Kalm with Kava Review: Read Before Buying (2022)

Kalm With Kava is one of the most popular kava companies in the world — serving both North America and Europe.

With one of the largest product lines you’ll find in the kava business and rock-solid ethical business practice, it’s no wonder the company has become so popular in recent years.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at this company to see how they compare to the competition and breakdown each of the company’s product offerings.

We’ll cover what each kava offering is best for, where it really shines, and who may want to avoid them.

Let’s get started.

1. Price & Value

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For the most part these products are on par with the prices of other kava vendors — including Root of Happiness, Squanch Kava, and The Kava Society (after the conversion rate). It’s more expensive than the Kava Roots, and the micronized versions of each root are even more expensive than Cactus Kava.

Overall, the price of these products matches the potency and quality, but I would avoid the micronized versions if you want to get the best bang for your buck.

2. Product Lineup

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This company has an excellent product lineup. They carry a variety of kava products from all over the Pacific ocean — including Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa. They’re also the only source I’ve found for fresh kava root juice.

3. Product Potency

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I have no complaints about the potency of these products. Of course, some powders are more potent than others, but this is a feature of the cultivar rather than the ability for the company to source high-potency kava root. If your looking for something strong, I recommend the Loa Waka or the Waka Kava — both of these products use the lateral roots of the kava plant which contain the highest concentration of kavalactones. They’re both very strong.

4. Customer Service

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This brand has a very active team. They’re available through the contact form on the website, as well as social media channels. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive — no complaints here!

About the Company: Kalm With Kava

Kalm With Kava started back in 2010. The founder, Mike Munsell, has been drinking and studying kava for nearly two decades. After about 6 years of experimenting with the herb, he decided to start his own kava company.

Now Kalm With Kava is one of the largest in the business, selling its products to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and dozens of other countries around the world. The company website is served in both English and French.

Kalm With Kava only sells noble varieties of kava and makes it a point to source their kava powder from local farms in Vanuatu, Hawaii, and Fiji. They believe that by sourcing the herb directly from the farmers that grow it, they can do their part to keep the industry ethical and ensure the farmers doing all the hard work are fairly compensated.

This compares to other kava companies that buy it from large wholesalers that don’t take nearly the same level of care to ensure the farmers are fairly compensated for their hard work. In a lot of cases, kava companies don’t actually know which farms the kava they’re using is coming from.

Products Offered by Kalm With Kava

The product lineup from Kalm With Kava is quite large. There’s a variety of different kava strains available — many of which come in either a coarse grind or micronized versions.

In order to make it as simple as possible to spot the products that suit your kava needs, we’ve broken each product down into its individual parts. You’ll find a short description for each product, as well as information on the grind, the cost per standard 10-gram dose, effect profile, kava chemotype code, most common side-effects, and more.

We also provide a rating to show you how these kava options compare to each other, and to other kava options on the market.

1. Borogu Kava

Rating — 5/5

Best For:

• Meditation
• Relaxation

Positive Effects

• Euphoria
• Relaxation
• Muscle Relaxant

About This Kava:

Borogu kava is a popular strain of kava in Vanuatu. It’s considered an excellent all-rounder. You can use this kava on a daily basis for stress, sleep, meditation, anxiety, and for sharing with friends.

Most kava bars will offer the infamous Borogu kava from Vanuatu. It’s widely considered a staple kava strain in the industry.

You can get this kava as both coarse-ground kava (lower cost) or micronized kava. We highly recommend the micronized kava because despite being a little more expensive, it will stretch much further than coarse-ground kava.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Vanuatu
• Total Kavalactone Content — 9.0%
• Effect Profile — Balanced
• Strength — Mild
• Grind — Medium – Very Fine
• Flavor Profile — Mild Bitter, Strong Pepper
• Kava Code — 423615
• Recommended Experience Level — All Levels
• Most Common Side-Effect — Dizziness

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Borogu Kava	$26.00 – $49.00	$1.10
Borogu Kava — Micronized	$25.00 – $49.00	$2.15

2. Borongoru

Rating — 3/5

Best For:

• Sleep
• Meditation

Positive Effects

• Relaxation
• Muscle Relaxant

About This Kava:

Borongoru kava is widely considered to be one of the most sedative kavas you can find on Vanuatu. It has a strong heavy effect that can be felt within minutes throughout the whole body.

Starting with some mild euphoria, this kava quickly transitions to the body where you can feel the muscles become loose and relaxed. You will start to feel heavy, and find it very easy to find a comfortable position.

This is one of the best kavas you’ll find for supporting a deep restorative sleep, and for relaxing exceptionally tight muscles in the back and legs.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Vanuatu
• Total Kavalactone Content — 10.5%
• Effect Profile — Heavy
• Strength — Strong
• Grind — Coarse – Very Fine
• Flavor Profile — Smooth, Creamy, Woody
• Kava Code — 241356
• Recommended Experience Level — Experienced
• Most Common Side-Effect — Dizziness, Grogginess

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Fresh Borongoru Kava	$30.00 – $59.00	$1.30
Borongoru Kava — Micronized	$27.00 – $52.00	$2.32

3. Loa Waka Kava

Rating — 3.5/5

Best For:

• Stress

Positive Effects

• Relaxation
• Sedation
• Anti-anxiety

About This Kava:

Loa Waka has an exceptionally high kavalactone content at 12%. It’s considered a balanced kava, which means it offers both heady and heavy effects at the same time.

Within a few minutes of using this kava, you’ll start to feel relaxed, light, and carefree. This feeling will transition into a sense of euphoria and even laughter over the course of an hour or so.

With continued drinking of Loa Waka kava, the effects will gradually start to become heavier in nature. A lot of people find that after a few hours of drinking Loa Waka with friends, you end up laying on the ground locked in deep conversation.

This is also a great kava for watching movies as it makes you feel exceptionally calm, relaxed, and comfortable without being overly sedating.

We really like this kava for social gatherings with friends, and for combatting feelings of tension and stress.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Fiji
• Total Kavalactone Content — 12.0%
• Effect Profile — Balanced
• Strength — Strong
• Grind — Medium
• Flavor Profile — Mild Bitter, Mild Pepper
• Kava Code — 463251
• Recommended Experience Level — Experienced
• Most Common Side-Effect — Grogginess, Dizziness

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Loa Waka Kava	$29.00 – $57.00	$1.27
Loa Waka Kava — Micronized	$27.00 – $52.00	$2.32

4. Melomelo Kava

Rating — 3/5

Best For:

• Meditation
• Relaxation

Positive Effects:

• Relaxation
• Social

About This Kava:

As the name implies, this kava has a mellow effect profile. We were unable to determine the kavalactone content of this kava, but based on the gentle effect profile we’d estimate this to be somewhere around 5 or 6 percent.

Melomelo kava is perfect for new users, or people who don’t want their kava to be too strong. You can drink this kava for hours without becoming intoxicated, or feeling too sedated.

We recommend this kava if you’re new to using kava, want to use kava during the day, or intend to use kava as a tool to help you meditate.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Vanuatu
• Total Kavalactone Content — Not Listed
• Effect Profile — Heavy
• Strength — Mild
• Grind — Medium
• Flavor Profile — Mild Bitter, Mild Pepper
• Kava Code — 421635
• Recommended Experience Level — Novice
• Most Common Side-Effect — Nausea

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Melomelo Kava	$30.00 – $59.00	$1.30

5. Pouni Ono Kava

Rating — 3.5/5

Best For:

• Social Drinking

Positive Effects:

• Euphoria
• Relaxation

About This Kava:

This kava from Tonga is exceptionally heady. It’s perfect for use with friends or for drinking during the day.

The effects are relaxing without being sedative. You can drink this stuff all day and not feel like you have to take a nap like many other kava options.

Pouni Ono Kava is hard to find but well worth the money if you like using kava at work or with friends.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Tongoa
• Total Kavalactone Content — Not Listed
• Effect Profile — Heady
• Strength — Average
• Grind — Medium – Very Fine
• Flavor Profile — Smooth, Mild Pepper
• Kava Code — 426531
• Recommended Experience Level — All Levels
• Most Common Side-Effect — Nausea

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Pouni Ono Kava	$30.00 – $59.00	$1.31
Pouni Ono Kava — Micronized	$27.00 – $52.00	$2.32

6. Samoa Ava Kava

Rating — 3/5

Best For:

• Stress

Positive Effects:

• Euphoria
• Mental Clarity
• Muscle Relaxant

About This Kava:

This is a small crop kava from Samoa, and therefore isn’t always available at Kalm With Kava.

This kava is often considered balanced, but there are some batches that seem to have a headier effect. We’d put this kava somewhere in the middle of heady and balanced — which makes it quite well-rounded. You can drink it with friends in the daytime, or alone to support creative workflows or meditation.

We especially love the flavor of this kava, but like its effects, each batch is going to be a little bit different.

We recommend this kava if you’re looking for something different than the standard Vanuatu of Fijian kava options.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Samoa
• Total Kavalactone Content — Not Listed
• Effect Profile — Balanced
• Strength — Average
• Grind — Medium
• Flavor Profile — Smooth, Fresh, Sweet, Mild Pepper
• Kava Code — 462135
• Recommended Experience Level — All Levels
• Most Common Side-Effect — Grogginess

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Samoa Ava Kava	$30.00 – $59.00	$1.31

7. Vula Waka Kava

Rating — 3.5/5

Best For:

• Muscle Relaxation

Positive Effects

• Muscle Relaxant
• Sedation

About This Kava:

Another popular option from Fiji, the Vulu Waka strain can be placed somewhere on the scale between balanced and heavy.

The first hour or so of using this kava has a nice euphoric effect, and can even be said to be mildly stimulating — but around the second or third hour after drinking the effects develop into a much more heavy effect profile.

This is great kava to use if you’ve injured a muscle, and for evening use as long as you start drinking a few hours before your intended bedtime. Its benefits on muscle tension are especially pronounced after the first hour or so of use when the effects transition towards the body.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Fiji
• Total Kavalactone Content — 10.0%
• Effect Profile — Heavy
• Strength — Strong
• Grind — Medium
• Flavor Profile — Smooth, Mild Pepper, Woody
• Kava Code — 462351
• Recommended Experience Level — Experienced
• Most Common Side-Effect — Grogginess

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 10 Gram Dose
Vula Waka Kava	$28.00 – $55.00	$1.22
Vula Waka Kava — Micronized	$27.00 – $52.00	$2.32

8. Pacific Roots Kava – Fresh Green Kava Beverage

Rating. — 3/5

Best For:

• Sleep
• Meditation

Positive Effects:

• Relaxation
• Sedation

About This Kava:

This kava drink is made by juicing fresh kava roots and mixing with water. Surprisingly this kava beverage has no added flavors or preservatives — just pure kava juice. Each bottle contains about 150 grams of fresh kava root.

Using fresh root requires a lot more kava than dried root, so while 150 grams sounds like a lot, it’s actually the perfect dose for this type of product. We find that just one bottle of this stuff is quite strong, and has a similar effect profile to about 15 grams of dried powder.

The Fresh Green Kava Beverage is one of the easiest ways to use kava and has a very unique flavor profile. It has a mild spice and subtle sweetness to it.

Kalm With Kava says there’s no need to keep these in the fridge despite having no additives of preservatives — however, once you’ve opened the bottle if you don’t finish it within a couple of hours we do recommend you keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to finish the bottle.

This is one of the more unique kava options you’ll find. It’s definitely more expensive than making tea from the dried powder, but the delicious flavor and convenience of use makes this well worth it on special occasions.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Mixed
• Total Kavalactone Content — Not Listed
• Effect Profile — Balanced
• Strength — Mild
• Flavor Profile — Fresh, Smooth, Strong Pepper, Muddy
• Kava Code — insert
• Recommended Experience Level — All Levels
• Most Common Side-Effect — Grogginess

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per Bottle
Pacific Roots Kava – Fresh Green Kava Beverage	$25.00 – $48.00	$4.80 – $12.50

9. Kava Concentrate

Rating. —3.5/5

Best For:

• Creative Work

Positive Effects:

• Relaxation
• Social

About This Kava:

Kava concentrates are designed to make the preparation of kava as easy as possible. All you have to do is mix it with water and give it a stir. No kneading or shaking necessary.

This particular concentrate comes preflavored in a few different flavor options — guava, kavarita, and iced tea. This makes these concentrated perfect for people who dislike the natural taste of the kava root.

These concentrates are also excellent for making kava cocktails when hosting friends.

You can find this concentrate in three sizes:

• Travel size (2x 2-ounce bottles)
• 10-ounce bottles
• 30-ounce bottles

The company recommends each dose is about 1 ounce (equal to one standard shot or 30 mL). However, we found a 2 ounce shot of this kava concentrate was well tolerated as well and had a much stronger effect profile.

Technical Details:

• Origin — Mixed
• Total Kavalactone Content — Not Listed
• Effect Profile — Balanced
• Strength — Strong
• Flavor Profile — Guava, Lemon-lime, Iced Tea
• Kava Code — Not Listed
• Recommended Experience Level — Novice
• Most Common Side-Effect — Nausea

Cost Breakdown:

Name	Total Cost	Cost per 30 mL Dose
Kava Concentrate	$9.00  – $20.00	$0.60 – $0.90

Final Thoughts on Kalm With Kava

Kalm With Kava has one of the best selections of kava products we’ve come across yet. They have strains from Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. You can find heady kava, balanced kava, heavy kava, and unique products like concentrates and fresh kava juice too.

We highly recommend Kalm With Kava as one of the top brands in the industry.

The company will ship its kava all around the world and offer competitive pricing on all its products. You can even buy kava cups, starter packs, and instant kava options — so there’s really something here for everybody and all levels.

Have you ordered from Kalm With Kava? Let us know your experience in the comment section below.

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