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Tudei Kava
The following article was posted by Garry Stoner who is the owner of True Kava. True Kava offers free testing of Kava to any supplier that is interested. If the kava tests negative for Tudei, then you should see a green tag on the bag. In this article, he discusses a type of Kava called ISA. ISA is very easy to grow compared to the finicky Noble Kavas and that’s why some farmers grow it. Though we all thought it was a Tudei Kava, it turns out that it is in a category of it own. The article on ISA is posted on the Kava Forums here.
Garry Stoner with True Kava reminds us that the government in Vanuatu considers Tudei to be a threat to the Kava Industry and the livelihood of the small Kava farmers in Vanuatu. So the government put together a set of rules which restricts export of Tudei from their Island. Like it or not, this move was meant to appease the regulators in the E.U. and hopefully open up new markets for the small farmers in Vanuatu.
Over the years we have compiled many articles on the subject of Tudei Kava. In this section, we are going to give you a summary of each article and a link to the article. You can also go to the Appendix, look under the subject TUDEI, and find the same links.
A fact filled and thoughtful article regarding Tudei comes from Garry Stoner at True Kava. It is at the bottom of the page in the Articles section of his Web Site and is entitled, "Why does Vanuatu Grow Two Day Kava". I think this article may also give you insight as to why people in the Kava community are wary of extracts and tinctures.
Tudei Kava History. This article was written several years ago by Chris Allen who is both an Hawaiian Kava Farmer and owner of Gourmet Hawaiian Kava. It's a broad article that touches on topics like Kava Farming, Kava Testing, and the bad effects of Tudei.
Tudei Kava. Another article by Chris Allen that expands upon the experts opinion on Tudei and provides additional historical information.
Common sense Rules for Tudei use. This article by the Kavabrarian describes the two Kavas as Noble and Tudei and attempts to create some common sense rules regarding the use of both.
How Does Tudei Really Effect the Small Farmers
Some Westerners who are self-appointed experts on Kava claim that by banning Tudei, you are hurting the small kava farmers. I read an article by an author who lives in Fiji and actually knows how it effects the small kava farmers. Here are some of his valid points:
We know that authorities in the US, Australia, UK, and EU monitor adverse effect reports and kava has been banned in the UK since 2002.
The recent cyclones and volcanoe activity in the Fiji Islands have made it paramount that Fiji find a source of income.
By concentrating on growing and selling kava that has less adverse effects (Noble), you get the confidence of the governments that are wary of kava.
The end result is that markets will open up and the small farmers will gain more consumers and make more money.
His last remark was basically this, why would you buy Tudei and risk bad side effects when there are so many strains of potent, safe, and Noble kava on the market today.
Conclusion
Perhaps common sense prevails after all.
