Sampling The Kratom Connection

Recently, the nice people at The Kratom Connection sent me some samples of a few different strains. I dealt specifically with Andrew, a really nice guy. If he's any indication of their customer service, it's great! I sampled the following strains:

Green Malay
This strain provided me with a warm, relaxed feeling, but not the energy boost I sometimes look for in kratom. That's perfect for me in the late afternoon and evening as I try to wind down.

Red Betanguie
Provided an energy boost, but not more than I could handle. It wouldn't have quite been enough for focusing at work, but enough to knock off some honey-do items during the evening and weekend.

Green Hulu
This one made me relaxed and alert at first, but I became sleepy after an hour or so. I'd probably take this one about an hour or two before bed to relax and get ready for a good night's sleep.

Blend
My favorite experience resulted from mixing a 2:1 blend of the Red Betanguie and Green Malay strains. This blend relaxed me, but also put me in a good mood and I was alert and able to be in the moment as I watched a movie with the family. This might be a good daytime mixture to stay focused and manage stress levels at work.

I had a pleasant overall experience with The Kratom Connection, from the customer service to the actual product itself. I recommend trying the Green Hulu, Green Malay and Red Betanguie strains. They had somewhat different effects for me, but they each would have a place in my daily routine. Their prices are competitive -- not the cheapest and definitely not the most expensive. I could definitely make room for their product in my monthly budget.

Some Samples from GetKratom.com

The kind folks at Getkratom.com recently sent me some samples to try. Here are my thoughts on each of them:

Green Vein Kali

The Green Vein Kali provided some energy, but not as much as I expected for a green vein. This could have been a problem with me because at the time I was healing from a head cold. As you know, colds can kill your energy, and I've often found that kratom doesn't help my energy levels if I'm suffering from an illness. I would have to buy some more of this (which I probably will along with the Bali), to get a more accurate gauge of the type of energy boost it provides.

Bali

The Bali was great. I took it in the evenings and found that it really tempered my anxiety. It was a nice clear-headed sort of calm, so I continue to function as I normally do, but without the cloudiness/loopiness of a synthetic anxiolytic like clonazepam. Even during the day at work, the stress seemed to get to me a little less, and the kratom didn't make me feel groggy. I am considering buying this strain for evenings to unwind, and to take during acute anxiety episodes at work.

Overall, I was happy with the products and the customer service. Please give them a try yourselves!

Getting to Know Hill Country Kratom

A couple of weeks ago, Dominic from Hill Country Kratom contacted me about trying some samples. I'm fairly selective about the vendors with whom I choose to do business, but Dominic really caught my attention. Hill Country Kratom is based in central Texas, so I'm always eager to pump some money back into the local economy. What really stood out, though, was the great relationship that Hill Country Kratom (HCK) has with their farmer in Indonesia. The farmer that supplies kratom for HCK is a teacher as well, and some of the proceeds from HCK's sales are donated to the school where the farmer teaches. How cool! Needless to say, I was enthusiastic to try some samples, and help promote the business a bit.

Dominic sent me two varieties to try: Red Maeng Da and Green Vein. The Green Vein was definitely outstanding. I took it before my son's basketball game on a Saturday, and was feeling social, energized, and ready to take on the world. Normally, I'm pretty sluggish on Saturdays (by choice), but this was a nice change. The Red Maeng Da wasn't super noteworthy, but that may have had more to do with my condition at the time, as I wasn't feeling particularly well. I don't fault the strain for this.

I was impressed by Hill Country Kratom and Dominic. I'm going to place my next bulk order with them, so that I can get a good sampling or their product over a period of a month. I'm also going to give the Red Maeng Da another try! Hill Country Kratom is a vendor worth checking out, and they are doing good things for the world. I'm looking forward to seeing some of my money get reinvested into education!

Some Reviews for Mmm, Speciosa!

Update, 1/31/2016
I've disabled comments for this post, and deleted the previous comments. An astute reader noted that this post had been "thread-jacked" -- a technique with which I was unfamiliar. It appeared that competitors were hitting this particular post, posing as either disgruntled customers, or outright promoting their own product. While I like to give a voice to everyone, I don't have the time or patience type type of underhanded, mean-spirited behavior that was beginning to manifest. Thanks to the reader who notified me.

A couple of months ago, I received a shipment of samples from my friends at Mmm, Speciosa! I like doing business with them because they're a local business. In Austin, Texas, we're big on supporting local businesses.

In exchange for the samples, the kind folks at Mmm, Speciosa! politely asked me to write a review of some of these samples. I've obviously been busy (read "extremely lazy"), and haven't gotten around to writing a review until now. Sorry, guys! :-( Without any further ado...

Classic Bali Review

Mmm, Speciosa! sent me a number of samples, and while they were all high-quality, a few really stood out:

1. Classic Bali
2. Tawa Tua
3. Plantation Maeng Da
4. "Test 219 A" Bali

Classic Bali

The Classic Bali was spectacular. Currently, Mmm, Speciosa! seems to be out of stock on this gem. Sadness! I took one tablespoon, and found myself relaxed physically, but with a high amount of mental energy. One tablespoon was almost too much, so in subsequent doses, I found that 1-2 teaspoons was sufficient. (One tablespoon is equivalent to three teaspoons.) I found this variety of Bali great as an evening pick-me up, and was especially helpful in keeping a step ahead of my eight year-old. This variety is one I hope to see back on the shelves at Mmm, Speciosa! soon.

Tawa Tua Indo

The Tawa Tua Indo offered a good pick-me-up as well, though not nearly as strong as the Classic Bali. I did find that two teaspoons of Classic Bali to one teaspoon of Tawa Tua was a good mix. I had a good amount of energy, and felt happy -- not a bad way to spend the after work hours!

Plantation Maeng Da

The Plantation Maeng Da turned out to be another favorite. I found it to be energizing, but did not notice the physical relaxation as much as I did with the Classic Bali. The mental energy levels were about equal, though. I'd definitely recommend this one if you need to focus, but don't need the physical relaxation as you might want for pain relief or meditation.

Test 219A

I wish I knew what the "Test 219A" Bali actually was, because it resulted in a relaxed body and happy mind. I would definitely add it to my regular rotation of purchases. As I look through my notes, I see my state-of-mind after taking this variety was such that I sat down and spent some time on this blog, which is something I find difficult to do most evenings. I really liked this variety; it wasn't "too much," but was definitely enough to make it worth a review.

S.O.S Stem and Vein

The S.O.S Stem and Vein gets an honorable mention among these reviews, because its effects are noticeable and not what I would expect from a stem and vein variety. After taking a tablespoon (approx 8-9 grams), I felt positive and productive. I've just placed a small order again, just to tide me over to my next payday order next week. Turns out I accidentally under-ordered last month because, well, math.

I'd like to thank the generous folks at Mmm, Speciosa! for their kindness. Please pay them a visit if you haven't yet. Their customer service is outstanding, and their products are always high-quality.

Coastal Kratom

I recently had the pleasure of interacting with Robert from Coastal Kratom. Robert reached out to me through Facebook to tell me how much he appreciated this blog, and the traffic that the Trusted Kratom Vendors page brings to him. Coastal Kratom wasn't listed specifically on that page, but was mentioned several times in the comments, which apparently brought him enough traffic to check out my little site. Robert very generously offered to send me some samples of his kratom, and I gratefully accepted that offer.

The Coastal Kratom product is outstanding. In particular, I fell in love with the Bright Eyes Bali and the Premium Plantation Bali, the latter of which is currently giving me a shot of energy, clarity, and sense of well-being as I write this review. The other samples were some of the best I've sampled as well, but the two aforementioned items really stood out.

Coastal Kratom sends their product in bottles, which is a convenient way of keeping your strains separately. My usual way of labeling various glass bottles works fine, but it's nice to see someone else take this into consideration as well. The only issue I had with the bottles was that the mouth of each bottle was just a bit too narrow for my measuring spoons (I use teaspoon/tablespoons as opposed to measuring specific amounts), and trying to fill the spoons by dispensing the kratom from the bottles proved to be a bit messy. Ultimately, I ended up transferring the kratom from the small bottles provided by Coastal Kratom, to my glass bottles. Not everyone would have the same issue I had, and it's great to see how these folks take the time to package the product so thoughtfully. It's a nice touch, and I almost feel silly for bringing up this minor issue.

Coastal Kratom hadn't previously made my list of trusted vendors because their price range exceeded my monthly kratom budget. (The criteria I used to build the list was price, service, and product quality.) I was very forthcoming about the cost to Robert, who was understanding. I will likely purchase smaller amounts from Coastal Kratom when I'm looking for some variety -- or that terrific Plantation Bali! If your budget permits, I highly recommend Coastal Kratom for their service and quality. Again, I extend my gratitude to Robert and Coastal Kratom for the generous offer.