Choose Kava Over Alcohol: A Founder's Story

By Kyle Peters, founder of Noble Tea Kava Bar.

This is a story I've told a hundred times behind the bar, but I keep getting asked to write it down. So here it is.

Years ago I made a decision: I wasn't going back to alcohol. Not because of a program or a rock-bottom moment. Alcohol just wasn't giving me anything I wanted anymore. The nights were fine; the mornings weren't. And I still wanted what a bar gives you: somewhere to go, something in your hand, people to talk to. I found that at a kava bar, and I chose it. I've been choosing it ever since. Eventually I opened one.

What kava actually does

Kava is a root from the South Pacific. Pacific islanders have been drinking it socially and ceremonially for around 3,000 years. The compounds in the root are called kavalactones. Traditionally, kava is associated with a relaxed, sociable feel without the heaviness of alcohol.

You sit down with a shell of kava and within about fifteen minutes you feel calm. Your shoulders drop. You're still sharp, still present, still part of the conversation. You're just not carrying whatever you walked in with. That's the difference between kava and alcohol.

What it doesn't do

It doesn't make you slur. It doesn't make you say things you'll regret. It doesn't give you a hangover. You wake up the next morning with no headache and no "what did I do last night" loop running in the back of your head.

That last part is what sold me. Not the kava itself; the absence of the next-morning toll. It turns out most of why I went out wasn't about the drinks. It was about the social context: somewhere to go, something to hold, something to do with my hands while talking to friends. Kava bars give you all of that. They just hand you a coconut shell instead of a pint glass.

It works socially in a way that 0% beer doesn't

Non-alcoholic beer is a workaround. You're still going to a bar, still pretending. Kava isn't a workaround; it's a whole different lane. The bar is built for it. The drink is interesting. The community is built around the experience instead of around getting messed up. Nobody asks why you're not drinking real beer at a kava bar. Everybody is doing what you're doing.

For me, that mattered more than the chemistry. The community is what kept me here. The kava bar is where I went instead of a bar, and it never felt like settling.

How to do a night out without drinking

A few things I learned the first year, for anyone making the same choice:

• Go somewhere built for it. Ordering a soda water at a regular bar works, but it's a small negotiation every round. At a kava bar the whole menu is yours.
• Keep something in your hand. A shell, a nitro pour, a botanical soda. Half of "having a drink" is having a drink to hold.
• Go late if you want late. We're open until 3 AM. A lot of people end their night with us after the rest of the group finishes at the regular bar.
• Enjoy the morning. That's the payoff. Plan something for it.

Reverse tolerance: the only catch

You should know one thing before you try kava: it's one of the few things that has reverse tolerance. Most people don't feel much the first time they drink it. Sometimes the second time too. Your body takes a few sessions to get used to the kavalactones. So if you try one shell and feel nothing, don't write it off; that's just how kava works. Come back within a week and try a stronger pour.

What to order, and how to actually try it

Three options, in order of how serious you want to be:

1. Try an instant pack. Our Ah'Koola™ Instant Kava single serving is $10. Add water, drink it, see what happens. Easiest entry point.
2. Brew it. Get the Kava Starter Bundle (100 g root plus a brew bag) or the full Kava Brew Kit ($50) with a bag of kava root powder. This is the proper experience. Brewing it is part of the ritual.
3. Come to the bar. If you're anywhere near Melbourne, FL, swing by Noble Tea Kava Bar. We're at 268 N Wickham Rd, open 10 AM to 3 AM every day. Order a single shell of Vanuatu kava, or a nitro kava on tap if you want something smoother. Tell whoever's behind the counter you've never had kava before. We'll walk you through it.

Final note

I'm not against alcohol. I just chose something else. If you drink and you're happy with it, great. But if you're reading this because some part of you is wondering whether there's a different way to spend Friday night, there is. It's a root from the Pacific, a community that already exists, and a bar that's glad you came.

That's the whole pitch.

Kava and kratom are not medical treatments for any condition. Talk to your doctor before using kava if you take medications or have health concerns, and don't combine kava with alcohol. — Kyle

Kratom products are for adults 21+. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.