1 TBSP Milk Kefir Grains and eBook "Milk Kefir Unleashed by Thomas Egbert" - Fresh Live Active Probiotic Starter Cultures - Fusion Teas

I received my grains in excellent shape. Plump, healthy, happy grains. I didnt have regular milk in my fridge as Im allergic and lactose intollerant, but I had some evaporated whole milk in the pantry and some lactose free milk in my fridge. I was worried about leaving my grains unfed until I could go to the store, which would be a day or 2, so I decided to use the evaporated milk and then got worried it would be far to much for the grains and decided to thin it with the lactose free milk. Well the next morning I got up and went straight to the pantry which remains at a pretty constant 70 degrees. I saw curds and whey, so kefir was a success! I went ahead and poured it through a fine mesh nylon strainer (purchased off Amazon) into a bowl using a silicone spatula to swish and rub the kefir through the strainer, tapping at the end to get the heavier cream through leaving the grains behind. Kefir success with my very first batch and there was never a need to throw a single ounce away. My grains have made a fresh batch of kefir everyday since I received them a month ago. My allergy to milk and lactose intollerance, havent been a problem consuming kefir. Which was my hope!!! What a blessing and a joy to have something rich and creamy again. Since Im allergic to oats, almond, rice, soy and coconut, (Hard to believe isnt it? For me to. Ugh) and 20+ food allergies and cross reactivities, my life has been hell. That doesnt include my numerous health issues which are way to much to go into here. But I am feeling so much better. I think these grains may have saved my life. Not an exaggeration. I have continued to use evaporated milk and lactose free milk or organic whole grassfed milk and my stomach hasnt cussed me out even a little. Im putting on a little weight and the black circles under my eyes are filling back in, my sagging skin is looking younger and slowly getting its glow back. I think I might just live. *** So some things I've learned since getting my grains. Dont mix with honey. Honey is an antibacterial. It will kill off the bacteria your kefir just worked so hard to produce. Next, eat your grains when they've grown beyond what you need. DONT throw them away. Add them to your smoothie or just munch them down. The grains can actually survive your digestive system and travel to your intestin. I needed this terribly. It has resolved some pretty terrible health issues I was having. Big sigh of relief there. Also, I like how sweet and creamy the kefir is with the evaporated milk. Ive tried just lactose free milk and whole milk which produces a more tart product on their own. I read lactose free milk cant be used with milk kefir. Not true. Kefir eats sugar. Lactose is sugar, but if you've ever had lactose free milk, it is sweet. It works. However, I prefer the evaporated milk/whole milk 50/50 and I let it go to full curds and whey. I pour off the whey and use the curd. You can strain it just like you would fresh yogurt, cream cheese, and farmers cheese. Just plain milk kefir will produce a sour cream if you want that extra zing. It all depend on how long you strain it. Just use cheesecloth or a coffee filter for 1, 2 or 3 days for each as listed. I have no other option for these items due to my allergies, but the kefir used these ways are delicious. I mainly eat it in 2 ways though. I dont drink it as a beverage. I pour off the whey, push the curd through the strainer and its nice and thick like yogurt. I put that in a mason jar and let it chill or sit overnight in the fridge. I put about 8 ozs in a blender with my collagen, strawberry flavored meal replacement powder, frozen fruit: pineapple, mango, banana, raspberries or strawberries and whip it into ice cream. Fantastic! 2ndly I pour the thick kefir yogurt into a bowl and top it with homemade lemon curd and fresh fruit. Blueberries are my favorite. Delicious. I eat this as breakfast and the ice cream (meal replacement) for lunch or dinner. I try to eat veges and actual food at least once a day. If you are on your last leg, what do you have to lose? The grains are $15 and some animal milk of choice. Buy some and give it a try. If you drink it as a beverage, you will burp more and have some gas from it. If you add a little citrus zest to it before putting it in the fridge, it gets super fluffy like mousse and this is called a 2nd ferment. It is even more nutritious this way. Especially regarding B vitamins. Your body may need a little adjustment time. Just start slow. Im one month into using it and its the first time in almost 2yrs I feel like there may be an end to my pain and suffering. I think everyone in the world should be eating/drinking this miracle food. God bless and good luck! ***** So I thought I would update this post since I'm now 5 months into owning my kefir grains. They are going strong and so am I. After more than 2yrs, I was finally able to go back to work last month! I'm not 100% as I still have some issues, but I'm working on those slowly, trying alt natural options. My grains have been as large as a quarter or more. I've never seen any others like them. Once they're so big, I eat them. They love the pantry. I keep them in a pretty glass jar at a constant 70ish degrees and feed them every day. Even if I don't have time to strain them. I just pour a little fat free evap milk over the top to tide them over and they're happy as can be. You can do this for 4 or 5 days easy and the milk kefir is fine. Not much different than day 1 kefir. This also happens when I have let my grains grow to big and I have a ton of kefir and I'm playing catch up to eat it all. But seriously, the best part of all of this is I feel like a person again. Part of society. I hated being sick and stuck at home. I'm so happy I found milk kefir, I'll eat it for the rest of my life!

I am learning about fermenting and experimented with brine solution based approaches to pickles, of course, and later fruits and other vegetables. I was interested in Kefir and purchased these grains. They arrived in the heat of the summer here on the east coast, earlier than I expected so I was on travel at the time. I asked my family to just stick the box in the fridge. Apparently, after reading the guidance from the seller, this is not necessary. Never the less, following the instructions in the box, I fed the grains with some whole milk from the supermarket, not organic, just generic whole milk and dumped a few cups on the grains in a mason jar sitting in a kitchen cupboard. Within about three days, the it was obvious the liquids and solids were separating. This is the proverbial curds and whey, which up until that point were meaningless terms to me. Using a cheap plastic filter on Amazon, I filtered out the grains and tossed the liquid. Another two cups of whole milk and two days later the same thing occurred. Except this time, instead of discarding the liquid after screening out the grains, I tasted it. Wow!!! I only had tried store bought Kefir in the past and I was amazed at the depth of flavor, slight effervescence, and was sold on this approach. More importantly, I was waiting for some kind of gastro-intestinal train wreck, but nothing! (Ask me what happens if you ingest three tablespoons of allulose. Not good and I have the stereotypical iron stomach.) So net is after little over a month of using this product, it's faithfully converting store bought whole milk to a more and more delightful and complex liquid that I keep stored in my fridge. Does it have a zillion beneficial bacterial with Latin names? Who knows?! All I can report it is this: (1) the product works as described and the instructions are good. (2) I don't get sick after consuming (3) Every two to three days it's ready for filtering and re-feeding. I should add quickly that I travel a lot so I store the grains in the fridge until I return and they get back to work almost immediately when returned to their nice warm cupboard. So this product does what it says, is super simple and I'm pleased to recommend it.

I have never made kefir before in my life. I found these kefir grains when I Googled "What are the best kefir grains to buy?" (I love Google!😍) They were #3 on the top 10 list I found. There was a negligible difference between these and the top 2. I liked that they were so highly rated, very reasonably priced, guaranteed, and that I would receive 1 tablespoon instead of 1 teaspoon. They had a 9.5 rating. Excellent! I was also pleased to see that the Amazon customer reviews were excellent. I took a chance even though I have reservations when it comes to trusting reviews. I am so glad I chose these grains! I am thrilled with them! They came just as described. Faster than I expected. I regret not buying them sooner. I sent a message after I received them asking a non urgent question. I received a response within minutes. As for the grains themselves. They are so easy to use. I was concerned it would be a lot of work, or a pain to keep up with. I was wrong! I actually find it very relaxing. I was paying at least $35.00 per week for store bought Kefir. Now I pay $5.00 for a gallon of whole milk. That is all it takes! The last 3 batches I swapped 1/4 of the milk with half and half. So creamy! (Even better!) The quality and nutritional value of homemade kefir is so much better, there is no comparison. I believed I was benefiting from store bought, (and I was) but the benefits of homemade are incomparable. Trust me! After less than 2 weeks, my grains have way more than quadrupled. I started out with 1 tablespoon. (I measured.😉) They are multiplying so fast I have already started sharing. I am making several batches at one time. At first I thought the apparent growth was actually curds sticking to the grains. So for the third batch I put them in my strainer and ran cold milk (never water) over them 2 to 3 times and the results were very exciting. (I obviously need to get out more.🤩) The cold milk rinsed away the coating of curds, but the volume of grains was the same. By batch #3 they had already nearly doubled. Every batch shows consistent growth. Even more now that I am on my 10th batch. I literally have 3/4 cup. My first batch I let sit for about 48 hours as suggested to revive them. The grains arrived so healthy that I think that was too long. The batch was fairly tart and smelled pretty yeasty. The instructions don't recommend drinking the first batch or two. (I drank it anyway, because it was delicious.😋 Nothing bad happened!🤫) Now I am letting them sit between 12-18 hours depending on when I see the beginning of separation of curds and whey. I found the best place to set them is on the top of my fridge. When I strain them I use a plastic fine mesh strainer and a silicone basting brush to encourage them to strain and work off the accumulation of curds. I have had amazing results! The directions that came in the package with the grains are so simple and well written. The link that I received by email was literally everything I could possibly need to know. I printed out a copy and hung it on my fridge. I know that if I have any issues or questions, I can send 1 text and have answers within a few minutes. This company is reliable and really seems to care that my kefir making experience is the best. Before making my own, my kids refused to even try kefir. They were convinced that it was no more than spoiled milk. (They are such a joy.🥴) Now they each have their own bottle with their name on it. I refill them every day. I really feel like I can already see the health benefits they are experiencing. They tried it plain and fell in love. When I grind up and add fresh or frozen fruit to it they act like I have handed them a bowl of ice cream. It astonishes me.😲 (They seem to be of the opinion that if something is called healthy they might as well be eating dirt.😛 Again, what a joy!🥴) My husband was recently (about 4 months ago) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We were terrified to say the least. (Now, health care is a very personal and individual decision that everyone has to make for themselves with their doctors assistance. I am NOT making recommendations when it comes to any serious health conditions!) That being said, his blood glucose was over 400 and his A1C was 14. He decided to try to get it under control without medication. He has made drastic changes in diet and has started exercising. He managed to get his blood glucose down to the 130 range. (This could just be hope talking, but after drinking this homemade kefir for the past 2 weeks, his daily blood glucose is between 110-115 and improving.) It's exciting and encouraging. I highly recommend these particular kefir grains. I couldn't be happier! (With my kefir making experience, that is!😁) If you're on the fence, jump off, the fence belongs to the devil!😂 Stay healthy and safe!

Kefir newbie here. I never heard of Kefir (pronounced KEH-FEER) until recently, but now it’s part of my daily routine. I learned about Kefir when I was researching info on gut health. This word kept popping up so I went to my local supermarket and bought a bottle to try for me and my husband. We both thought it was an interesting taste (we were not used to drinking fermented milk!), but what convinced us was that we did not have any reaction from drinking it, as we are both lactose intolerant. At $6 a bottle, however, it was too expensive for daily consumption. Making my own was the answer and the Kefir grains from Fusion Teas made this possible. My order arrived quickly and well packaged. It contained 1 TBS of grains with clear instructions. (There are also TONS of info on YouTube!) After several trials, I now know how much to ferment before straining and storing it in the fridge. I found that 1 TBS of Kefir grains was perfect for the 32 oz mason jar. Note: If you noticed that curd (solid) and whey (liquid) got separated, it doesn’t mean that Kefir went bad. It means that Kefir was over-fermented. It’s still good to drink but will have more bubbly taste. When the grains kept increasing, I divide them into several 1 TBS containers and put them in my freezer. The grains came alive again when I pour fresh milk and left it at room temperature. This worked out great when I had too much Kefir in the fridge (we tried to consume within the 2-week window of straining), or we were away and cannot strain Kefir daily. Not only does Kefir helped us tolerate drinking regular milk that is significantly cheaper than the lactose-free milk, but it also helped us sleep better. Kefir is great for making pancakes, waffles, and smoothies, too, due to fermentation. I freeze a lot of fruits when they are in season and they came to good use with Kefir. As with any product that has to do with your health, you need to do your own research. For us, Kefir has been a positive influence. Drinking it regularly should boost our immune system and gut health. Highly recommended!

Arrived quickly. I was surprised how generous the amount of large grains. Looked great. Appreciate all the instructions that came with it too. They produce well. I’m adjusting to the difference in how the grains ferment different by comparison of the ones I had prior. That’s on me. The price was reasonable. The kefir is tasty. Recommend.

I believe the factor which can make or break your kefir making, and what is key is to the process is to follow the sellers directions. Treat the kefir as your beloved pet when caring for it and you may have similar good results as I did. Also what is key is to have patience during the process and don't rush it. I attached a video and some photos of my succesfull batch, which finally happened on my 3rd round of making my kefir. During the kefiring process, I keep my kefir near our hot water heater and furnace which are both in the same room nearby each other so it is warm in there all of the time, my kefir seems very happy growing in the warm location. Here is how my experience went using 1 T. of kefir grains in 2 c. of pasturized whole milk for the first 3 kefir batches {the seller DOES NOT recommend using 'UlTRA' pasteurized organic milk to being kefiring with} make sure to strain with only nylon strainer, not metal: 1. My 1st batch: As per sellers directions I threw it away after kefiring for 24 hours and saved the grains and starting a new batch with them, the first batch was the consistancey of unkefired milk. 2. My 2nd batch:The second batch came out slightly like kefir with a tangy taste after 36 hours although at this point it was still thin and milky, I saved the grains drank the kefir-milk and bagan the 3rd batch. 3. Success! 3rd batch: My third batch came out thick {the consistancy of buttermilk} creamy, and had a nice tangy taste after 38 hours of kefering that made my tongue tingle just a little. I love it! You will know when your kefir is done because on the bottom of the jar when the jar is sitting, you will see there will begin to form one or more small pockets about the size of between a dime and a quarter with clear liquid in them {whey}. When this happens it is a sign for you to strain your kefir because it is done kefering! See my photos for evidence of the pockets of whey. 4. for my 4th batch: I added 1 cup of additional milk increasing my milk quantity for this batch to a total of 3 c. This batch took a little longer to kefir, it took 1.5 to 2 days but it did indeed kefir. I am going to strain it after I write this review. My sister who has beenmaking kefir for 9 years in California told me to give it a little bit longer to kefir and give the kefir more time if increasing the milk quantity slightly. if it doesn't kefir after 36 hours, she said it could take as long as 48 hours depending on your temperature where you keep the kefir and also on your environment and I am more relaxed now when making kefir. When begining a new batch I try to put my kefir grains in room temperature milk, which I think helps speed the process and helps keep the kefir grains happy and not shock them too much. $70-$100 per bottle lower quality probiotics from the health food store are inferior to kefir you make yourself, homeade kefir has many, many more beneficial bacteria than you could ever buy in a store! I've noticed a vast improvement in my own digestion since I began consuming kefir over the past few days. This is not a quick process, as in 'instant'. This seller {fusion teas} helped make my 1st time experience buying and caring for kefir a good one! I'm glad I bought my grains from here and would also recommend buying them to anyone at all especially newbies becasue the instructions are so clear and grains so healthy. Directions were clear & encouraging, video was extremely helpful as is the e-book. Grains arrived nice and plump with a warm white color. After 3 consecutive batches of kefir making, on the third batch I was able to produce a thick buttermilk consistency of kefir and I am very pleased! Thank you Fusion Teas!!

This review is not on kefir itself - which was an acquired taste that took me over one year to get used to. Rather, this review is about this seller's specific kefir grains and this seller. A couple of years ago, a friend "gifted" me some kefir grains. At the time, I thought the idea of fermenting milk on one's counter and then having to drink it was disgusting, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I decided to try it. Those grains were perfect and after a year, I was drinking kefir straight before bed (worse than whiskey in the beginning). Prior to downing a straight up glass of kefir like the middle aged suburban mom that I am, I worked my way up to it by mixing my kefir in smoothies - one of my favorites was pumpkin pie, a mix of kefir, banana, canned pumpkin, chair tea mix and Splenda. Pretty tasty. At some point, I was travelling alot and decided the upkeep of the kefir was too much work, and I got rid of the grains with all of the ceremony of a dead goldfish down the toilet bowl. Fast forward a year later, I missed kefir, but had no grains, so I turned to Amazon. $12.00 for a tablespoon of grains seemed expensive to me, but when you need a kefir fix, you need a kefir fix. My kefir dealing friend had long left my area code by then. So, I ordered these grains and they arrived well packaged in a little disposable plastic container (like a disposable condiment container with a lid) within a padded inner package. After a couple of days in milk, the grains were awake and fermenting. As is usual, the first two batches of kefir needed to be tossed until the grains really hit their stride, but now I am making amazing effervescent kefir, and my grains have doubled in number. One thing about kefir grains, the taste of the kefir varies among grains. My last grains produced a very thick, buttermilk flavored kefir, while these grains produce a more watery, bubbly kefir. These grains also smell more "yeasty" than my last grains, but in a pleasant fresh bread type of way. The consistency is also highly dependent on the milk you use, how long it takes to ferment, when you strain, etc. After missing my old grains for awhile, I have fully embraced the new flavors these grains bring. These grains are so active that if you are the only one in your house that drinks kefir, the breeding like rabbits issue could be a problem. You can always gift your grains, dry them (I've never tried this), divide them and put them in a container in the fridge with milk to slow them down and bit, or like my friend, you can actually eat them. That also seemed a little crazy when I first started down the kefir journey, but when you are faced with a litter of kefir grains, one becomes desperate. Overall, I really think these grains are great quality and the seller is very helpful. I contacted the seller for the link to the Ebook that comes with this purchase (which I had misplaced), and they responded right away. If you have to buy kefir grains, look no further.

Hoy lo recibí y espero que los búlgaros no estén malos, me llegaron bien selladitos. hoy mismo los pondré a fermentar.