Question: is there a difference between kava and kava kava

Answer: No, Kava or kava kava or Piper methysticum (Latin ``pepper'' and Latinized Greek ``intoxicating'') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name kava(-kava) is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning ``bitter''; other names for kava include ʻawa (Hawaiʻi), ʻava (Samoa), yaqona (Fiji), sakau (Pohnpei), and malok or malogu (parts of Vanuatu). Kava is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia, including Hawaii and Vanuatu, and Melanesia and some parts of Micronesia for its sedating effects.