Hanakāpīʻai (Nene Ele Ele) kava
Hanakāpīʻai, also written Nene Ele Ele, is a kava cultivar from Kauai, Hawaii. Legal class: Noble.
Origin
Island: Kauai. Country: Hawaii. Coordinates: 22.0964, -159.5261. Kauai on the kava map.
Legal standing
Noble, per Codex CXS 336R-2020 and the FAO/WHO kava discussion paper.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 423615 | Kavain > Dihydrokavain > Yangonin > Methysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin > Dihydromethysticin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 1 of 3 |
| 423651 | Kavain > Dihydrokavain > Yangonin > Methysticin > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 2 of 3 |
| 462351 | Kavain > Methysticin > Dihydrokavain > Yangonin > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 3 of 3 |
| 423651 | Kavain > Dihydrokavain > Yangonin > Methysticin > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Kava Library; vendor-published single value |
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.
How it is described
No published account of how Hanakāpīʻai is said to feel.
Taste and mouthfeel
No published tasting notes.
Background
- “Rare, from the Nāpali Coast”, Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa
Availability
Limited. Sold by a handful of vendors.
Known to stock it: Gourmet Hawaiian Kava.
Documentation
Corroborated. Sources cited on this page: