | 512, 521, 251, 215 (Piper wichmannii) | Not applicable | Excluded from beverage-Kava standards. We do not sell it for consumption. |
Why Kavalactone Chemotype Alone Cannot Answer It
This is the most misunderstood point in Kava classification. Chemotypes 254 and 256 appear in both ISA and tudei. The ranking of the six Kavalactones tells you nothing about FlavoKavain content — and flavoKavain content combined withe the Kavalactone lineup is what decides whether a lot is drinkable. Two lots with identical chemotypes can land on opposite sides of the Beverage Grade classification.
It runs the other way too. A textbook Kavain-led noble ranking with flavoKavains above 0.4% is Non-Beverage Grade regardless of how good the chemotype looks. Kavalactone chemotype never overrides the FlavoKavain reading. Kavalactone chemotype alone also does not establish Beverage Grade under recognized standards — A separate FlavoKavain measurement are both required.
Why 0.4%
FlavoKavains A, B and C are minor compounds that, unlike Kavalactones, are markers for a kava that will not produce a daily drinking beverage. Some research has associated elevated flavoKavain content with liver stress, and flavoKavain B in particular has been a focus of that work. The 2025 Harmonized Multinational Kava Standards cap combined flavoKavain content at no more than 0.4% of dried weight and no more than 5% relative to total Kavalactones. Meeting the flavoKavain specification is one part of determining beverage suitability, not the entire determination. We test every lot for all three.
How A Lot is Actually Alassified
Positive identity testing by HPTLC and microscopy confirms the material is Piper methysticum and checks for adulteration. HPLC and NIRs quantifies all six Kavalactones to establish the chemotype. FlavoKavains A, B and C are quantified separately against the 0.4% limit. Using both readings, together with NIRs spectral analysis and positive plant-material identity, we can confidently assign a Beverage Grade and a Noble or Non-Noble class.
Try the chemotype decoder to see the two readings combine, or read our testing program and current lab results.
Chemotype notation follows Lebot & Lévesque, The Origin and Distribution of Kava, Allertonia 5(2), 1989, which established the six-digit coding and documented chemotype 256431 as the group known in Pidgin as “tudei.” The Codex regional standard for Kava products intended for preparation as a beverage specifies Noble Piper methysticum and excludes wild Piper wichmannii and Tudei varieties. FlavoKavain limits follow the 2025 Harmonized Multinational Kava Product Standards. “Beverage Grade — ISA” and the heady/balanced/heavy subclasses are Root of Happiness's own lot-classification framework, not wording taken directly from Codex.
Beverage Grade Kava FAQ
How cultivar, chemotype, flavokavains, and laboratory testing work together to determine whether kava belongs in the beverage category.
Beverage Grade describes kava that meets the appropriate identity, plant-material, chemical, and quality specifications for use as a beverage. It should not be reduced to a single laboratory number — cultivar identity, chemotype, flavokavain content, plant part, and overall quality all matter.
The Codex regional standard for kava products used to prepare a beverage specifies Noble cultivars of Piper methysticum and excludes wild Piper wichmannii and Two-day/Tudei cultivars.
Non-Beverage Grade refers to kava material that falls outside the specifications Root of Happiness accepts for beverage use.
That can include an inappropriate cultivar or plant material, unacceptable flavokavain results, failed identity or quality testing, or other characteristics that place the lot outside our beverage specification — flavokavains above 0.4% is one possible reason, not the only one.
Noble kava is the cultivar class traditionally preferred and recognized for beverage use in major Pacific kava standards.
The Codex regional standard specifies Noble varieties as the raw material for fresh and dried kava products intended to be prepared as a beverage with water, and excludes wild Piper wichmannii and Tudei varieties. Cultivar identity should not be inferred from appearance alone once the material has been harvested and processed.
Tudei — also written Two-day, for the lingering after-effects drinkers report — refers to a class of kava cultivars historically distinguished from Noble beverage cultivars and excluded from the Codex regional standard for kava products intended to prepare a beverage.
Tudei is not defined by chemotype or flavokavain concentration alone. In our own classification, chemotype 253 is always tudei, and 254 or 256 are tudei when total flavokavains exceed 0.4% — but cultivar identity and chemistry are related questions, not interchangeable ones.
Wild kava generally refers, in this context, to wild forms related to Piper wichmannii, an important relative in the ancestry of domesticated kava.
Wild Piper wichmannii is excluded from the Codex standard for kava products intended to prepare a beverage. Excluded from beverage-kava standards; we do not sell it for consumption.
Flavokavains A, B, and C are naturally occurring compounds in kava that are chemically distinct from the six major kavalactones. They are measured separately from the kavalactone chemotype and are an important part of modern kava quality evaluation.
The 2025 Harmonized Multinational Kava Standards specify a maximum combined flavokavain A, B, and C content of 0.4% of dried kava weight and a total flavokavain amount of no more than 5% relative to total kavalactones.
The 0.4% figure is a flavokavain specification, not a complete definition of Beverage Grade.
The Harmonized Multinational Kava Standards set combined flavokavains A, B, and C at no more than 0.4% of dried weight, plus a second requirement that total flavokavains be no more than 5% relative to total kavalactones. Meeting the flavokavain specification is one part of determining beverage suitability.
The absolute 0.4% measurement tells you how much combined flavokavain A, B, and C is present by dried weight. The second specification compares total flavokavains with the total amount of kavalactones — under the Harmonized Multinational Kava Standards, flavokavains should represent no more than 5% of total kavalactones.
Both measurements provide information that an absolute percentage alone does not.
No. Chemotype ranks the six major kavalactones by relative abundance. It does not measure flavokavain concentration, prove cultivar identity, establish which plant parts were used, or establish overall lot quality. A chemotype is one part of characterization, not a Beverage Grade certificate.
Yes. A lot can have a chemotype that appears consistent with desirable beverage kava while failing another part of the specification, such as cultivar identity, flavokavain limits, plant-material requirements, contamination testing, or another quality criterion.
That is why Root of Happiness does not classify a lot from chemotype alone.
Yes. Chemotype records only the relative ordering of the six major kavalactones. Two lots can share the same chemotype while differing in flavokavain concentration, total kavalactones, cultivar identity, plant material, growing conditions, processing, contaminants, and other characteristics.
The same chemotype therefore does not guarantee that two lots are chemically or qualitatively equivalent.
ISA is a distinct kava type associated particularly with Papua New Guinea, and should not simply be treated as another name for Noble or Tudei.
“Beverage Grade — ISA,” including Madang Short and Madang Tall, is the Root of Happiness lot-classification framework and not wording taken directly from the Codex regional standard, which itself specifies Noble cultivars and excludes Tudei and wild kava. An ISA lot below 0.4% flavokavains does not automatically qualify as Codex Noble beverage kava — it qualifies under our own Beverage Grade framework.
Not reliably. Once kava has been harvested, dried, chipped, or powdered, appearance alone cannot establish cultivar identity, chemotype, or flavokavain content.
Color, smell, taste, grind size, country of origin, and marketing descriptions may provide context, but they do not replace analytical testing and traceability.
No. Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Hawai‘i, Papua New Guinea, and other regions contain their own cultivar histories and agricultural traditions, but country alone does not establish the classification of an individual lot.
The actual cultivar, plant material, chemistry, processing, and testing matter more than a country name printed on the package.
Classification begins with confirming what the material is and evaluating whether it meets the specifications required for its intended use.
Depending on the product and lot, this can include identity testing, cultivar information, microscopy, HPTLC, HPLC measurement of the major kavalactones, chemotype determination, separate flavokavain analysis, and additional quality and contaminant testing. No single test proves everything about a lot.
Look for actual lot-level documentation rather than a general statement that a company's products are “lab tested.” A meaningful result should be traceable to the product or lot you purchased and should identify what was tested, which methods were used, and the relevant analytical results.
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Every lot is tested.
Important
This guide is provided for educational purposes and reflects traditional use, published research, and our own experience sourcing, testing, manufacturing and serving kava since 2006. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Kava products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Kava is for adults only. Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not combine with alcohol. Do not drive or operate machinery after consuming kava. Consult a physician before use if you have or have had liver problems, frequently use alcoholic beverages, or take any medication. Discontinue use and consult a physician if you experience symptoms that may signal liver problems, including jaundice, unusual fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, or dark urine.