Our Story
We love kava — simple as that.
We love talking about it, growing it, preparing it, and most of all — we love drinking it. For us (and likely you as well), kava is more than a relaxing drink — it’s a culture, a ritual, and a way of life. This age-old practice has been used for everything from supporting sleep and easing anxiety to promoting good conversation and social bonding.
Our collective goal is to inspire and empower you to make a better cup of kava and get the most from this incredible plant.
We break down our resources into four categories:
- User Guides — Our guides offer specific tips and information on specific topics related to kava. We cover everything from how to prepare kava, what types of kava to look for, and how to drink kava safely.
- Health Guides — Our health guides are well-researched articles on specific health benefits associated with kava. We break down current research, interview industry experts, and explore how kava works for specific health complaints.
- Product Guides —There are many different types of kava available. Our product guides help you understand the positives and negatives and help you understand what may make one product better than another.
- Vendor Reviews —Not all kava is created equal. There are many vendors on the market selling kava these days, but not all of them are playing by the rules. In these reviews we take an unbiased look at the many players operating in this space, highlighting which ones are trustworthy, and which ones should be avoided.
Meet The Team Behind Kava Guides
Our team consists of passionate kava drinkers, growers, and kava baristas.
We’re constantly testing new cultivars, exploring different methods of preparation, and analyzing the scientific data on the health benefits of kava.
All articles are based on real-life experience, scientific evidence, cultural reports, and expert opinions.
Amiri Tasi
Founder & Editor In Chief
Amiri was born in Samoa but spent most of his life in Canada. When he was just seven years old his parents packed up and moved from their family home in Upolu to Toronto, Canada.
Kava has had a strong presence in Amiri’s life since he was a small child. The traditional Polynesian root was popular among members of his family. As he got older he too started to participate in the kava ceremonies with friends and family members as well.
Not long after Amiri finished high-school he moved back to Samoa to live with his aunt and uncle. It wasn’t until about three years later when he moved back to Toronto to attend university that he realized how useful this Polynesian herb could be for people living outside Polynesia.
With so much stress and anxiety involved with daily life in the big city, Amiri decided he needed to bring the practice of kava-drinking to the rest of the world. He eventually set up a small kava bar in downtown Toronto where he could prepare the herb for his community decorated with an authentic Samoan style.
Unfortunately, the Canadian government began imposing tight restrictions on kava bars in 2016, forcing Amiri to close his shop.
Amiri decided to move the community online and got to work building this extensive online resource to reach an even broader community of passionate kava drinkers around the world. This is what eventually lead to the creation of KavaGuides.com.
Natia Koale
Freelance Writer & Plant-Medicine Expert
Natia is a researcher at PhytoPharma in California and an avid kava drinker.
She spent four years studying a bachelor of health sciences at the University of Florida before spending time living with some of her extended family living in Suva, Fiji. Here, she spent a great deal of time drinking and studying kava along with various other Fijian herbal medicines.
After moving back to the United States, Natia began frequenting a local Kava bar near her home with friends and family and has taken dozens of continuing education courses to satisfy her curiosity about plant-based medicines.
Natia first met Amiri while she was visiting his (now closed) kava bar while on a trip to Toronto, Canada. The two immediately became friends after having an in-depth discussion about their love for the herb. When Amiri’s bar closed down, he reached out to Natia to see if she was interested in publishing some of her knowledge on his new project — KavaGuides.com.
She jumped at the idea and has since contributed a substantial amount of her expertise on the topic to the website. Natia writes our medical review articles and serves as our chief fact-checker for the health-related information provided on our website.
Natia offers unique insights on the medical applications of kava — pulling from her strong understanding of plant-based medicine and experience living and drinking kava in Fiji — a region where kava drinking is a normal part of daily life and has more than 3000 years of kava-drinking tradition.
Get In Touch With Us!
Kava Guides is committed to creating accurate, up-to-date, and insightful content on the safe and responsible use of kava. To this end, we maintain nothing but the highest standards of journalistic integrity.
All our articles are based on real-life experiences and scientific research reviewed by health professionals & industry experts.
We remain open to criticism and complaints that warrant correction and would love to hear from our readers regarding suggestions for further clarification on existing topics.
Feel free to reach out with any concerns to [email protected].