Dua Na Bilo’s Fijian Waka grade Kava is one of the more interesting Kavas available on Amazon. It is really a high-quality choice, and rather unique. Dua Na Bilo is made up of only Lawena roots, or the lateral roots, and has been tested to be purely noble. This article is a careful look into this Kava, a Dua Na Bilo Kava Review, and an explanation of what makes this Kava special.
Dua Na Bilo’s Fijian Kava comes from Savusavu, Fiji, and is a variety known as Yalu.
“Dua Na Bilo” is Fijian for “Pass Me a Shell”, and after enjoying some of this Kava, I encourage you all to share it with each other, as this is Good. Stuff!
Dua Na Bilo Kava Review
Dua Na Bilo is a fairly potent Kava with strong euphoric, “heady” effects, as well as calming, sedative effects as well. It is high in Kavain and Dihydrokavain, which makes it quite a pleasant, relaxing drink.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Dua Na Bilo’s fijian kava is the ratio of its potency to its cost. It is surprisingly potent as Kavas go, especially given its relatively low price point. This ratio makes it a really compelling purchase.
Given that Kava has been going up rapidly in price, the ability to easily purchase a high quality, potent Kava from a convenient source like Amazon, at a great price point, makes Dua Na Bilo’s Waka Kava a great choice for regular Kava usage.
Grind
Dua Na Bilo comes in traditional Kava grind, and should be strained in order to drink. The grind is relatively coarse, I would say, with some pretty chunky pieces, and even some small twigs in the mix.
Preparation
For this review, I used the Aluball, my preferred method of preparing Kava. It is such an easy and quick way to prepare traditional, non-Micronized kava, it’s definitely a great choice if you make Kava regulalry. See here for a review of the Aluball.
How I made this batch:
- Three tablespoons to the Aluball
- Added 1 cup water from the tap, as hot as the tap would go (not boiling)
- Shook Aluball for 2 minutes
- Poured out and drank
I proceeded to make a second wash using the same process, which was also quite potent. I decided to try a third wash, which actually further extracted even more. If I were to make a third wash with many other types of Kava, very little would get extracted.
Pre-Kava Fast
If I am planning to enjoy some Kava, I always refrain from eating for at least 5 hours prior to drinking Kava. In this case of this Kava experience, I had my last food at 2pm.
Taking Kava on an empty stomach is one of the most important factors in enjoying the overall experience. If you plan to have drink some Kava, do your best to get an empty stomach before you drink, and eat a light meal after. This will significantly improve your experience.
Consumption
I began to prepare the Kava at about 7:10, and drank it at 7:15. I typically chase Kava with a glass of carbonated water, usually unflavored. I find that the carbonated water overwhelms the tastebuds, and significantly lessens the nasty taste of the kava.
It poured out quite dark and thick, noticeably darker than many other Fijian Kavas. I tend not to use shells, preferring to stick to a glass.
Dua Na Bilo Taste
It’s not good. And I say that with a great deal of fondness.
Dua Na Bilo is a pretty foul tasting Kava, as Kavas go. It’s very peppery and spicy, and has a deep, muddy, earthy flavor that is not at all good. But, typically, the worse the flavor, the more potent the Kava.
So there’s that!
Dua Na Bilo is pretty chunky, even through the super fine mesh strainer of the Aluball, and it has a noticeable presence in the mouth. There are more fines in this brew than in many of the other Kavas I have made, but it all goes down pretty quickly.
Be prepared for a pretty nasty flavor, and try to get the drink down as quickly as possible.
Dua Na Bilo Kava Kava Effects
I found that within a minute, my mouth had significant numbing effects, which is the tell tale first sign of a Kava Kava experience. Interestingly, the mouth-numbing effect seemed to go away pretty quickly after consumption, which is a bit unusual. Fortunately, it was replaced with further relaxing sensations!
Dua Na Bilo is somewhat more “heady” than “body”, due to the high ratio of Kavain and DihydroKavain lactones. These two kavalactones tend to bring kava supplies a great deal of calm, pleasant vibes.
Dua Na Bilo doesn’t really relax the muscles and the body as much as some other Kavas do, and is more primarily mental effects. This isn’t an ideal kava for physical pain relief.
About thirty minutes into the session, I found that I felt almost a cannabis-like head buzz, but without any of the mental fog or confusion associated with that sort of drug. Music sounded detailed and nuanced. I was listening to Dreamtime Physics by Entheogenic, and the tones were vibrant. The world took on a gentle calm. As mentioned above, the potency of this Kava is surprising, given its relatively low cost.
At about 45 minutes into the session, I downed my second wash and proceeded to eat dinner. The second wash cemented pleasant feelings for the next hour or so.
After dinner, I consumed yet a third wash, which was relatively mild, but it still did have some potency. It helped carry on the sensations until I went to meditate, and finally to go to sleep.
Is Dua Na Bilo Noble Kava?
Unlike, for example, Wakacon’s Kava, there is no sticker on the label stating where the testing occurred. However, there’s a thread on Kavaforums showing a test by the University of the South Pacific, conducted in November of 2016 which details that the Kava is fully noble.
It’s hard to say if those results are still current and represent the current batch, but I hope that they are.
This brand is relatively new to the market, and I hope as they grow, they keep their quality up, and continue to show that their Kava is in fact fully noble.
Dua Na Bilo Kava Details
Here’s a table showing the Kavalactone Presence in Dua Na Bilo’s Kava.
Kavalactone | Quantity |
---|---|
Desmethoxyyangonin | 0.7 g/100g |
Dihydrokavain | 1.5 g/100g |
Yangonin | 1.3 g/100g |
Kavain | 2.4 g/100g |
Dihydromethysticin | 1.0g/100g |
Methysticin | 1.9g/100g |
Total | 8.8g/ 100g |
Its Chemotype is 426351, with Kavain and Dihydrokavain as the primary lactones. While Kavain is typically considered a “day” Kava, I would not suggest that Dua Na Bilo is a good choice for a daytime kava unless it is taken in fairly small doses.
It provides a pretty deep experience, and I would not want to drive or have to do significant work while enjoying this kava!
The Bottom Line
Dua Na Bilo’s Fijian Waka Kava really is an outstanding purchase for those who are looking for a “regular usage” kava. The potency is high, and the sensations it supplies are really pleasant. The price is unbeatable, and it’s so easy to order through Amazon.
Overall, Dua Na Bilo is one of the top favorites among all of the Kavas I have had, at a great price point.
If you enjoy Kava, you must give this one a try. If you’re new to Kava, you may be turned off a bit by the taste, but you’ll likely find that the effects are delightful!
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Last update on 2024-09-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API