Fresh Kefir Grains/Recipe

I bought my milk kefir grains a few weeks ago, and they have been working perfectly since then. They have multiplied so fast, I now have 2 backups in the freezer. The culture arrived promptly and in good condition, and was making good kefir in a couple days. I called the phone # for help, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of knowledge, and the generosity of the help provide. If you are looking for real kefir (I have bought some of the others so I can now tell the difference), this is the place to buy.

I have found the grains to be producing kefir wonderfully.

The milk grains are of outstanding quality. They have already doubled in size. I am so glad I found your company and ordered them from you!!

These kefir grains are great. The kefir is thick and tangy. I've had the grains for about two weeks and they have already doubled. At first I kept them too warm but now I keep the grains in the milk for longer, about 14 hours before straining the grains out. Then I let it sit for another couple of hours, depending how much time I have. They arrived 2 days after I ordered them online!!!

Kefir grains were great and still doing well, but the heater belt seems a bit to hot and is to large for Mason jars. Need to have a smaller size option. Also, Steve gave quick response to questions I had. Overall, very pleased. Will definitely shop again.

This stuff is pure awesomeness...so happy! We also got the receipt signed by Steve Shapson who also offered to help if we had any question. What a nice touch. We are so happy that we also got a cheese press snd i also ordered kefir grains for my sister in Fl. She's eagerly anticipating her tiny package!!! I definitely see improvements in my digestion department. Thank you CheeseMaker. I can't be happier. Keep up the great work---J and D Welsh

I bought the kefir SCOBY and the heat belt. The kefir SCOBY I received from The Cheese Maker has been working so well with the heat belt that it has more than doubled in size in about 3 weeks. I use the larger kefir SCOBY now to make 2 quarts of kefir out of fat free milk in about 6.5 hours in with the heat belt. The original amount of kefir grains I received took about 18 hours to make one quart of milk into kefir without the heat belt when kept at about 74 F degrees. The heat belt keeps the kefir at about 82 F degrees. I also bought a 1.5 gallon crock to use to make kombucha and have been wrapping the heat belt around both the 1.5 gallon crock and the gallon glass jar I'm using to make the kefir. The temperature stays around 82 F degrees after adjusting the surface area of the containers that the belt touches. I'm using the continual method for making kombucha, where I'm adding about 4 quarts of sugared tea to the remaining kombucha in the crock after I've bottled some of the last batch, and the heat belt has decreased the time for ready kombucha to about two days! i strongly recommend using the heat belt for both making kefir and kombucha because of the time decrease in production. Couldn't be happier with what I bought from The Cheese Maker.

Wonderful, healthy grains, started with about a 1/4 cup, by the 4th day had almost 1/2 cup, amazing quality. Currently in the 30's here, keeping them on top of the fridge for warmth and they are thriving. Could not have asked for better service! Note from Steve: we use one of our Heater Belts wrapped around the fermentation vessel to maintain a nice temperature.

Very prompt service and delivery. I was very happy with my product.

I love my kefir grains! It took a while but I finally figured out the ratio so I don't end up with too much whey. They have multiplied like crazy, guess they really love the organic milk I use, and I have frozen several backups. I even resorted to letting some cultivate in the fridge. I have a quart jar with grains and milk in the fridge that is ready just about every 3 days. It is creamy, thick, fizzy, and perfectly sour. I can't tell the difference between the 3 day fridge kefir and my 1 day countertop kefir. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks. My question for you is, can I expect the fridge grains to survive happily same as the countertop grains or will they eventually succumb to the cold? Should I switch them out every now and then with the countertop grains so they have some warmth or keep them going as they are? I also converted a batch to water kefir and now have delicious, very fizzy water kefir every 2 days. Your grains have been amazing ! Thank you. Susan Bentley, Montgomery, Alabama. Note from thecheesemaker: Kefir grains propagate best at 70f(slower growth)-85f(faster growth). Fermentation will slow down in the refrigerator and colder temps can stress the grains.-Steve

Nice ample quantity of grains making tasty kefir straight away. Plenty to share with the inevitably interested neighbors, too!

The grains arrived very quickly, within two days - we were a bit worried because we are in a hot climate and our mail comes to a PO box but we kept checking and .... there they were. I made kefir right away and am happy with how they are working and growing. Since receiving them, I have given some to a friend who was curious about them and have saved some in the freezer as per your instructions which were very helpful.