Does kava contain caffeine?

No. Kava contains no caffeine, and it isn't a stimulant — it works in the opposite direction.

Kavayn products contain no caffeine, in either the spirits or the Snap Packs.

The exception worth checking for. Kava itself never contains caffeine, but some blended "functional beverages" add it deliberately — usually as guarana, green tea extract, yerba mate, or straight caffeine. If a product combines kava with any of those it will be on the label. Anything marketed as an energy-and-relaxation blend is worth reading carefully, because the two ingredients are doing opposite jobs.

What kava does instead. Its active compounds are kavalactones, which are relaxant rather than stimulant. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that signal tiredness; kavalactones work on a different pathway entirely, in the opposite direction.

Why the question comes up. Kava sits on the same shelf as energy drinks, nootropics and functional beverages, most of which are caffeinated. It's a reasonable thing to check — particularly if you're avoiding caffeine after a certain hour, or if kava is replacing an evening drink rather than a morning one.

For the full side-by-side — onset, duration, and the way tolerance runs in opposite directions — see the kava vs coffee entry.