Lumen Earth mixing up elixirs of a sober life

By Neil Farrell · Mon Jul 06 2026

Formerly Gaia’s Garden, the apothecary shop debuts alcohol-free kava elixirs aimed at expanding sober social options

It's an ancient elixir, and a new-fangled treat, and now folks craving something new to drink that won't leave you with a head-pounding hangover in the morning, have a place in Morro Bay where they can go.

Lumin Earth, the renamed, former Gaia's Garden in Downtown Morro Bay, recently debuted its new kava bar offerings, hosting a well-attended open house where the drinks were pouring nonstop.

"We served 35 drinks on Saturday," Sierra Mace, Lumin Earth's owner, said a few days after the grand unveiling. Sierra and her mom, Summer Burchell, run the store.

She describes kava as a root extract that comes from the kava plant, which is native to the South Pacific Islands and has been used by the native peoples as a ceremonial drink for centuries.

She calls it "botanical kava," in keeping with the theme of the little shop in the historic Circle Inn building (875 Main St.). The shop started out as a house plant and crystals store on Shasta Avenue before moving to the Downtown location several years ago and has evolved into an apothecary shop mixing herbal tinctures and medicinal tea blends, which Sierra mastered through a special herbalist course of study.

The space was once a micro-brewery, so it already had a bar inside. 

Its offerings cater to spiritual folks who subscribe to the whole organic-herbal-holistic healing way of life.

And now, she's added kava drinks to her menu, again looking to fill a demand that's growing among young adults.

"It alcohol-free," she said of kava juice. "There're a lot of people here that are looking for sober nightlife."

She stresses that this isn't so-called "mock-tails," or non-alcoholic versions of traditional mixed drinks that have also grown in popularity. Kava is a medicinal herb, she explains, and her drinks are "crafted elixirs."

While not intoxicating, kava does affect the body. "Your whole body feels relaxed," Sierra said. At the launch party she said, "It was the coolest thing to witness from behind the bar."

"It's a social lubricant without the poison" of alcohol.

Her kava is a bit different than what one might find in a health food store. "Traditionally, kava is dried and processed and you add water to it," she explained. "We do kava nectar. The kava root is juiced and then dried into a concentrated form."

She describes the taste as "earthy but not gritty." It's a bit like vodka in that it mixes really well with a lot of different flavors, but again, it doesn't get you drunk.

She sources her kava nectar from Vanuatu, a South Pacific volcanic archipelago, and also Hawaii.

Sierra said she mixes it with tropical fruit juices and uses fruit pieces to decorate the drinks. She has a menu of several elixirs that she created, with names like Passion Fire, Guava Calm. Lychee Rose; and Cacao Spice, which is one of several drinks served hot. She can also serve the drinks in a coconut half shell making it a little more tropical and fun.

Patrons can choose from a list of ingredients and make up their own kava elixir, even choosing how strong it is — single or double shots.

She gave a reporter a small taste in a shot glass, and it wasn't bitter or sweet. It was good. It also briefly made the tongue tingle a little, but it wasn't intoxicating in the slightest.

Sierra said the kava bar is open Fridays and Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. Their herbal teas and other apothecary tinctures and lotions are available during the store's regular hours, Mondays and Wednesdays-Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed on Tuesdays.

Lumin Earth has an online store, visit luminearthapothecary.com. They are also on Instagram: @luminearth.apothecary

As someone who has been sober for a couple of years now, she hopes that people looking for a way to still socialize will give her kava elixirs a try. "They are deliciously amazing, and make you feel so good," she said.

Feature Image: Lumin Earth owner Sierra Mace shakes up one of her new kava elixirs during a recent launch party at the apothecary store, 875 Main St. Ste. C.