Leilo vs Mitra9 (2026): The Biggest Brand vs the One That Prints the Number

Only one of the two actually tells you, so this is partly a disclosure question. Mitra9 discloses 150 mg of kavalactones per 12 oz can; Leilo discloses no kavalactone figure at all — it lists 1,000 mg of "proprietary kava extract," which is an input weight, not a potency, and its own FAQ raises the kavalactone question and answers without a number. Because extract concentration varies and Leilo doesn't publish a purity percentage, there's no honest way to convert its 1,000 mg into an actual kavalactone count or compare it to Mitra9's 150 mg. One more wrinkle: Leilo's calm is partly L-theanine (100 mg per can), not kava alone, while Mitra9's kava cans are kava-only. So on a verifiable, kava-only basis, Mitra9 is the one you can actually quantify.

It depends on which value you mean. On sticker price, Leilo is clearly cheaper: $49.99 a twelve-pack is $4.17 per can ($3.33 on subscription), versus Mitra9's ~$6.04–$6.25 per can. But on value per disclosed milligram, only Mitra9 can be ranked, because only Mitra9 publishes a kavalactone number — its 150 mg per can works out to roughly $4.03–$4.17 per 100 mg of kavalactones. Leilo's cheaper can buys an unquantified amount of kava plus L-theanine, so you can't compute its cost per milligram at all. Cheaper to buy: Leilo. The only one you can price by potency: Mitra9.

Neither drink contains kratom — both are kava-only beverages. The difference is the brand. Leilo is a pure-kava company (its asterisk is the L-theanine in the formula, not kratom). Mitra9 is a dual kava-AND-kratom brand: its kava seltzers are kava-only, but it also sells kratom seltzers, kratom shots, kratom capsules, and kava-kratom "M9" combo shots. So with Mitra9 you must read the can — the kava cans say "Kava" and "500mg Kava Root Extract," while anything labeled mitragynine, kratom, or "M9" is a different product on a different plant. Leilo asks no such homework.

Not in the single-active sense. Leilo is kava-based and contains no kratom, but its published label pairs the kava extract with 100 mg of L-theanine (a calming amino acid from tea) plus B vitamins, so the relaxed feel from a Leilo is the work of a designed stack rather than kava alone. Mitra9's kava cans, by contrast, are kava-only — no secondary calming active. If your goal is to learn how kava itself sits with you, Mitra9's single-ingredient formula gives a cleaner read; if you just want the effect and the taste, Leilo's blend is a perfectly lawful recipe.

Leilo, on both counts. It has the broadest flavor lineup in canned kava — fruity classics plus a genuinely clever sugar-free mocktail line — and most drinkers find it the more approachable, bar-like pour. It also has the widest mainstream retail reach of any kava drink (trade press counted 700+ doors as far back as 2022), so you're far more likely to find it at a grocery store. Mitra9's four flavors are good but narrower, and it leans on DTC and Amazon with less brick-and-mortar presence. For taste and availability, Leilo is the easy winner; Mitra9's edge is disclosure and a kava-only, lower-calorie formula.

It splits by what you optimize for. Buy Mitra9 if you want to know your dose (it discloses 150 mg of kavalactones), want kava and only kava doing the work, and prefer a leaner ~15-calorie can — and you're willing to read the label to avoid its kratom SKUs. Buy Leilo if taste, flavor variety, mainstream availability, and the cheapest sticker decide it — it's the best-executed, most-available, lowest-priced can in the category, just without a disclosed kavalactone number and with an L-theanine blend. First-timer chasing flavor and convenience → Leilo. Drinker who wants a verifiable, kava-only dose → Mitra9.

No. This is not a paid placement, and neither Leilo nor Mitra9 sponsored or reviewed it. Kava Review has no affiliate relationship with either brand at publication — we earn no commission if you buy, and that never changes the verdict. Our scoring rewards disclosure and a verifiable, kava-only formula, which is exactly why the smaller brand with the cleaner number (Mitra9) took our pick over the bigger, better-distributed brand (Leilo) — while we credit Leilo plainly for the taste, availability, and price it genuinely leads on. We verified every fact against both brands' own pages and listings in June 2026.