By day, Brooklyn Kava is like any Brooklyn cafe. A flood of commuters leaving Bushwick in the morning stops in for coffee, and the rush ebbs and flows throughout the day with a diverse set of artists, students, and workers between shifts.
But around the time most cafes begin to close and evening crowds flock to nearby bars, the clientele at Brooklyn Kava moves from stimulant seekers to a crowd with different appetites. The cafe stays open well into the night, where soft music plays and the beverage of choice is kava, a drink from the South Pacific known for its mild calming effects.
While kava bars have been common in Hawaii and parts of southern Florida since the early 2000s, New York didn’t have a kava bar until 2015. Since then, growth has been rapid.
“It’s blown up — just through word of mouth it really took off faster than we expected,” said Harding Stowe, a founder of Brooklyn Kava. “I think people can really use it in New York, almost more than they need it over there. There are so many people here that are overworked and just stressed.”
Made from the powdered root of a plant of the same name, kava has been consumed for ceremonial and medicinal purposes on Pacific islands such as Fiji, Hawaii and Vanuatu for centuries. But as its stress-reducing properties have become better understood, kava is beginning to catch on internationally.
Continue reading the main storyBefore its recent revival, kava had something of a checkered past. In the late 20th century, it rapidly hit markets in the form of supplement pills and extracts that were often potent and unregulated. Between a lack of research and doubts about the safety of these products, a regulatory backlash followed in Europe, with a number of countries issuing precautionary bans on sales.
Since then, more thorough research on kava’s effects has tempered some of the initial alarm. A 2002 ban in Germany was reversed in 2015. And while United States regulators have issued health advisories related to its consumption in the past, kava has never been a controlled substance under the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Controlled Substances Act or New York State regulations.
At the same time, consumers have largely shifted away from concentrated supplements in favor of the less potent, traditional preparation — typically nothing more than powdered kava root mixed with lukewarm water. Many shops present the concoction in coconut shells, the way it has been historically served.
“It’s one of these things where it’s everything in moderation,” said Craig Hopp, an expert in herbal and botanical products at the National Institutes of Health. “You can’t say anything with absolutes, but consuming this in a way that’s consistent with the way it’s always been consumed is probably going to be much safer than consuming it in an extract.”
Even without a definitive scientific ruling on its effects, many kava drinkers feel that the known physiological benefits outweigh the hypothetical risks.
“It does have some interesting biological activities,” Dr. Hopp said. “It has fairly well-documented and known anxiolytic activity — the calming effect — and this is what’s led to all these bars and cafes popping up all over the place, in New York and lots of other major cities.”
“It’s kind of like a natural Xanax if you will,” he said.
For most people, certain physical effects of kava, like numbness in the mouth, are apparent after a single drink. Veterans often advise that getting to the desired level of relaxation and lessened social inhibition usually takes several more servings — particularly for those trying it for the first time. At that point, many report a cool, composed mood, sometimes with heightened mental clarity.
These properties give kava a social dimension that venues like the Kavasutra Kava Bar in Manhattan have seized upon. Presenting a dimly lit pub scene inside, the bar offers an environment in which guests can socialize away from the allure of alcohol. Like many cafes serving kava, it also offers a variety of imaginative alcohol-free “cocktails” that help mask the root’s bitter natural flavor.
“Since everyone here is so relaxed, it’s really easy to meet and talk to people,” said Carla Mueller, who was drinking a bowl of kava on a recent evening at Kavasutra. “Everybody’s here, all different walks of life.”
Like other plants used for pharmacological purposes, kava was once chiefly associated with alternative medicine and the New Age movement. But while its enthusiasts are still a niche group, kava has gained ground in more mainstream professional circles as well.
“The good thing about it is from time to time I just come during my lunch break,” said Aresh Bakau Wint, who works near Kavasutra at Bank of America in SoHo.
“It never affects my work or productivity or anything like that,” Mr. Wint said. “It actually helps me think a little more clearly.”
For others, the drink’s gentle, measured buzz offers a path away from other addictive or destructive habits.
“I used to abuse opiates and that’s how I heard about it,” said Ryan Lloyd, the manager of House of Kava in Brooklyn. “It’s a good alcohol alternative. It’s a more subtle, less damaging way in most regards. People with immune deficiency disorders use it.”
While the drink’s effects resonate with people for a variety of reasons, its bitter taste and the unusual sensations it causes can be off-putting.
“I’ve tried to introduce a lot of my friends to it,” said Oleg Kordunskiy. “Whenever they try kava they just, like, retch — they’re not into it.
“The taste is just aggressive,” he added, “but I don’t even mind it that much anymore.”
Judging from the crowd at Brooklyn Kava — illustrators, bankers, programmers — there is no typical kava drinker. And while different bars have earned different reputations (some more social, others more work-friendly), no professional or social group is overrepresented.
“I think everyone finds a way to use it effectively for their own lives,” Mr. Stowe said.
In addition to serving a variety of kava-based drinks at its location in Bushwick, Brooklyn Kava can also deliver a 32-ounce growler to most locations in the borough, and sells a house blend of kava powder for home brewing.
As kava has become more prominent in New York and elsewhere, vendors have begun taking an active interest in protecting its future. Industry groups such as the American Kava Association have started to organize kava bars and cafes nationally, and many importers, and even some cafes, also partner with laboratories to check the quality of their product. At the beginning of the supply chain, some farmers in producing countries like Fiji have begun enforcing regulations and quality-control practices.
Given these signs that the industry is maturing, and the customer base of kava shops in New York is expanding, most kava experts appear confident that the demand for the product will continue to grow.
“When I was first coming here we weren’t this busy,” said Chillian Thomas, who prepares drinks at House of Kava. “Now you can be sure when the sun goes down people are coming here, and you get a lot of first-timers in the neighborhood come in by themselves.”
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