Yogourmet Freeze Dried Kefir Starter, 0.6 oz. box (Pack of 2)

It was an answer to my prayers! So easy to use and the final product is of great quality! I know real kefir taste, and had been drinking it all my life in Europe. I missed it greatly when I moved to the US. Grocery stores product tasted fake and full of preservatives. I was so happy, when I finally found yogourmet. I was looking for replacement of store organic yogurts in the diet of my three year old, and this kefir worked out perfectly! My son loves it so much, and eats and drinks it every day a few times a day: with cereal and blueberries, or as smoothies with banana and strawberries. My husband - whose diet I was also trying to "control" - would not listen to my preaching about organic yogurts and cottage cheese important role in every day diet, so I was amazed to see him getting hooked up on kefir smoothies! At first I followed the instruction to the letter, but then doubled the volume of milk. It increases the 1st stage of processing a little bit, maybe 30-36 hrs. Also I just dump the contents of the little baggie into the pan where the milk was heated (after it cools down) skipping the step of mixing it with small volume of milk in a separate cup. The little kefir bacterias are doing a great job, and the final product is amazing!

I have been buying Lifeway kefir in the grocery store, and that is just fine, but I just tried making my own yogurt, so I wondered if you could do that with kefir, and I found this starter. It had very good reviews, so I decided to try it, and it was very easy to make, and is very, very good - nice and creamy. I was trying to decide how I wanted to flavor it, but the taste of it kind of grew on me, so I will probably mostly drink it plain! I have done a little more research on kefir, and it seems to offer a lot of health benefits, so I plan to make it a habit. 7/8/12 update - I am coming back to add a comment, because since my initial review, I learned about the traditional way of making kefir, which involves using a living matrix, referred to as 'grains'. These look like gelatinous cauliflower, and you just keep reusing them, and they will multiply, so you can share them. The finished product has a different taste and consistency from what you will get from the powder, many more probiotic strains. These packets would be a second choice to getting your own grains, but they are fine for occasional use, and a step up from buying the stuff in the store. In theory, you could use your finished kefir from these packets to 'start' another batch, but it would only take a batch or two for the bad bacteria to overcome the good stuff, so I would not recommend doing that.

I used this with raw milk & it worked great. This is more reasonably priced than other brands. I actually used 1 packet with half gallon instead of a quart & it still turned out well! I then took half cup of that batch & added it to a new half gallon. It was a little weaker but still good. I think raw milk prevents the culture from eatablishing itself as strongly because it has it's own mix of live bacteria in it that compete with the culture.

I've experimented with and tried several different kefir starters, and this is the one I will be using going forward. Consistent results, easy to use, and very tasty and healthy. Note that you can use a couple of spoonfuls of completed kefir to start your next batch a few times, so this product can be made to last quite a while.

Yogourmet makes a fairly good Kefir, is pretty foolproof and easy to use, but is somewhat pricey as you have to keep buying the starter. One box as shown makes 6 quarts of Kefir, and figuring the cost of the milk plus the cost of the starter, it adds up if you drink Kefir daily. I used it when I first started making Kefir, and it was cheaper than the health store ready made version, but I have since switched to using live Kefir grains. Using the live grains (particularly with raw milk) makes a tastier Kefir containing many more probiotics, and at a much lower price because the the grains grow and propogate themselves. Once you have your grains, you never have to buy them again. But if you are new to Kefir making, Yogourmet is a great way to start. It is easy, no mess, no fuss and pretty good.

After establishing a routine, this is easy to make. You just need an instant read thermometer. It is tasty and great in smoothies. It’s much less expensive than the commercially prepared brands, has no preservatives and can be made with any percentage of fat in milk. I use my microwave to heat for 17 minutes, let cool to between 73 and 77f, mix in starter and let sit covered for 24 hours. You have to plan ahead but it’s worth it.

I got this for my mom who had started drinking kefir from the health food store ... I was not sure how it would live up to the $3.99 per quart she was paying for. She has made 3 batches now and just loves it. I tried it too and it is wonderful... nice and creamy...not as tart as buttermilk. You can add fruit, but it tastes so good just plain. I am going to buy some for myself now too! At $1 a quart this is a real bargain. Try it - you will not be disappointed. I read where someone had "saved a little kefir" from the 1st batch to use as a type of "starter" to make more batches... has anyone else tried this? If so, how much do you retain for a second batch? We always just make ours fresh each time from the starter kit.

I make kefir both the "old-fashioned" way, i.e., using kefir grains, as well as with the Yogourmet (YG) starter culture. Using the YG product delivers more reliable results in terms of the resulting product's consistency and flavor. Because the microorganisms are blended evenly throughout the milk, the process of fermentation is more uniform than it is with kefir grains (assuming one doesn't mix or agitate the kefir regularly when using grains). I also find that the sterilization process--heating the milk to 170 or so degrees--is also unnecessary when starting with milk that is already pasteurized. I've never had any problems with this method. And to those who say the YG product doesn't produce "real" kefir, that just isn't so. Although, it is true that kefir from kefir grains may (depending on what's actually in a given set of grains, which is always a mystery) provide a broader range of probiotic microorganisms. The real issue here is cost. With kefir grains, one can produce an endless stream of kefir. With YG, one cannot, although one can use culture from a previous batch to produce a new batch at least three times in my experience. (I use a 1:10 ratio of previous batch to fresh milk, and that works well.) In short, YG is a great, foolproof product for the occasional kefir consumer.