Does Anyone Use Or Need Kefir Grains?

[robblok]

I am enjoying your grains too, slowly they are multiplying and the process goes faster. Thanks a million for them.

I'm glad to hear it. Having sent kefir all over Thailand in the last year I often wonder how many people stick with it. I seldom get follow up reports. The guy who gave them to me doesn't even drink it now - he doesn't like the taste. Another guy found it difficult to drink too. I consider it a supplement, so taste is incidental - although I don't mind it.

I don't have a problem with the taste and i also consider it a supplement. Its not that hard to make actually you just need a bit of patience and a regular lifestyle.

[Jasmine89]

Do you still have kefir grans? I'm in Chiang Mai and would really love to start making my own. How should I pay you for postage?

[sisaket1]

Hi Tropo

I live in Phetchabun. Any chance you still have some kefir grains to share? Is it possible to send here? How do I pay you?

[tropo]

Hi Tropo

I live in Phetchabun. Any chance you still have some kefir grains to share? Is it possible to send here? How do I pay you?

Sent PM

[tricky_sa]

Tropo,

Do you have any spare grains?

I'm in Bangkok and somebody thought they were helping by throwing my water grains out.

Much appreciated.

[kilogram]

Hello!

I'm in PTT now, looking for kefir grains..

[chickens4me]

Hi,

I'm in Chiang Mai. Do you still have Keffir grains available??

Many thanks

[Jayman]

I too am in PTT and trying to track down some kefir grains. If anyone has some they'd like to share or sell please pm me.

[Chillaxin]

My buddy Chris ordered some Kefir grains for me from Pattaya to Chiang Mai back in Feb but I don't know who from? I'd like to re-request and can pay shipping etc. by PayPal if you still have some. The old ones didn't keep in the fridge after I left the country for 6 months. With thanks!

[pbeieio]

I will have some Kombucha (scoby) mushrooms soon!

Anyone interested?

Edited November 29, 2012 by pbeieio

[tropo]

My buddy Chris ordered some Kefir grains for me from Pattaya to Chiang Mai back in Feb but I don't know who from? I'd like to re-request and can pay shipping etc. by PayPal if you still have some. The old ones didn't keep in the fridge after I left the country for 6 months. With thanks!

As far as storage is concerned, you can keep them in milk in the refrigerator with the jar sealed for a long time. I would suggest replacing the milk every month. Dom suggests every 2 weeks.

I make my kefir in large batches and rest the grains in the fridge for about 3 weeks at a time - then I put them to duty for about 4 days, then back to the fridge for another 3 week vacation. This turned out to be the ideal way to make kefir in this hot tropical climate, discovered quite by accident because I decided to try this method to save time (making it every day). Since doing this the grains have become larger and grow faster.

If you want storage for 6 months up to a year, freeze them. Rinse them, use a paper towel to pat them dry, then coat them with milk powder and freeze. I had no trouble bringing grains back to active duty which had been frozen for nearly a year.

It's a good idea when you have some extra grains to freeze a batch as a backup supply just in case something happened to your grains.

The third storage method is to dry them. You can keep them for years this way. I haven't done this yet, but Dom has detailed instructions on how to do this on his kefir megasite.

[craigt3365]

I will have some Kombucha (scoby) mushrooms soon!

Anyone interested?

If you are offering to sell you mushrooms, please do so in the classifieds section. Doing so in the forum is a violation of our rules. OK?

[Sheryl]

Likewise any commercial transactions involving Kefir grains, even if it is only payment of postage. Classified section only.

[tropo]

Likewise any commercial transactions involving Kefir grains, even if it is only payment of postage. Classified section only.

There you go. If you want grains you'll have to fly or drive to Pattaya to pick them up. As I'm not running a business I'll have to eat my excess grains. I've already eaten a few cups of them - I even tried making a smoothy out of them.

Edited December 2, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

I don't know what smells you're getting, but if you're getting a very sour, fresh tasting kefir I'm sure you're doing fine. Sometimes I can detect a very slight bitter taste when I'm drinking it. The longer you leave it to "brew", the more sour it will become as more of the lactose is digested by the grains. The maximum separation I've gotten is about 1/3 the way up the far. This is probably as far as it can go. It's also ok to strain at the first signs of separation - when you can just see little pockets of whey on the sides of the glass. When you leave it, the whey slowly sinks. At first I notice the whey on the top surface.

If you have a lot of whey separation, be sure to stir it well before you strain or it will be too thick.

[tropo]

Tropo,

When I first got the dehydrated grains I added them to just a cup of milk as per the instructions, after the second 24 hours there was massive separation of the whey in the bottom of the glass jar. So much so that I thought at this early stage I must be doing something wrong and started adding more milk to the jar to see if that made things calm down a bit.

However, after reading your response above it looks like I was on the right track. Now what I'm finding is that there is pretty much no separation after 24 hours and the grains don't look overly happy, they certainly don't look anything like the ones I see in YouTube videos on the subject.

So, i'll try keeping the temperature of the room at 25 degrees for the next couple of days and use allot less milk until I hopefully see the same separation that I was getting before, if I can't bring them back then I will ask you send me some if you have any spare at the moment. Hopefully it won't come to that though, I'd really like to get the ones I have firing again.

Cheers,

Tom.

It really does sound like your kefir grains could be heat-stressed. Keep them cool for awhile and see what happens. Apparently 22C is the optimum brewing temperature. Bear in mind that it will take longer at lower temperatures.

Maybe the smell you detected was half done milk that you added to the first batch.

[tropo]

Yeah, I think you're right, I'll do as you recommend and post back when there is some progress.

Let me just clarify one point though, you need whey separation before the batch is technically "good to go"?

Cheers,

Tom.

No you don't. If you strain earlier it will be thicker and less sour. I figure that leaving it longer will result in more healthy bacteria being produced - therefore a stronger brew. I go for the maximum degree of separation but don't leave it much longer than 24 hours.

The length of time it takes will depend on your kefir grains/milk volume ratio. I have a lot of grains, so I my ratio is usually about 4 or 5 (milk) to 1 (grains).

[poanoi]

Tropo:

Do you happen to have some spare kefir i could switch for 0% milk ?

And if so, at what time are you at home most likely ?

[poanoi]

Something went wrong with the kefir making this time,

it is thin as milk and doesnt even smell kefir !

i checked both after 24 & 28 h, no change.

What went wrong ?

and can the grains be used again or are they ruined ?

[DRONGOH]

I'd like to get some kefir grains. Live in Jomtien and can pick them up in the Pattaya area. A lovely stuff, especially as a wake up call after a "session".

[Jayman]

Just wanted to post a follow up that I got some grains from tropo several months back and have been drinking kefir daily. I don't mind the taste and actually much prefer it to normal milk. I have given grains away to friends as they multiply do fast. I probably need to take 1/2 or more of my current grains and freeze them cause I just have to much.

I make about 1 liter a day and after a few days I put them in the fridge to rest until I drink all the kefir I made. Then I start again. Seems to work great.

For a while I was also making coconut milk kefir which was great as a base for berry smoothies. Haven't done it for a few months so maybe it's time I start again.

I found glass containers to work best and you can find some perfect ones at foodland on the snack good isle on the bottom shelf. Think the one I got us like 1 or 1.25 liters but with the amount of grains I have I could easily use the 2 liter jar they sell. I never use the lid unless they are resting in the fridge. I do take a paper towel and secure it to the top of the jar with a rubber band while brewing to keep any contaminants out.

Sent from my GT-I9100T

Edited April 11, 2013 by Jayman

[LazyCat]

Wow, did not know that kefir can be made from coconut water !!! Sounds fun ! I used to have grains but in normal milk i got something that is not even close to being kefir, the taste was that of a milk gone bad, but kefir that was purchased in a store had a better taste, of a real kefir , nice and pleasant to drink. Also my grains died pretty soon after being in store purchades pasturised milk. So i quit trying.

[robblok]

I also use grains of Tropo and still making kefir its not going super fast but still good enough. I just make 2 batches in almost 2 liter jar. It has a lid with a small hole punctured in it to keep containment out. My grains before got infested by maggot from fruitflies or something. It killed the kefir and my taste for it but now things are great.

[tropo]

Wow, did not know that kefir can be made from coconut water !!! Sounds fun ! I used to have grains but in normal milk i got something that is not even close to being kefir, the taste was that of a milk gone bad, but kefir that was purchased in a store had a better taste, of a real kefir , nice and pleasant to drink. Also my grains died pretty soon after being in store purchades pasturised milk. So i quit trying.

I got my first kefir grains 2 years ago and haven't missed a beat over that time. Assuming you had genuine kefir grains as opposed to the commercial starter grains which have a limited lifespan, then perhaps excessive heat killed your grains. They can't handle temperatures above 30.0 C for extended periods of time. I've received reports from a number of people whose grained died off, and it seems heat was responsible in all the cases. Just bear in mind that the optimum temperature for kefir production is reported to be 22 C, so we're way above this in Thailand at all times of the year.

They thrive in any type of milk. They digest the lactose content of the milk. I've used full cream, low fat, UHT... and now I use 0% fat milk.

Edited April 22, 2013 by tropo

[tropo]

I also use grains of Tropo and still making kefir its not going super fast but still good enough. I just make 2 batches in almost 2 liter jar. It has a lid with a small hole punctured in it to keep containment out. My grains before got infested by maggot from fruitflies or something. It killed the kefir and my taste for it but now things are great.

For the first time ever in Thailand I'm having a problem with fruit flies in my kitchen. I keep the lid nearly tight - just a fraction twisted back from sealed to allow gas venting as they brew. One time some flies actually got in to the kefir - it's amazing how small a gap these flies can squeeze into. I've even noticed dead fruit flies in my freezer.

I didn't see any maggots - perhaps they laid some eggs, I don't know. I couldn't see any reason why maggots would kill the kefir though. Even if there were eggs it shouldn't be a problem because you filter the drinking kefir from the grains.

[Firefan]

I send a PM to Tropo to obtain some kefir grains, but am based in Bangkok so if anybody here in the big city have some, it might be easier - I am in the Sathorn/Silom area but will go anywhere. I am also interested in water kefir grains, should anybody have same - some people above indicated same.

Finally; I want to try to use coconut milk rahter than normal milk - I did a trial before with probiotic capsules (whick make decent drinking yoghurt out of milk), but with coconut milk it did not really work. I think the lack of lactase was the problem - being a milk sugar - wherefore I will add some coconut sugar or honey in next trial.

Any help/ideas/grains/comments appreciated!

Cheers!

[tropo]

I send a PM to Tropo to obtain some kefir grains, but am based in Bangkok so if anybody here in the big city have some, it might be easier - I am in the Sathorn/Silom area but will go anywhere. I am also interested in water kefir grains, should anybody have same - some people above indicated same.

Finally; I want to try to use coconut milk rahter than normal milk - I did a trial before with probiotic capsules (whick make decent drinking yoghurt out of milk), but with coconut milk it did not really work. I think the lack of lactase was the problem - being a milk sugar - wherefore I will add some coconut sugar or honey in next trial.

Any help/ideas/grains/comments appreciated!

Cheers!

Jayman (above) has tried making coconut kefir from milk grains he obtained from me. I'm not sure how successful he's been. I've heard varying reports. I also remember awhile back one guy mentioned he found someone (a Thai business) who sold water kefir grains in Bangkok. You could order them from Dom in Australia - he ships worldwide.

Personally I'm happy to stick with milk kefir. If a person has lactose intolerance kefir shouldn't be a problem because if you leave it to "brew" long enough all the lactose is digested by the grains.

[Jayman]

I send a PM to Tropo to obtain some kefir grains, but am based in Bangkok so if anybody here in the big city have some, it might be easier - I am in the Sathorn/Silom area but will go anywhere. I am also interested in water kefir grains, should anybody have same - some people above indicated same.

Finally; I want to try to use coconut milk rahter than normal milk - I did a trial before with probiotic capsules (whick make decent drinking yoghurt out of milk), but with coconut milk it did not really work. I think the lack of lactase was the problem - being a milk sugar - wherefore I will add some coconut sugar or honey in next trial.

Any help/ideas/grains/comments appreciated!

Cheers!

I had no problems making kefir with coconut milk (not water/juice) using the milk kefir grains I got from Tropo.

The method is the same as using milk. The same separation occurs and I would let mine sit for about 24 hrs before straining. I also had no issues with taking those same grains and putting them back into milk.

[Firefan]

Jayman; thanks for that update - I prefer the "fresh" coconut milk from the cooler in bags - is that the one you used (and did you dilute it with water as rather thick) or did you just use the UHT boxed ones? Also presume you added no suger/honey then?

Tropo; yes, most of the lactose will be gone - and I am not lactose intolerant - but the milk we get here in Thailand (when it IS milk - and not just milk powder in water as many brands here are!), the milk comes from conventionally raised cows being overly exposed to pesticides and antibiotics. Some studies have indicated that the fermentation ALSO help with eliminating some of that - but if I can get it to work with something like coconut milk - why not?

Now; anybody in BKK that can help me with some kefir grains?

Ps. The "butter milk I find in villa and foodland SOMETIMES is the closest to proper fermented milk/yoghurt I have found here - try that if you get the chance. In white bottles with red cas and very little text on it - often next to the soy milk.

Cheers!

[Jayman]

I used the UHT coconut milk in the boxes. I added nothing other than the kefir grains. Of course you want to shake the box good before you open it and pour it into your container.

I'm fairly certain that the coconut milk you are talking about that can be bought fresh from the markets would work just fine as well. As long as it's not the clear coconut juice then the milk kefir grains should be able to feed off of it.