At Four Shells Kava Lounge in Auckland, New Zealand, Todd and ‘Anau Mesui-Henry prepare kava in the traditional manner. The dried, powdered root of the kava plant is placed in a mesh bag, soaked in water, and squeezed to produce an opaque, brownish beverage, which is often drunk from a coconut shell. Todd explains that this unadulterated presentation is a major part of kava’s long history. In the thousands of years that Pacific Islanders have been drinking kava, he says, “not a single island has formed a culture around flavoring…
