Cutting Edge Cultures Easy Kefir Starter Culture, 4 Pack, 20g

I have never cared too much for milk kefir but I drink it for health reason, and I dreaded making it. I threw out so many batches because it curdled before I could get back to strain it, and it was always too sour for my taste. That all changed with this purchase! I used a portion of the powder in a package and made 2 cups of kefir. After 24 hours I had kefir with perfect consistency with no straining needed. And the flavor! Very delicately sourish, but nothing like I’ve had before. Delicious by itself, no need to “hide” it in a smoothie. I saved 1/4 cup to re-culture and it worked perfectly. I’m so excited about this product. I make healthy popscicles every day for my grands and I usually use plain yogurt for the base. Now, this kefir will be my go to for the healthiest base possible! I sweeten them with bananas, maple syrup or dates, put in fruit of choice, add some kelp powder and probiotics, flax, end with homemade veggie powders like kale, beets, spinach, sweet potatoes etc. The kids never know and they love them!

I've always loved kefir from the first time I tasted it. I used to buy the brand in the blue and white plastic quart bottle in the store, but got tired of paying store prices. Now that I make my own, I can hardly even drink the store-bought stuff; it has such a chemical taste compared to the fresh, healthy, taste of homemade. $20+ may seem expensive, but I get 80+ quarts of kefir from one 4-envelope box, so it's only about 25 cents/quart on top of the cost of the milk. From the first batch I make with each new envelope, I take out a cup of kefir and divide it among 3 clean quart jars, fill jars with milk. So while my first "generation" is just one quart of kefir, the next generation is 3 quarts. I do this with the last jar from each generation. Each envelope makes about 7-8 generations, so that's 20+ quarts from each envelope, 80+ quarts from a box of 4 envelopes. You could get even more if you do 4 jars instead of 3, re-culture each jar instead of just the last from each generation, etc. I tried making kefir with live grains, but that was too much trouble in my busy life - I've heard people say taking care of kefir grains is like taking care of a pet. I don't have time for that. Easy Kefir gives me most of the benefits of live grains, with almost none of the work. So easy. So inexpensive. So healthy. So delicious!

Really good Kefir dry culture.

The first two boxes I had of the starter were very good! I got 3-5 batches on of two of the four packets in the box--only two batches with the other two packets. The kefir looked like soupy cottage cheese--and tasted good! The next two boxes I bought were absolutely horrible! I did not get a single good batch out of all eight packets! I made each in the same manner as before, but there was no fermentation. The milk pretty much still tasted like milk though with a slight sourness! It is obvious that this company has no quality control! I would recommend not buying this product!

I haven’t had much luck with making kefir until these. I love the ease with which it makes my drinking kefir.

it has been easy to follow the instructions. The product was ready for consumption in the next 24 hours as instructed. The taste is good, the texture is smooth. I put aside one cup for the next batch, and three cups are enough for our small family as an evening meal. The next batch must be ready tomorrow night,meanwhile, I 'm preparing a quarter of kefir exclusively to make a smooth farmers cheese by combining it with an equal part of boiling milk. So far, I've used only two packages of four. My only complaint is that the 2 packages would be fair enough to start making homemade kefir for a lesser price.

I ordered kiefer grains but the end product never came out smooth like this does. I was prepared for them to arrive with whole milk and some knowledge background. What was strained off was always like cottage cheese with no pearled grains present. It smelled slightly yeasty as the forums said it would, but it was never a thick pourable yoghurt type liquid. It was such a small sample, i used about 2 c of whole milk. In days, i was able to use a 1/4 c of these pseudo grains to 4 c of whole milk. I went with a 18-24 hr culture period in a place out of direct sunlight on my counter. Always the same outcome; cottage cheese vs pearl caulifower looking grain. Forums said to let it ride and they'll start to appear. It's been a few months of daily pampering of the pseudo grains and a lot of milk and no pearled grains. Since i never saw pearled grains in what was delivered to me, I suspect now there was something amiss to begin with. i wanted to see if this product changed up the outcome and it sure does! Loving home cultured yoghurt, this product produces a cohesive thicker pourable liquid that is a close cousin to yoghurt. The taste is good; a bit like buttermilk. I add just under a tbsp of pure maple syrup to sweeten it slightly. It's perfect for me. I love adding kiefer to my smoothies. Because i can culture more kiefer from a 1/4 cup of this finished product, i can get quite a bit from one packet of freeze dried grains. I'll roll with this until i decide to find someone local to me who has some pearled grains they'd like to share or sell. Kiefer is a wonderful healthful food. I hope many people learn to appreciate its real benefits and get it in their diet daily. Having dealt with low energy both mentally and physically for the last 8 yrs or so, I am pleasantly surprised and so glad at what it brings to my sense of well being and how healthy i've been. Maybe it wouldn't work for everyone, but it is helping me and i am grateful; to the point i feel i must have it daily. No pill for an ill mentality for me. I'll take kiefer!

The item was packaged well and most importantly worked very well. I used a half a gallon of milk instead of a quart but the little microbes grew very quickly and made a full gallon of kefir. I am well pleased with the results and will order again when needed.