Nēnē kava
Nēnē is a kava cultivar from Hawaii Island, Hawaii. Legal class: Noble.
Origin
Island: Hawaii Island. Country: Hawaii. Coordinates: 19.5667, -155.5. Hawaii Island 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 463251 | Kavain > Methysticin > Yangonin > Dihydrokavain > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 1 of 4 |
| 463251 | Kavain > Methysticin > Yangonin > Dihydrokavain > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 2 of 4 |
| 463251 | Kavain > Methysticin > Yangonin > Dihydrokavain > Dihydromethysticin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 3 of 4 |
| 462531 | Kavain > Methysticin > Dihydrokavain > Dihydromethysticin > Yangonin > Desmethoxyyangonin | Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa; sample 4 of 4 |
| 463251 | Kavain > Methysticin > Yangonin > Dihydrokavain > 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 Nēnē is said to feel.
Taste and mouthfeel
No published tasting notes.
Background
- “Given to children only as medicine, never for pleasure”, 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.
Sold as
- Nene Medium Grind, Gourmet Hawaiian Kava, 227 g: 36.00 USD (159 USD/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:
- Codex CXS 336R-2020 and the FAO/WHO kava discussion paper
- Lebot et al. 1999 HPLC, in Johnston & Rogers, Hawaiian 'Awa
- Kava Library