Bula Kava House News

At our Portland kava bar, we love to see the familiar faces of our regular customers. If you’ve only enjoyed kava from the comfort of your home, you’re missing out on the different experiences available to you by visiting a nakamal (the traditional name for a kava bar in Vanuatu). Whether you’re a kava connoisseur or just starting your kava journey, coming out to our Portland kava bar offers something for everyone. Let’s look at a few reasons why the next time you knock back a shell of kava, it should be while sitting at our nakamal. You Get to...

When Bula owner Judd Rench first opened his kava bar in Southeast Portland in 2011, he wanted to share his passion for kava with his hometown community in the Pacific Northwest. Now, nearly 11 years later, Judd’s kava journey continues with the expansion of a second Bula Kava House location in downtown Vancouver, WA. Judd’s Kava Discovery During his late teens and early 20s, Judd traveled extensively, living in both Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Yet, it was when working in Hawaii as a scuba diving instructor that he first discovered kava. As one of the only places in the...

No matter where you go in the world, everyone loves a good party. And few occasions elicit the type of giddy celebration as New Year’s Eve. Here in the U.S., the countdown to the new year usually involves large crowds of people gathered together eagerly awaiting the stroke of midnight. Whether on the streets of New Orleans, standing in Times Square, or counting down the clock standing on shores of the San Francisco bay, revelers will be sure to experience a festive atmosphere and a whole lot of fun. Of course, New Year’s Eve isn’t only celebrated in the U.S....

At Bula Kava House, we celebrate the rich kava drinking traditions that take place around the globe. From our Portland kava bar to the nakamals of Vanuatu, Bula’s own Judd Rench has had the opportunity to experience some of the varied traditions that encompass the ceremony that surrounds drinking this sacred beverage. Most kava drinking cultures have both an informal and formal way of drinking kava. When you consider the long and culturally significant role kava plays in many of the island nations where the plant is grown, it’s not surprising to hear that the formal ways of drinking kava...