Silese (Silesse) kava

Silese, also written Silesse, is a kava cultivar from Malekula, Vanuatu. Legal class: Noble.

Origin

Island: Malekula. Country: Vanuatu. Coordinates: -16.25, 167.4167. Malekula on the kava map.

Legal standing

Noble, per Vanuatu Kava Act No. 7 of 2002, Schedule Table 1.

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.

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

• “Deeply introspective and meditative, slow building and well balanced”, Kava Society New Zealand

Taste and mouthfeel

• “Light and buttery, with breadfruit and a malty cashew aroma”, Kava Society New Zealand

Background

• “Venerated by Malekula communities and rarely available pure outside Vanuatu”, Kava Society New Zealand

Availability

Limited. Sold by a handful of vendors.

Known to stock it: Kava Society NZ, Nakamal at Home.

Sold as

• Silesse Single Cultivar Traditional, The Kava Society, 250 g: 94.99 NZD (380 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 Forums chemotype thread
• Kava Library
• Nakamal at Home
• Kava Society New Zealand

Other cultivars from Malekula

• Poua