Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It took me some trial and error (not the fault of Fusion Teas) but I am head over heels for homemade milk kefir. I received enough kefir grains in my order to make nearly 6 cups of kefir. The only problem was I didn't realize this and I was having a lot of trouble for the first week. I couldn't figure out why my kefir was so strong, yeasty and separating so quickly (within 12hrs). Shame on me for not doing more research before starting this kefir adventure. A little bit of googling and I came up with solutions. For those who haven't tried before, here is what I learned: 1. You only need 1tsp of healthy active kefir grains to make 2 cups of kefir every 24hrs (which is plenty for me). 2. Kefir needs to breathe as it ferments. There's actually a lot debate about this and some people swear by air tight covers on their jars during the fermentation process, but I will say that, in my experience, using a coffee filter with the ring (for mason jars) is working beautifully for me. I do put an air tight lid on it when it's ready to go in the fridge. 3. If you want flavored, milder kefir and more biodiversity of bacteria, DO A SECOND FERMENTATION!!!. It's simple. After the first fermentation (the first 24hrs), strain your kefir into another jar, add whatever you're using for flavor (I highly recommend orange peel, hardwood xylitol, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg), recover with a breathable cover and let sit at room temperature (75-80 degrees F is best) for another 2-12hrs. Then put a lid on it and refrigerate it. Back to the kefir grains from Fusion Teas. These little guys are very happy and healthy. If I let keep all of they're progeny I'll be drowning in creamy, dreamy kefir by the end of the week. I kid you not. I had my doubts about my ability to make delicious kefir that I would WANT to drink, but these grains made it easy (and Google. Google helped a lot;)) Now I just have to find friends or chickens on whom to pass off my growing colony of kefir grains!