what should kefir taste like?

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what should kefir taste like?

Postby WWFSM on Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:28 pm

I have some new milk kefir grains and it's starting to act like the instructions say it should. But the taste is really weird for me. Kind of gut-disgusting weird that makes me gag when I eat it. Perhaps there is something wrong with it, or is it just me?

The first taste is pleasantly sour, like really old yoghurt. But then it quickly turns a sweet-milky taste, which is okay. Finishes up with an overpoweringly strong bitter-powdery aftertaste that lasts and makes me gag. Is it suppose to taste like that?

The kefir brains/grains are growing about 10% each batch, and it turns thick between 18 and 30 hours, separating at about 40 hours. So I'm guessing it's healthy. I'm using organic pasteurized (not UP) milk, either goat or cow depending on what's in the fridge. I did have one batch where I used whipping cream, but that was too thick to strain, so I added a bunch of goats milk to it to 'water' it down enough to get the grains out. I'm not rinsing the brains/grains between batches - am I suppose to?

So, is this how milk kefir is suppose to be? I can't imagine something this bitter being so popular. I haven't seen kefir in the store, so I can't buy some to find out what it should taste like.
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Re: what should kefir taste like?

Postby spaceralph on Sun Oct 12, 2014 6:39 pm

If you got your culture shipped to you from somwhere it is likely that your culture was stressed and/or dormant by the time it got to you. It is pretty common for the first several batches of kefir to have funky off flavors untill the little community you are working with reaches equilibrium again. It sounds like your culture is still a little out of balance, even if it is beginning to produce a proper looking kefir product.

Keep changing out the milk, and each subseqent batch should start having less and less of that off flavor
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Re: what should kefir taste like?

Postby Sheppie on Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:20 am

I always rinse the grains after every use and before pouring fresh milk over them. The kefir's natural taste is pleasantly sour normally. It can be sweet when it's not done yet completely but it is alright too. It shouldn't be bitter and disgusting. You can always stir it before drinking to have the taste even everywhere :)
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Re: what should kefir taste like?

Postby bluehorserefuge on Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:02 pm

I lived in Russia for 10 years and one of the things I loved most about the place was being able to buy real Kefir , made with grains from the Caucasian mountains. The best was in a large green carton with an old lady's face on it, called "Mama Domik ". They had small cartons too. Nothing beats the taste of real kefir. If I had to try to describe it, the closest I can get to, is 1) halfway in consistency between milk and yoghurt. 2) A slightly cheesy taste. I have always loved blue cheeses, the ones with furry bacteria all over them, the roqueforts and the gorgonzolas and stiltons. To me, when I drank kefir, there was always a hint of these blue cheeses. And I felt my health go down, when I didn't drink it for a while.
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