Customer Reviews

Kefir Starter Kit - Makes up to 42 Gallons of Kefir!

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I would like to compare Body Ecology's starter to Omega Nutrition's starter and these store bought Kefirs: Helios, Nancy's, and Lifeway's Organic line. The Omega Nutrition starter makes Kefir that is thick, creamy, and cultures well, but lacks the level of tartness and "zing" I'm used to. The store boughts are all good; thick, tart, and have a "zing" resembling mild carbonation, but they are expensive, and in plastic bottles which leach toxins. The exception is Nancy's which is in a paperboard carton, but this leaches a noticeable aftertaste. Body Ecology's starter is my favorite of all, it has all the good qualities, and eliminates the bad ones. My only complaint is the price. Also, I'm not comparing any of these to living grains. What I prefer about the starter kits is the guaranteed/measured strains and potency of flora and healthy yeasts. Over time, live grains can fluctuate/lose their flora strains and potency levels.

To some people, getting kefir from a commercial starter pack may seem like heaven. But the fact is, this is not real kefir. Real kefir does not need to be rebought once you buy it. It is a living symbiosis of bacteria and yeast that replicates and grows larger, producing more 'grains'. In no way can this be replicated in a commercial starter pack. If you want REAL kefir, do some research, find what do look for, and buy it elsewhere. Real kefir will last you forever, you'll never have to buy more unless you let the grains die from neglect!

Excellent product! Able to make my own Kefir in 24 hours with a very minimum of effort. Another benefit to home made Kefir is that you control the quality of ingredients so you know what your consuming. I recommend highly!

We take this Kefir everyday and we love it, especially with nuts and papaya, hmmmm...... It's also very economical, you can make tons of it with the first batch and it lets you make up 6 initial batches, best bang for the buck anywhere...

The first batch was prepared in a clean, glass, 2-quart container with a rubber lid. One packet of starter was added to one quart of organic whole milk. The packet was dissolved in the milk, the container was sealed, and the mixture was left to ferment at room temperature (approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hrs. The first batch failed to ferment. Little change was observed upon inspection, save for a slight yeasty odor and a negligibly tangy taste.

A second packet of starter was added to the first batch, more milk was added to compensate for the 'taste test,' and the container was sealed once more. The second batch was successfully cultured in less than 24 hrs. It was bright white, almost yogurt consistency (a few more hours and I would have had a container of cheese), flavorful and produced a sparkling sensation on the tongue. A little more than a cup of this batch was remaindered and added to a new, clean, 2-quart container filled with milk. Hopefully the third batch will work as well as the second.

Tip: the first batch was 'agitated.' That is, I repeatedly rotated and shook the container to keep the solution 'mixed.' This may not be wise or necessary. The second batch was left alone, was not disturbed in any way, and worked beautifully.

I bought this product as a recommendation from Dr. Mercola's website. Easiest way to make home-made Kefir and for a fraction of the cost. The box includes about 6 envelopes that will make about a quart of Kefir, but once you make the first batch you can save Kefir from that batch to make 6 subsequent batches without having to use another envelope. Highly recommend this if you are thinking about making your own fermented kefir.

We really like this product. It is easy to use and makes great-tasting kafir! We have also found that we can often get more than the 7 uses out of each packet. By saving a 1/2 cup of kafir from each batch to start the next batch we have successfully made as many as 10 batches from each starter packet. My only criticism is that it seems a little pricey, especially when you factor in shipping. But its so tasty that we'll continue to order.

I agree with the other one star reviews regarding this product, particularly the review of Stacy Hopkins. This product is considerably more expensive than buying live kefir grains. Moreover, this product simply did not work for me. The first time, I will admit, I was a bit careless and did not follow the instructions closely. Shame on me. When that did not work, I used a thermometer and followed the instructions precisely and it still did not work. Shame on Body Ecology. Perhaps if you have a temperature controlled laboratory in your home it may work but still, if you invest in live kefir grains, you will make kefir forever, not just seven times per package, and with much less difficulty.

I would like to compare Body Ecology's starter to Omega Nutrition's starter and these store bought Kefirs: Helios, Nancy's, and Lifeway's Organic line. The Omega Nutrition starter makes Kefir that is thick, creamy, and cultures well, but lacks the level of tartness and "zing" I'm used to. The store boughts are all good; thick, tart, and have a "zing" resembling mild carbonation, but they are expensive, and in plastic bottles which leach toxins. The exception is Nancy's which is in a paperboard carton, but this leaches a noticeable aftertaste. Body Ecology's starter is my favorite of all, it has all the good qualities, and eliminates the bad ones. My only complaint is the price. Also, I'm not comparing any of these to living grains. What I prefer about the starter kits is the guaranteed/measured strains and potency of flora and healthy yeasts. Over time, live grains can fluctuate/lose their flora strains and potency levels.

I've used others that have worked, but the grains in this one were dead. I wrote to the company on FB, but got no reply. I tried using each pack and all of them failed.... Maybe too much heat during delivery....don't know!!!