Scan the QR code at a kava bar and the First Time Guide takes you through it one step at a time: what kava is, what to order, Shells up and Bula, and what you'll feel. Read it all first, then decide. No pressure, and no app needed.
Why we built it
Most people have no idea what a kava bar is. Some walk past for months. Some guess, and guess wrong. Some try a shell without anyone explaining it, feel nothing, and decide it's not for them.
None of that is on you. Nobody tells you how this works until you're already inside, holding a shell. So the bar's QR code now explains it before you ever have to ask.
If you're outside, peeking in
Scan a bar's First Time Guide code from outside, on the window or the door, and the guide opens on the question you're actually asking: WTF is this place? It's a bar, with stools, regulars, games and music. Just no alcohol. Next up: what kava is, and whether you can just walk in. (Yes. No cover, no membership, and come solo if you want. The regulars aren't staring. They're curious.)
If you're already at the bar
Scan the sign on the bar and you get your first kava shell, step by step. One idea per screen: kava is a social root drink, never with alcohol and best on an empty stomach. Grab a chaser. When someone calls Shells up!, raise your shell, then everyone says Bula! Drink the whole thing in one go. It tastes like bitter earth. Everyone makes the face.
Too shy to ask? Show your phone
The last step has a big button: Show my kavatender. Your phone says it for you, in big letters, with what you'd like to order.
Then give it 15 minutes
Got your shell? The guide tells you to hold off for a second, then raise it with everyone. Tap I drank my first shell! and a 15-minute timer starts, telling you what's coming. Tingly tongue and lips come first. That's normal, and it means it's working. Lock your phone if you like. The timer keeps counting.
Some people don't feel much the first time or two. That's normal too. Give each shell 15 to 20 minutes, and don't chase it.
Where to find it
Scan the First Time Guide QR code on a bar's window, door or counter. A friend can also send you their bar's link before your first visit. It opens in your phone's browser, so you don't need the app.
Also improved
- The guide says it plainly: your tongue and your lips can go numb.
- Can't wait? Just the 8 basics gives you everything on one page.
- At a bar that also pours kratom tea, that part sits behind a 21+ check.
- When the timer ends, the guide asks how it went. Have another, or call it a day.
