 All About Kava Root
All kava root products on the market should have one thing in common, they all should come from mature, fresh, high quality, rootstock. The end result of all kava products relies primarily on the quality of the kava that is used in the manufacturing of the product. If low quality kava root is used, then all end products made from these low grade ingredients will bear a similar mark. They will be of low quality and low kavalactone content. Everyone has heard of the term GIGO from computer class right? It stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Our kava root products are made from only the highest quality kava to start. All of our root is from Vanuatu. We import our stock directly from the farmers of Pentecost island in Northern Vanuatu, the origin of the kava plant. Not only do we import our kava while it is at its freshest, we only import whole root pieces. We do not import kava that has already been ground up because we want to see what we are getting. Many companies import their kava after it has seen the mill. If the importer does not have a reliable source, who knows what could be ground up in the kava as filler. We guarantee that our products consist of 100% kava root.
Left- A bundle of Vanuatu Borogu kava root.
The mature roots of the kava plant are harvested after a minimum of 4 years for peak kavalactone content. Most kava plants produce around 50 kgs (110 lbs) of root when they are harvested. Generally the age of the kava is directly proportional to the diameter of the biggest roots. The older the kava plant is the bigger its roots will grow. In order to make money fast, some kava farmers impatiently pull kava out of the ground after it is 2 years old. If kava is grown in the most pristine of environmental conditions, it could have a kavalactone content that was usable. It is better to just be patient and let nature do its work.
Kava root is classified into 2 categories:
1. Crown Root or Chips
2. Lateral Root
White Kava Chips
Crown Roots/Chips are the large diameter pieces that look like big  wooden poker chips ideally. The measurement of the diameter of these pieces can range from 1.5 inches to 5 inches in diameter is normal for fully mature kava root. Most kava plants consist of approximately 80% crown root upon harvesting.
Lateral Roots look more like a typical root. A mature kava plant is approximately 20% roots. Kava lateral roots have the highest content of kavalactones in the kava plant. Many pharmaceutical companies are solely interested in the lateral roots for use in manufacturing their  kava products. In Fiji, the demand for kava that is solely root is so high that roots are becoming hard to find in Vanuatu, where more kava is exported to Fiji than anywhere else in the world.
After the kava roots are harvested they are chopped up with a machete by hand into more manageable pieces as seen below. Below is a picture of "green" kava that has not yet been dried.
Chopped, green Borogu kava root from Pentecost Island, Vanuatu
The kava root is then spread out on tarps to dry in the sun. During the rainy season in Vanuatu from October through June it is very difficult to dry roots properly. The high humidity of the tropical island paradise is overwhelming and hard to defeat. It is possible to build special solar dryers to help assist in keeping the kava roots from being soaked in the rain once it has almost finished drying for the first time.
Kava root chips being sun dried in Vanuatu.
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