What Do You Do With Leftover Kava Root? Second Wash Explained

When you knead medium grind kava in a strainer bag, the first wash takes most of what is coming out. It does not take all of it. At the bar we routinely run a second wash and sometimes a third, and the spent root, which Pacific kava drinkers call makas, still has uses after that. Throwing the bag away after one squeeze wastes roughly a third of what you paid for.

What you need

• Medium grind kava. We use Vanuatu High Potency Medium Grind and Fiji High Potency Medium Grind most often.
• Reusable fine nylon kava strainer bags.
• Two bowls, one for kneading and one to hold the finished liquid.
• Warm water around 110 to 120 F, and a pocket scale.
• Unbleached cone coffee filters if you want to polish the liquid.

The first wash, briefly

Our standard is 30 g of medium grind to 10 ounces of warm water. Load the bag, submerge it, and knead and squeeze for a full 10 minutes. Ten minutes is longer than most people go and it matters. Wring the bag out hard at the end, then set it aside without opening it. Pour the liquid off into your serving bowl.

The second wash

Put the same bag back into the kneading bowl. Add 6 to 7 ounces of fresh warm water, which is about two thirds of the first volume. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes and wring hard.

The second wash comes out lighter in color and thinner in body. That is expected. We do not mix it into the first wash, because blending a strong batch and a weak one just gives you a medium batch and you lose the ability to serve either one accurately. Keep them separate and label them. Second wash is what we pour for someone who wants a smaller shell.

The third wash

Worth doing with high potency grinds, not worth doing with ordinary root. Use 4 ounces of warm water and knead 5 minutes. If the liquid comes out looking like weak tea with no cloudiness to it, the root is finished and the next squeeze is just water. That cloudiness is the visual cue we go by. When it stops being milky, stop washing.

Reading the makas

Open the bag and look at the spent root. Finished makas is pale, fibrous and almost woody, and it feels like wet sawdust rather than wet flour. If it still feels creamy or slick between your fingers, there is another wash in it. If it is gritty and dry-feeling even while wet, you are done.

What to do with spent root

• Compost it. It breaks down fast and it is the simplest answer. We fill a bucket behind the bar.
• Freeze it for later. Spread wet makas thin on a sheet, freeze it, bag it. Several batches of spent root combined can be washed again as a single large batch.
• Dry and grind it. Dried makas ground fine is coarse and fibrous, and some people add a small amount to a smoke blend as filler. Inhaling any plant material carries risk, so that is a choice to make with open eyes.
• Do not reuse the bag without cleaning it. Rinse the bag in hot water, turn it inside out, scrub it, and hang it to dry completely. Kava residue left in a damp bag will go sour within a day.

Timing and storage

Washed kava is a water extract with nothing preserving it. We serve it the same day. Refrigerated it holds about 48 hours, and it separates hard, so shake it. If it smells sour or sharp, pour it out. Do not leave washed kava at room temperature for hours.

A note on the math

Three washes off 30 g of grind gives us roughly 20 ounces of liquid total instead of 10. The strength is uneven across the three and that is fine as long as you keep them labeled and pour them separately. What you are buying with the extra 15 minutes of kneading is volume, not a stronger drink.

Cautions

• Do not combine kava with alcohol.
• Do not use kava if you are pregnant or nursing.
• Kava has been associated with reports of liver injury. Do not use it if you have liver problems or take medication that affects the liver, and speak with a physician before using kava if you are unsure.
• Do not drive or operate machinery after drinking kava.
• Inhaling smoke or vapor from any plant material carries risk.
• For adults 21 and over.

Disclaimer. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Traditional use of a botanical does not establish that it will produce any particular result. Keep out of reach of children.