How to easy produce Kefir at home? Brewing Milk Kefir easy - Is Kefir healthy? - Milk Kefir FAQ - Guarantee of success - guidance and tutorial for free Milk Kefir starter kit|Natural-Kefir-Drinks

Milk kefir grains - Frequently Asked Questions - Troubleshooting

At this point we have summarized the frequently asked questions of our kind customers. Maybe somebody will find in these article his own question. Many customers are very pleased about the provided information, which are always available.

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Valuable Tipps and frequently asked questions around the cultures kombucha and kefir you will find on our youtube channel.

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Which ingredients do you use to make the delicious milk kefir yoghurt?

For the manufacturing of our high quality kefir grains we exclusively use selected ingredients from trustful and reliable sources. All products have been tested and have to correlate with our high quality standards before we offer them to our customers. This includes with regard to the kefir grains (tibetan kefir and caucasian kefir) especially milk. For the cultivation we use solely high quality milk. Concerning our organic live kefir grains we of course use exclusively organic milk.

► Click here and order delicious milk kefir

How much milk kefir can I make with the Natural-Kefir-Drinks starter kit?

If you treat your kefir mushroom well it will accompany you for the rest of your live. The quantity of milk kefir you are able to produce is nearby endless. With our kefir mushrooms starter set (16g kefir grains) your can make 1,0 litre kefir beverage with the first batch.

After one to three days of fermentation 1 litre of the delicious beverage is ready. Now you can enjoy the aromatic drink. The culture is continuously growing so that you can produce more and more of the delicoius beverage. Click here to learn more about the manufacturing of kefir yoghurt.

If you are new to the fascinating topic milk kefir then our popular starter/ beginners kit also known as all-round carefree package is just what you are looking for! This starter kit is also available for the legendary cultures water kefir grains, kombucha mushroom and ginger root plant. With this kit you can gather your initial experience and learn fast how easy and uncomplicated it is to make your own kefir and kombucha at home..

Our starter kits contain everything you need for your first own delicious fitness drink. In combination with our deltailed Instructions there is nothing more to prevent your first kefir experience.

The complete and easy Milk Kefir Starter Kit is available here

How is the kefir culture of the Natural-Kefir-Drink package packed

The fresh kefir grains including the ready milk kefir drink respectively transport liquid is packed in a secure food-safe bisphenol-A free plastic bag. This bag guarantees that your kefir grains will reach you in perfect conditions. In addition the parcel is well-padded, so that the parcel is assured against vibrations.

Could the kefir grains get damaged during transport?

We pack the milk kefir grains including transport liquid only on the day of dispatch. The liquid provides protection during the transportation. Furthermore every parcel that leaves our facilities has to pass our quality checks. Even after a transport duration of many days the kefir mushrooms will make tasty kefir joghurt for you. Nevertheless please unpack the parcel immediately after receiving and start brewing kefir. In case our delivery is contrary to expectations please give us feedback. Our top priority is your satisfaction.

Why does home-made kefir tastes different than milk kefir from the supermarket?

Your home-made kefir is a natural product whose taste and consistency can differ every once in a while. It depends among others on different factors like room temperature, fermentation duration and quantity of kefir grains. The original kefir beverage with it's individual effect on human is almost exclusively available in specialized stores or right in your home with the help of our Kefir Grains.

In the supermarket you can only find milk kefir "mild". This industry-produced kefir has been manufactured with a simpler version of the kefir culture and is pasteurized. This process prevents the Kefir beverage from secondary fermentation and the associated increase in pressure that could damage the packaging. Furthermore the supermarket kefir does not contains a very low level of alcohol. But this is a normal product of the fermentation process.

How long is the shelf life of the ready milk kefir drink? How can I store it?

You have successfully made your own milk kefir dink? Congratulations! If you can't enjoy all of the beverage at the first go naturally the question arises how long kefir yoghurt actually can be kept. Basically the ready probiotic drink can be kept several days. However, please note that kefir is a foodstuff. It is living. That means the fermentation process is going on even after the drink is filled into bottles. During storage the tiny diligent microorganisms keep on fermenting. In this way the milk sugar is more and more metabolized and the beverage gets even more acidic. But that's not all. Through this process even more carbon dioxide is developed. If you have filled the milk kefir into bottles you should regularly check the resulting pressure. There would be a danger of bursting in case of too high pressure. Ideally you should plan your kefir production, so that you can enjoy fresh kefir daily. Just make several batches 2, 3 or even more. If you for example want to drink one litre - three days fermented - kefir drink each day, just make three batches. In this way you can "harvest" one batch every day. Please note that kefir yoghurt made with real live kefir grains is a natural product, that could slightly varying from batch to batch in consistency, colour, taste etc.

How do I recognise that my kefir mushrooms are fine?

For milk kefir newcomer it is often difficult to assess whether the grains are fine. After all you simply don't want to do anything wrong. The many and varied bacteria and yeasts have built over the time a good protective barrier against undesirable, health-endangering germs. The sour environment, which is formed from the culture ensures that no undesired spores have a chance to enter the batch. But how does a healthy milk kefir grain looks like?

A healthy milk kefir grain looks like a small clear defined cauliflower.

A healthy milk kefir culture usually smells pleasantly acidic and yeasty. In case that your milk kefir batch smells unpleasant smelly please dispose the drink. You can make a new batch with the grains to try to bring them back to life. Just rinse the grains with fresh water and make a new batch. If you are unsure about the quality of grains you should get some new ones.

What can I do when the grains smell slightly mouldy?

In this case the kefir should not be eaten. Please dispose the kefir drink and start an new milk kefir batch. Take the sieve and rinsed the grains thoroughly under flowing water. To give the new batch a bit start assistance you can add a teaspoon milk sugar (lactose).

My kefir / milk kefir is too thin - it is not getting creamy. What can I do?

The best thing of home-made kefir is that you can determine taste and consistency. Whether you successfully make your own kefir depends on different factors like fermentation duration, fermentation temperature, used type of milk as well as water quality.

What can I do to get a creamy - viscous milk kefir?
A short and simple kefir tutorial

Tip 1: After 1 day of fermentation stir the whole batch with a plastic spoon and allow further fermentation.
Tip 2: Increase the duration of fermentation to 3 or 5 days and store it cool (in the fridge e.g.)
Tip 3: Do not rinse the grains with water. Maybe the grains do not cope with the water quality or have to get used to it.
Tip 4: A change of temperature could additionally stimulate fermentation. So 1 day room temperature, 1 day in the fridge - always in rotation.
Tip 5: Rinse the fermentation jar thoroughly with clear water - kefir doesn't like chemical residues of washing liquid. This also applies for utensils cleaned with the help of a dishwasher - kefir doesn't like the chemical residues of the rinse agent.

What can I do if my milk kefir is too thin - low viscous? detailed tutorial with many tips

The milk
Relating to the type of milk you can choose between different fat levels. Real kefir is made from milk with a fat level of at least 3,5%. Kefir made from milk with a fat content of less than 3,5% is called low-fat kefir. The more fat the milk for making kefir contains the more fat is also in the ready kefir drink. Furthermore the quality of milk is important. The best results for making milk kefir have been achieved with organic milk with a fat level of 3,8%.

The water
Even the water could be responsible for milk kefir not being creamy / viscous as you want it to be! Now you may perhaps ask yourselves: Is the water quality for making home-made kefir important? But actually I want to make milk kefir!!! Yes, that is true, but also the kefir grains come into contact with your tab water if you rinse those thoroughly after every batch. And this is precisely where complications can happen. Indeed, it is possible that the kefir grains do not cope with your tab water respectively with the quality or maybe have to become accustomed to it. Many of you are surely reflexively wondering: "We have the best water in the area and in general the tab water quality in Germany is very good - so the water couldn't be the reason..." Basing on our many years of experience we can now state: It could be the water! It is, after all, a fact that our tab water is contaminated with chemicals. For this, an additive which is normally known as a chlorine gets added and fights bacteria and viruses. Furthermore it is very difficult to remove medication residues from the water. But just like with any other topic, it is possible to fullfill many books with this topic. But this just noticed by the way for your understanding. The kefir culture then has to cope with all these chemical residues. Depending on the concentration of the undesired residues the grains cope may be more or less successfully with it. From time to time the culture becomes accustomed to the quality. However we humans also successfully survive drinking our tab water;-). But now back on the real subject. To control the risks of too contaminated water we recommend - if your kefir don't tastes as you want - to avoid rinsing your grains with tab water. You can separate your drink from the kefir mushrooms as usually. After you have thoroughly strained the batch only the grains remain in the sieve. Now the culture is slightly wetted with the kefir drink. Now just add those grains to a freshly cleaned fermentation jar and make a new kefir batch as normally.

Residues of washing-up liquid
Does kefir tolerates chemical residues of washing-up liquid? No!!! Maybe your milk kefir is not as creamy as you want due to chemical residues remaining in the fermentation tank. For this reason always rinse the fermentation tank additionally with clear water.

Anaerobic fermentation - Is your kefir fermentation jar closed the right way?
Does my kefir culture need oxygen? No!!! Maybe your milk kefir yoghurt has not the desired viscosity because your fermentation jar isn't closed the right way. The jar must be sealed in such a way that no oxygen can penetrate the batch and simultaneously the pressure created by the milk kefir batch can escape.

How long is the best fermentation duration for the milk kefir grains?
How long you allow fermentation depends on your personal taste. Although the basic recipe states 1 - 3 days of fermentation feel free to deviate from it. If the taste of your tibetan / caucasian milk kefir isn't sour enough after 3 days simply allow further fermentation. Do this until your favourite kefir taste developed. If your store the kefir batch under cool conditions the fermentation duration extend. Due to the lower temperatures the activity of the cultures slows down.

What is the right fermentation temperature for milk kefir?
Can I influence the taste of my milk kefir by varying the temperature? Yes, you can and how this is made you will find here

There is a further possibility to get a creamy viscose and mild milk kefir yoghurt. You can additionally stimulate the fermentation process through temperature changes. Simply do the following: Make your kefir batch as usual and let it ferment at room temperature for one day. On the very next day take a plastic spoon and stir the whole batch and allow a further day of fermentation. But this time in the fridge. On the following day take the kefir jar out of your fridge and stir the whole batch (with a plastic spoon) again. This time store the fermentation tank at room temperature. Please check on the next day whether your kefir has your desired consistency and taste. If that is not the case just allow one more day of fermentation. Background: By stiring the valuable microorganisms are spread in the whole milk kefir batch. Also the casein particles that has been deposited around the kefir grains are spread in the batch. In this way fresh, not yet fermented milk reaches the kefir mushrooms.

Does the ready milk kefir lemonade contain alcohol? How much alcohol contains kefir? Can I influence the alcohol level of my milk kefir?

This question is especially important and very often ask from our friendly customers. As you are probably aware that the milk kefir culture is symbiosis of lactic acid bacteria and valuable yeasts that interact and collaborate in an unique way. The yeasts ferment the milk sugar (lactose) contained in the milk. This complicated process produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. The lactic acid bacteria makes the most of it and metabolize a part of the alcohol and other substances into lactic acid. The formed lactic acid gives the kefir yoghurt a pleasant aromatic acidic taste. As a rule of thumb: The longer the kefir grains (tibetan kefir / caucasian kefir) can "work" the higher the concentration of alcohol and the less milk sugar content. Through the whole fermentation process - depending on the duration of fermentation - an alcohol content of 0,1 - 2,0 volume percentage is formed. If you are now surprised by this fact and hadn't expected that so much alcohol could be formed we provide some more examples. There are a lot of fermented products respectively fermentable foodstuff we have grown to love and enrich our everyday lives.

A very popular example is apple juice.

Apples

But did you know that this daily beverage can have a alcohol content of up to 0,38 volume percentage.

Also very interesting is that customary grape juice even can have a alcohol content of up to 1,0 volume percentage.

Grapes

Beer with an alcoholic strength by volume of up to 5 % can be declared as alcohol-free as you probably already know.

It is very surprising that vinegar can reach an alcohol content of 1.5% vol.

vinegar

With great surprise we found out that overripe bananas can reach an alcohol content of 0.6% vol.

vinegar

As you can see wherever foodstuff could ferment, more or less alcohol is formed.
Aside from the importance of the alcohol content the quantity is crucial. Please take care of the right dose because: the poison is the dose, not the substance in itself.

Is milk kefir suitable for persons suffering from carbohydrate metabolism disorders (diabetes)

If you use cow's milk it contains about 4,9g milk sugar (lactose) each 100ml. The grains transform the lactose into lactic acid. After 1 - 3 days the finished milk kefir drink is almost completely lactose-free. The content of lactose in the finished beverage depends on various factors such as inter alia fermenting temperature, duration of fermentation and amount of milk kefir grains.

Is milk kefir allowed for pregnant woman?

As a result of the yeast's work alcohol develops during fermentation. Due to the alcohol content of between 0,2% and 2% pregnant women should avoid the kefir drink.

My milk kefir grains are slimy and pull threads. What can I do?

By purchasing our kefir culture you have acquired a German quality product. Your kefir grains are vital and healthy and could make - good care provided - the delicious yoghurt drink for you for a life time.

To ensure this premium quality our cultures (kefir mushrooms, japanese water crystals, ginger root plant and kombucha scoby) are regularly reviewed by an independent and state approved laboratory for microbiology and hygiene. This certifies the "genuineness" and the "purity" of our cultures by microbiological analysis. We glady invite you to have a look at our examination report issued by the laboratory.

For the report click here.

The question that is certainly asked by many of our customers reads: "But why is my kefir slimy and pull threads?" Your kefir grains are a natural product and respond individual to changing conditions. Our cultures are extremely robust and resistant and survive even very long transportation duration. Although long transportation grains make delicious kefir yoghurt for you. However, it is still possible that the your kefir grains are stressed by the transportation. In this case they need just some batches to become acclimatized from the burden caused by transport. Normally the grains get used to the new environment - good care provided - quite alone.

The water could also be the reason!

Even the water could be responsible for milk kefir not being slimy! Now you may perhaps ask yourselves: Is the water quality for making home-made kefir important? But actually I want to make milk kefir!!! Yes, that is true, but also the kefir grains come into contact with your tab water if you rinse those thoroughly after every batch. And this is precisely where complications can happen. Indeed, it is possible that the kefir grains do not cope with your tab water respectively with the quality or maybe have to become accustomed to it.

Many of you are surely reflexively wondering: "We have the best water in the area and in general the tab water quality in Germany is very good - so the water couldn't be the reason..." Basing on our many years of experience we can now state: It could be the water! It is, after all, a fact that our tab water is contaminated with chemicals. For this, an additive which is normally known as a chlorine gets added and fights bacteria and viruses. Furthermore it is very difficult to remove medication residues from the water. But just like with any other topic, it is possible to fullfill many books with this topic. But this just noticed by the way for your understanding. The kefir culture then has to cope with all these chemical residues.

Depending on the concentration of the undesired residues the grains cope may be more or less successfully with it. From time to time the culture becomes accustomed to the quality. However we humans also successfully survive drinking our tab water;-). But now back on the real subject. To control the risks of too contaminated water we recommend - if your kefir don't tastes as you want - to avoid rinsing your grains with tab water. You can separate your drink from the kefir mushrooms as usually. After you have thoroughly strained the batch only the grains remain in the sieve. Now the culture is slightly wetted with the kefir drink. Now just add those grains to a freshly cleaned fermentation jar and make a new kefir batch as normally. In case you don't want to avoid rinsing the grains with water you shouldn't make it after every batch but after about ever 4.

If I don't rinse the grains with water are they actually getting clean enough?
If you want to avoid rinsing the kefir culture with water at the moment please act as follows: Take a plastic spoon and stir the batch thoroughly. In this way the casein particles come off and the grains get perfect clean. Now you can strain the batch as usual. Now put the kefir beverage wetted grains into a clean fermentation jar and add milk.

Residues of washing-up liquid
Does kefir tolerate chemical residues of washing-up liquid?

No!

Maybe your milk kefir is slimy due to chemical residues remaining in the fermentation tank. For this reason always rinse the fermentation tank additionally with clear water.

Anaerobic fermentation - Is your kefir fermentation tank closed the right way?
Does my kefir culture need oxygen? No!!! Maybe your milk kefir yoghurt is slimy because your fermentation jar isn't closed the right way. The jar must be sealed in such a way that no oxygen can penetrate the batch and simultaneously the pressure created by the milk kefir batch can escape.

Finally vacations - but what should I do with my kefir grains when going on holiday? How long can I store the milk kefir? How can I store the kefir?

That is the most frequently asked question of our friendly customers. Now, the time has finally arrived and the long awaited vacation is just around the corner - but what to do with the kefir mushroom?

At this point you realise again that kefir is a living culture - a real living foodstuff. Of course you can ask your friends at first to care for the grains if they anyway look after your flowers. But perhaps you are among the people who don't like to ask somebody else for a favor respectively do not to become a burden for the others. The best news: You don't have to! You can rest easy, even if you are for about 1 - 3 weeks on vacation.

After that you can keep on brewing the delicious milk kefir yoghurt. To prepare your grains for vacation please proceed as follows: Create a mixture of milk and milk sugar and add your kefir mushrooms. Now store your jar - of course airtight but in a way that the formed carbon dioxide can escape - at a cool place (for example the fridge). Because of the low temperature the whole fermentation process becomes slower. Nevertheless, lactic acid is created.

This organic acid acts like a kind of natural preservative agent. Using this method the kefir grains can be stored for about 1 - 3 weeks. After this break or your vacation you can easily activate your Kefir grains again. Just separate the kefir culture form the fluid and rinse the grains carefully with cold to lukewarm water. Now continue making your milk kefir batch as usual according to this guidance: (Tutorial - How to make milk kefir).

Occasionally, it can happen that the culture needs 1 to 4 batches to become completely acclimatized. During this period, it is possible that the ready milk kefir yoghurt doesn't tastes as usual. After few batches the result will be persuasive again and you can benefit from the positive effect on your health as usual.

Should the fermentation jar and the milk kefir grains be rinsed after every batch?

We recommend to clean the fermentation jar with washing-up liquid. After that it should be rinsed with hot clear water. Chemical residues of detergent mustn't remain in the jar. This also applies to utensils that have been cleaned with the help of the dishwasher. Glasses and other utensils should then also additionally be rinsed with clear water because kefir and kombucha cultures doesn't like residues of the rinse agent.

Depending on the predominant water quality it is advisable to rinse the culture after every batch. Although this process stresses the scoby it is hygienic and the safer approach. Of course you can also clean the grains / mushrooms after every 2nd, 3rd or 4th batch. Basically you can also make the probiotic kefir drink without rinsing the grains with water.

How much of the milk kefir beverage should I drink? How much kefir daily is healthy? How is the effect on health of milk kefir?

Every human is unique and reacts in a very individual way to different food. For this reason drink as much milk kefir yoghurt as you can tolerate and makes you feel good. Be aware of the signs of your body. Nonetheless you should give your organism the time to adapt to this extraordinary beverage so that you have the chance to benefit from its positive effects.

Your body will be grateful for it! In order to get started, we recommend to enjoy 250ml daily and increase continuously thereafter. Many milk kefir lover enjoy about one litre daily. There are therefore different approaches, ranging from drinking the elixir on an empty stomach or after the meals. Some substances are better absorbed on an empty stomach some better after meals.

Some people swear by health treatments with kefir. During such treatments for example you drink 1 - 3 month milk kefir yoghurt and afterwards take a break for 1 month. Just test different approaches and find what works best for you and your body.

In my kefir batch occurs a lot of watery whey. What can I do if my kefir drink makes whey?

In this article we would like to deal with another frequently asked question. "My kefir creates water / a aqueous solution? First of all we would like to point out: Everything with your kefir scoby is in apple-pie order!!! This transparent, watery, slightly yellowish fluid is natural whey. This whey - here sour whey - develops if milk is treated with lactic acid bacteria. In our case it is the hardworking little kefir grains (symbiosis of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts)
Why contains many precious ingredients like:

Protein
Calcium
Potassium
Iodine
Vitamin b1
Vitamin b2
Vitamin B12
Carbohydrates
Fat

There is a variety of reasons for the development of whey:

Maybe the temperature of the milk kefir batch is too high?!
This is often the case in summer when the room temperature rises due to the warm weather. However if you find the whey disturbing just store the fermentation jar under cool conditions. Especially suited for this are fridge and cellar.

Do the milk kefir grains have grown?
Our milk kefir scoby grows very fast - provided good care. For this reason it is possible that the ratio between milk and kefir mushrooms is no longer correct. Maybe your batch contains too many kefir grains . You now have the two options: Either you remove some kefir grains from your batch or you add more milk to your batch.

But once again for your understanding. The whey is a natural part of the milk respectively the ready milk kefir beverage. You could simply stir the whole batch with a plastic spoon until a homogenous mass develops. In this way the kefir of course gets a bit thinner again.

Or do you want your milk kefir yoghurt more creamy and viscose?
Then please act as follows: You can very simple separate the whey from the integral parts of the milk. You do this by not stirring the batch. Reach with a plastic spoon to the whey layer. If you now slightly tilt the glass you can pour off the liquid whey. After that stir the batch thoroughly as usual and strain it through your sieve.

Alternatively, you may also stir the whole batch with the whey immediately.
Now place a big coffee filter or cheese cloth in your sieve. After that pure the whole batch into the sieve and let the whey - ideally overnight - drain.

Does the milk kefir grain need air (oxygen) for fermentation? Tank open or closed?

With regard to the fermentation there are basically two possibilities. On the one hand the aerobe fermentation. In this case the entire process requires oxygen. In comparison to this there is the anaerobic fermentation. In this case there is no oxygen necessary. Quite the contrary, oxygen could seriously disturb the process and in the worst-case scenario, even stop it. For this reason it is essential that no oxygen can enter the fermentation jar.

The jar must be sealed in such a way that no oxygen can penetrate the batch and simultaneously the pressure created by the milk kefir batch can escape. The crucial point within the process is to don't let oxygen in the jar and simultaneously let the carbonic acid escape. At this point there are basically several solutions:

If you use a jar with screw cap: Twist the lid slightly - but only until you feel a slight resistance.
If you use plastic wrap with a rubber band - just fix the plastic wrap with the rubber band on the vessel.
If you use a clip top jar - we occasionally be asked how to handle this jar. In particular, it is frequently asked how to dismantle the metal clip. We have taken this frequently asked question as an occasion to create a new article about how to dismantle the metal clip. So if you have decided to buy the high-quality 1,14L jar you can read the notes concerning dismantling the clip here. After successfully dismantling the metal clip you now have the glas cover and the rubber sealing. The usage is really very simple - just put the lid with the installed sealing on the jar. The weight of the lid and the sealing ensure that it is close.

With regard to all approaches it is essential that the carbon dioxide can escape. At the same time, it must be ensured that no oxygen and undesired bacteria enter the milk kefir batch.

Can I enjoy milk kefir if I suffer from lactose intolerance?

More and more people suffer from food intolerances like lactose intolerance. Hence, it will, of course, come as no surprise that this questions occurs. But when is a food - milk kefir - actually free of lactose? Products with a lactose content of less than 0,1g per 100g foodstuff can declared as lactose-free and therefore acceptable. An essential ingredient for making milk kefir yoghurt is of course milk. There is a wide range of different milk types with different contents of milk sugar (lactose).

Type of milk - lactose

Cow's milk: approx. 4,8%
goat's milk: approx. 4,4%
sheep's milk: approx. 4,2%
mare's milk: approx. 6,2%
donkey's milk: approx. 7,4%

The good news is that lactic acid bacteria convert the milk sugar within the fermentation process into precious lactic acid. In this way after 2 days of fermentation the ready milk kefir drink is almost free of lactose. The fermentation process depend on many factors. For this reason you can't exactly say when the milk sugar is completely fermented. One can only detect a tendency. At lower temperatures the fermentation by yeasts dominates. Therefore the ready milk kefir drink contains more sparkling carbonic dioxide, alcohol and the lactose is metabolised very slowly. At higher temperatures the lactic acid fermentation dominates. The alcohol level in the ready milk kefir yoghurt is lower and the lactose is metabolised faster. After 2 - 6 days the kefir drink is almost lactose free - depending on the fermentation temperature. That means, there could remain residues of lactose in your kefir.

Click here to download the detailed guidance for making milk kefir

► Milk kefir grains to make your own milk kefir beverage at home can be ordered here.

This instruction and other useful videos regarding the topics kefir, kombucha, water kefir and it´s production can be seen on our Youtube channel.

Please notice:

The information on this website is provided for general information purposes. Even if the information provided here has been collected and examined with utmost care, no warranty can be assumed for the correctness, completeness and relevance of the information offered. Nevertheless we assume no liability for incomplete or incorrect information.

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