need some quick kefir advice please!

[aris99]

I've just made my first batch of coconut water kefir. I bought dehydrated water grains, rehydrated them, then put them in a pot of coconut water. I left them for about 36 hrs.

The resulting liquid was carbonated and faintly yeasty in smell. The taste was not sweet but not unpalatably sour either.

I strained the grains and added them to another pot of coconut water.

My questions are:

Should the kefir have smelled yeasty, been carbonated and been w/out sweetness?

Am I doing something wrong in starting a new batch w/coconut water? I've read something about needing to feed the grains milk....should I have done this? Do the grains need white sugar or is straight coconut water sufficient? I am unfamiliar w/kefir making so ANY tips would be appreciated!!

Thanks for reading!!

[dogmom327]

Water kefir grains do best initially in sugar water (1/2 cup sugar to 2 qt. water). I would suggest getting them well established in sugar water before using coconut water. I have instructions for using water kefir grains on my website. If you click on the link in my siggy and scroll down to the bottom of the product description, there's a link to the instructions (pdf file).

[aris99]

Well, I actually bought my grains from you! AND I hydrated them according to your instructions in sugar water. Then I put them in the coconut water to make coconut kefir. When you say "well established" do you mean that I probably should have made kefir in sugar water a few times before switching to coconut water? Have I "killed" my grains?

Is a slightly yeasty tasting kefir ok? I don't want to give my kids something that's going to make them sick but I've never made this stuff before and I can't seem to find a consensus online about how coconut kefir should taste.

Thanks!

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by aris99

Well, I actually bought my grains from you! AND I hydrated them according to your instructions in sugar water. Then I put them in the coconut water to make coconut kefir. When you say "well established" do you mean that I probably should have made kefir in sugar water a few times before switching to coconut water? Have I "killed" my grains?

Is a slightly yeasty tasting kefir ok? I don't want to give my kids something that's going to make them sick but I've never made this stuff before and I can't seem to find a consensus online about how coconut kefir should taste.

Thanks!

The grains and kefir are both likely okay. Ultimately it comes down to making sure it smells, looks and tastes okay. In terms of well-established, just run a couple of batches through sugar water before trying something else. Although they technically work after being rehydrated, it seems to take a few batches before they get into a prime state where they produce bubbles, etc.

[aris99]

Hmmmm I wonder if I'm doing something wrong...I just decanted my second batch of coconut kefir and it is fizzing thru the roof?! Also I noticed some white "sediment" (for lack of another more appropriate term) on the bottom of the jar in which I stored my first batch 3 days ago. What is the whitish sediment? Should I be adding sugar along w/the coconut water? I read somewhere that the coconut water had adequate sugar but maybe I need to add extra?

The second batch seemed to have fermented more quickly than the first...is this normal?

Thanks so much for your help!