The History of Kava and the Kava Ceremony

Updated October 2026

Long before South Florida had kava bars, kava was at the center of Pacific life: welcoming guests, sealing agreements, marking births and deaths, and ending the day with family.

Origins

Kava was domesticated in the Pacific, likely in northern Vanuatu, and spread with voyagers across Melanesia and Polynesia. Today it's part of the culture in Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, and many other islands.

Europeans first recorded it during Captain James Cook's Pacific voyages in the 1770s. The naturalist Georg Forster gave it the scientific name Piper methysticum, roughly "intoxicating pepper."

The kava ceremony

In Fiji, guests visiting a village traditionally present kava root to the chief in a ceremony called sevusevu. Acceptance means the visitor is welcomed into the community.

The kava is then prepared in a large wooden bowl called a tanoa and served in coconut shell cups, one person at a time, in order of rank or respect. Before drinking, you clap once and say "Bula." You drink the shell in one go, hand it back, and the group claps. Customs differ from island to island, but the shared bowl and the respect behind it are constant.

Kava in daily life

Outside of formal ceremonies, kava is also a social drink. In Vanuatu, evening kava bars called nakamals are a fixture. In Fiji and Tonga, kava circles bring friends and family together to talk late into the night. That social side is what Western kava bars borrowed.

How it got to Florida

Kava bars began appearing in the US in the early 2000s, and Florida became one of the biggest kava bar scenes in the country. South Florida's bars range from island-style lounges to neon-lit nightspots, and many keep traditions like the "Bula" toast and coconut shells.

Respecting the tradition

Kava is still sacred and economically important to Pacific communities. Buying quality noble kava, learning a bit of the culture, and saying "Bula" with meaning are small ways to honor where it comes from.

Next: Kava bars for sober and sober-curious nights. Or find a kava bar near you.