Kefir Starter Cultures - Pack of 12 Freeze Dried Sachets for Homemade Milk Kefir (12 sachets)

The Kefir Starter Cultures (Pack of 12 Freeze-Dried Sachets) are an excellent choice for making homemade milk kefir. The results are consistently impressive, with a taste and texture that are perfectly balanced. I used these cultures with a 24-hour setting in an Instant Pot, followed by a 10-hour rest in the fridge before bottling. The kefir turned out creamy, tangy, and smooth—exactly as it should be. The process is straightforward, and the sachets make it easy to prepare small, fresh batches. Having switched to this brand after my previous one became unavailable, I’m pleased to say this is just as good, if not better. The quality and reliability of the cultures ensure I’ll be repurchasing these in the future.

Pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make kefir. First time I have made it - I used organic coconut milk: 2 cans, just under a litre, to one sachet of probiotic, put it in an ordinary Tupperware container (I know glass is best but had nothing the right size!), covered with a muslin cloth and elastic band and then left in warmish place in the kitchen. Less than 24 hours later, a really nice kefir, slightly tart taste, less sweet and cloying than straight coconut milk. Thinner than yoghurt, more of a drink. Good base for smoothies and so healthy! Very good website at 'Cultures for Health' from which you can download free e-books about kefir/yoghurt making, kombucha, vegetables etc. Lots of ideas about how to use the kefir such as cheese making and baking. These particular sachets are direct set starter culture, a fine powder. You can re-use by keeping a quarter cup of your first kefir and adding to a second batch but it seems you can only do this a few times. These are good for trying first to see if you like kefir and maybe for people who don't want to keep a batch of kefir on the go indefinitely. However, if you want to use kefir a lot you might prefer kefir grains, a living culture, which can be maintained theoretically forever by keeping it in milk. The grains (not literally grains, just have the appearance of) also have a wider range of probiotics and yeasts than direct set so are probably more beneficial.

For my first foray into kefir making I bought both this (by Natural Probiotic Selection) and Milk Kefir Starter Cultures (by The Kefir Company). There are some clear differences between the culturing of the two and the consistency of the resulting kefir. The instructions with this product, given on the pack and the sachets, and also in documents accessed via an email sent to the buyer, are a little contradictory with each other, and make it sound rather more complicated than necessary. I did not boil the milk as instructed (surely this is only necessary if you were to use unpasturised milk, I reasoned). I did microwave the milk a little to warm it up to room temperature before mixing the powder. I did this with both products, using around a litre of organic milk with each in parfait jars, and left in a place where the temperature varied between 20-30 degrees. The TKC product was ready more quickly, in a bit more than 36 but certainly less than 48 hours, whereas this NPS product needed the full 48. The TKC product was more grainy and watery (though you can stir it to homogenise it a little, but this isn't overly successful) and the NPS is rather more uniform but sticky and gloopy. Reculturing in both cases requires saving around 3 tbsp of the product and adding up to a litre of milk again. This time the NPS product recultured far faster - the instructions speak of as little as 3-6 hours but that would probably be at the top of the temperature range, but for me it was around 9 or 10 hours, but a few more hours for the TKC - I didn't warm the milk after taking it out the fridge and temperatures this time probably didn't get above the low to mid twenties. For reculturing you really need to check on it every few hours to see how it is going. The NPS seemed even thicker this time round, and the TKC still a bit grainy and watery, but less so. In summary, both of these products are easy to make, but take different times and make different consistencies of kefir. If I were to choose one of the two products, I would certainly choose this NPS one because of the quicker reculturing time and the thick, uniform consistency, and also because you get 12 sachets for the price of 3 of the TKC one. I will probably keep buying both though for variation in the probiotics they contain.

Very good starter. I fermented it overnight and got kefir in the morning. Someone wrote that the starter does not work, so I doubted it, but still chose this company, since their product does not contain maltodextrin! 1) In order to get good kefir/yogurt, you must follow the instructions from the manufacturer! The starter begins to ferment only in a warm environment. If you don’t have a yogurt maker, then, do not cover the jar on top, but wrap it around! Use thick towel, preferably a blanket (I used flannel), the slower the milk cools, the better the kefir will turn out! 2) It is very important to use natural milk, preferably organic. If bacteria or antibiotics are added to the milk, the milk will not ferment. Buy milk from another companies and see which one works better? 3) It is important to pour boiling water over the jars to disinfect them. I used 2 one-liter jars, and added one sachet of starter to each, as you can see, fermented, so I can say with confidence that there are no problems with the starter! The taste is very good without sourness, it's tender, dense, with a creamy texture. I highly recommend this product. I used Yeo Valley Organic Milk, next time I will buy from another manufacture. I like to experiment )) PS: I usually don’t write reviews, but this time I wrote it because of a negative comment so that buyers would not doubt the quality of the product!

Muy buen producto. Resulta algo caro pero no lo es porque de cada sobre, una ve hecho el kéfir, con un par de cucharas haces nuevo y dura muchísimo el pack.

Mit diesem Ferment lässt sich ganz einfach und ohne großen Aufwand ein unglaublich schmackhafter Kefir herstellen! Habe es schon zum dritten Mal gekauft und kann es jedem nur empfehlen!

This is not my first time at bat. I've used my last back up of kefir grains before and have baked them and other disasters. Another chance. So, I stirred one packet into a liter of 3.25 MF milk, and put it in the oven with the light bulb on. The temp rose to about 35C. When it stiffened up a bit (about day and a half), I threw it in the fridge. I'm drinking it now. It's fresh tasting, and tart. Good, I like to put a spoonful of sugar and a drop of vanilla in. OMG good. I have started from other grains, and you can tell when it is done by the "cracks" in it. This stuff is very smooth and homogenized from the get go. Give it a tip test to see when it's thick enough for you. It's very polished and tasty. I confess, now there is a shot of vodka in it, and I'm lovin' it. NSFL: I got started on this stuff because I hoped it would help with years if chronic diarrhea. I can't see much difference. I've heard it has helped many other people with digestive problems. I know it does feel like velvet in my stomach, and when I'm lazy or in a rush, it's a great meal replacement. This is the tastiest stuff I have ever had. To the dealer: Amazon alerted me that my parcel was likely lost in the mail. I cancelled my order, got a refund, so you did not get paid. It came later. Email me, I owe you.

Worked great and makes amazing kefir! I used it with my raw goat milk. Getting your temperature right has a huge impact on taste and texture. You have to play around with your technique to figure out what you like. You can keep grains from your first kefir batch to keep making more and keep the other packets in your freezer in case you end up killing your kefir culture ☺️

Prodotto ottimo. Cremoso un buon sapone non è acido.