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OLD REVIEW (update below): After brewing kombucha I wanted to try making other cultured foods instead of buying them. Kefir seemed to be a pretty easy low maintenance option. I didn't do much research and started with a box of starter from Vitamin Cottage. After I realized that wasn't the same thing as kefir grains I bought these grains on Amazon. I was skeptical since a lot of reviewers said it was very few grains and that it took forever before they could get a real batch of kefir. Still, I don't know anyone I could get fresh grains from so these seemed like my best bet.
They came in the mail and it's true that there isn't a lot in the packet. But, having never made it, I can't say how many grains you need. So I mixed it like the instructions said. The instructions, by the way, were very helpful and had lots of answers to my immediate questions like "does the milk need to be a hot or cold?". I also LOVE that the packaging is so reassuring. As soon as I opened it there was the reassurance "You can do this!" staring back up at me.
After putting my jar of milk and grains in the pantry I had to leave town unexpectedly for two days. You're supposed to change the milk out every 12-24 hours. Well that wasn't going to happen. So I figured if it doesn't work and kefir takes that much maintenance then maybe it wasn't for me. I'd just have to wait and see 'til I got home again.
Thankfully when I got home the milk had thickened A LOT. And the grains were bouncy and seemed like they'd rehydrated. With just the first glass of milk! In fact the milk was so thick it was like yogurt. I couldn't even shake it out of the jar. I had to get a spoon and scoop it out. And then I couldn't even get the thickest of the milk to go through a strainer. I had to feel around in the thick kefir with my (clean) fingers to even find the grains and see how they looked.
After using the kefir starter from Vitamin Cottage I found that I like to second ferment the kefir with fruit before eating it. So I did that with this first batch. I only tried a small lick as I straining out the grains. It tasted like plain yogurt! Just not as smooth. I'm excited to see what it will be like tomorrow after fermenting it further with orange slices and blueberry agave syrup! I gave my dog a small lick too of the plain kefir and he loved it. He kept looking at me with big eyes wanting more. I've had a lot of fun making kombucha and I have a feeling this is going to be a grand adventure too!
UPDATE: I have been brewing this kefir for quite a few months now. And the brew with these grains started to get really yeasty smelling and tasting. I figured it would even itself out so I just kept changing out the milk, but it kept getting worse and worse. And it felt like I was buying milk just to throw it down the drain. Eventually my dog wouldn't even touch the stuff these grains were turning out. It was like an awful beery, bready, yeasty concoction. So after a lot of research online and getting some advice from my wonderful kefir group on FB I had a plan to try to save these poor grains. I boiled water (so it would be as clean as possible), let it cool to room temp, and washed my grains with it. Typically this is a big no-no. But I wanted to get the yeasty milk off them. I washed them really well so there was no white milk left. Just the grains. Then I mixed a super small dab (maybe 1/8 TB) of blackstrap molasses with plain store bought kefir and whole milk and added my grains. I let it sit for day. It got nice and thick and smelled good this time. I strained them and repeated, but without the molasses. I kept doing this process (half store bought kefir, half whole milk) until the store bought kefir ran out. It did seem to normalize my grains out for quite a while and the kefir is pretty good now. Although I'm starting to smell some yeast again.
However, in the mean time I did go on Etsy and buy some fresh grains. They are still acclimating and have only been with me for three days. But the difference is already pretty big. As soon as I opened them I couldn't believe how big they were in comparison to my tiny freeze dried grains! I included a picture. Also the kefir they turn out is much smoother. The freeze dried grains seem to go instantly from normal milk to curds and whey. There really isn't an in between for them. And the taste is much more tart. Not that I mind that! I like tart kefir. But the Etsy grains definitely have a "smoother" taste.
After a lot of reading, and a decent amount of experience with these grains, and a new experience with other grains for comparison, I would recommend looking for fresh grains from another source. If that isn't an option then these will do just fine. You just might have to work hard to get the grains brewing good balanced kefir. But just be aware going in that these grains might take some dedication to turn out kefir you'll want to drink or eat. I highly recommend joining a kefir group somewhere online. Advice from people with more experience than you can be invaluable. Searching for some of my issues on Google didn't turn up much information, but posting the question in my group gave me a lot.
Organic milk, live active cultures
