Bir Kar (Birkar) kava
Bir Kar, also written Birkar, is a kava cultivar from Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Legal class: Noble.
Origin
Island: Espiritu Santo. Country: Vanuatu. Coordinates: -15.3667, 166.85. Espiritu Santo on the kava map.
Legal standing
Noble, per Vanuatu Kava Act No. 7 of 2002, Schedule Table 1.
Legally the same entry
The Kava Act groups these names in one schedule row, so in law they are synonyms even where vendors sell them as separate cultivars.
Chemotype
A chemotype ranks the six kavalactones from most to least abundant. It says nothing about how much kava is in the root, only about the order. Published readings for this cultivar disagree, so all of them are shown.
| Code | Kavalactones, most to least abundant | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 423156 | Kavain > Dihydrokavain > Yangonin > Desmethoxyyangonin > Dihydromethysticin > Methysticin | Kava Society New Zealand |
| 246513 | Dihydrokavain > Kavain > Methysticin > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin > Yangonin | Kava Forums chemotype thread |
Chemotype genuinely shifts with plant age, which part of the root was milled, soil and shade. Some of this spread is real variation and some of it is disagreement between laboratories. Treat any single code as a claim about one batch, not a property of the variety.
Character
Balanced. A lift to the mind and a loosening of the body, arriving together.
How it is described
- “Two stages: clean cerebral brightness, then muscular relaxation”, Kava Society New Zealand
- “Potent and nicely balanced, with heady euphoria and long-lasting muscular relaxation”, Bula Kava House
Taste and mouthfeel
- “Roasted peanuts, black pepper and dark chocolate”, Kava Society New Zealand
- “Creamy nut butter”, Art of Kava
Background
- “Named for its reddish stems: kar means red”, Kava Society New Zealand
Availability
Limited. Sold by a handful of vendors.
Known to stock it: Kava Society NZ, Art of Kava, Bula Kava House, Nakamal at Home.
Sold as
- Bir Kar Ground Kava, Bula Kava House, 454 g: 77.00 USD (170 USD/kg)
- Epik Kava Birkar, Nakamal at Home, 250 g: 49.30 USD (197 USD/kg)
- Bir Kar Noble Kava, Kava Mode, 125 g: 29.97 EUR (240 EUR/kg)
- Bir Kar Single Cultivar Instant Green, The Kava Society, 100 g: 114.99 NZD (1150 NZD/kg)
Prices read from vendor storefronts on 2026-09-16, ranked cheapest per kilogram first. No vendor pays to be listed.
Documentation
Corroborated. Sources cited on this page:
- Vanuatu Kava Act No. 7 of 2002, Schedule Table 1
- Kava Society New Zealand
- Kava Forums chemotype thread
- Bula Kava House
- Art of Kava