Written By:

Johnny Gold

The best kava drink is the one that fits the night. For a first try, a variety pack of cans. For travel, stick packs. For making drinks for other people, a non-alcoholic kava spirit. Whatever the format, look for noble kava and a printed kavalactone number. Kava is potentially intoxicating and never goes with alcohol.

What makes a good kava drink

  • Noble kava. It is the kind Pacific growers drink every day. If the label does not say, that is worth noticing.
  • A number. Kavalactones are the active part of kava, and a serious brand prints how many milligrams are in a serving.
  • Lab results you can find. A certificate of analysis on the brand's own site.
  • A taste you will drink twice. Kava is a root and it tastes like one: earthy, peppery, with a tingle on the lips. That is why most canned kava comes flavored.

Cans

For being handed something cold. A barbecue, a dinner, a month off drinking.

Leilo makes kava tonics in cans. The Sunset variety pack has three flavors, which makes it the right first purchase for anyone who has never had kava: the flavor you try first decides whether you buy a second. Raspberry Hibiscus goes in the same cooler as the sodas and nobody asks.

Melo makes sparkling kava with zero sugar and zero calories. The ingredient list is noble kava extract, natural flavors and sparkling water. The variety pack has banana cream, Tahitian lime and passionfruit orange guava. The lime goes first at a party.

Drink mix

For the night that is not at home. Leilo stick packs are sugar free and lemon lime. They fit in a jacket pocket and do not need a cooler.

Non-alcoholic kava spirit

For making a drink for somebody else, which is a different act than handing them a can.

Kava Haven Lemon Ginger comes in a 750ml bottle: roughly 150mg of kavalactones per pour, about seventeen pours, citrus and ginger with a real bitterness underneath.

Kavayn Pineapple Coconut is noble kava, built to be mixed rather than sipped neat. The lab results sit on the product page.

Gummies

For when a glass is the wrong shape for the room. Kavayn Orange-Raz gummies carry 200mg of kavalactones per chew, ten to a tube, batch tested with the number printed on the pack.

Where to start

  • Never had kava: Leilo Sunset variety pack.
  • Want it to taste like a drink: Melo, the lime.
  • Hosting: Kava Haven.
  • On the move: Leilo stick packs or Kavayn gummies.

Who should skip kava

Kava is never for mixing with alcohol. Skip it if you have a liver condition or take medication that affects the liver: the FDA carries an advisory about rare liver injury associated with kava supplements. Skip it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is potentially intoxicating, so not before driving. Start with one serving, on a night with nothing after it.

Questions people ask

What does kava taste like? Earthy and peppery, a little bitter, with a tingle on the lips and tongue. The tingle is normal.

Does kava get you drunk? No. It is not alcohol. It is calming and sociable, and it is potentially intoxicating, so treat it like a drink when it comes to driving.

Is kava the same as kratom? No. Different plants from different parts of the world. We do not carry kratom.

Is kava legal in the US? Yes. It is sold as a food or a supplement. It has not been evaluated by the FDA for any use.

How is kava different from kanna? Kava is calming; kanna is lifting. See Kava vs kanna.

All of it is in Kava. Or skip the formats and pick a feeling.

Nothing here is medical advice. Kava has not been evaluated by the FDA. Some links on this page earn us a commission. It never changes what you pay.