October 20, 2020

Extract from kava root is being made into a beverage which has seen big gains in popularity. The drink is described as a substitute for alcoholic beverages. The effect it has when consumed is difficult to describe. It definitely has a relaxing and mellowing effect. But it does not lead to the loss of control and hangover headache common with alcohol. Its effect is definitely not mind-altering like THC, and it is not addictive. Its effect, like alcohol, is immediate, not delayed like CBD. And most heath authorities are not opposed to it.

Most kava is grown in the Vanuatu islands, a former French colony in the Pacific.

This difficulty in describing the effect which kava has shows up in where it is sold. Googling “kava” gave us a dozen locations within a few miles of our Tampa factory. Some of these appear to be coffee shops, while the others sound more like bars.

We had an opportunity to run a root ball of kava in Tampa. This was a 35 pound ball of kava from Hawaii which was harvested, washed of all mud, and frozen for transport. Once thawed, it was easy to unfold the roots and spread them out. The moisture content measured 78%, and it was easy to squeeze out some “juice” by twisting pieces of root by hand.

Our first trial was to run the as-received roots in a Model CP-4 lab press. Mostly because of the extremely low bulk density, the feed rate was very low, 30 to 50 pounds per hour. But the material was thoroughly shredded in the press, and the cake came out with 59% moisture content. Using a wedgewire screen with 0.016″ slots, running at 20 rpm with 30 psi on the discharge cone, a great amount of fines came through the screen, along with the press liquor.

For our second trial, we first shredded the roots in a Model VS-8 lab shredder with a discharge screen with 1″ square-round holes. This worked much better. The throughput capacity of the press more than doubled. Press cake moisture content was about the same, 58%, and the press liquor appeared more clear. We measured 8% solids in the press liquor, although the Brix was only a “fuzzy” 2 Bx.

It’s a new drink. Give it a try. Here is a most entertaining video from the islands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXvUG2sJeM

ISSUE #329