Coolinario L Reuteri Kefir Starter Powder (5-Pack, 1g Sachets) Live Kefir Cultures with Lactobacillus Reuteri Probiotics | Creamy & Tangy | Non-GMO, No Preservatives, Gluten Free, Halal, Kosher

Works if you use the directions provided. Makes delicious, mild yet effervescent kefir. I left mine out for a bit over 24 hours, it was nice and thick. I used an emersion blender to smooth it out. Great option for people wanting to make their own kefir but don't have the time to care for grains.

I'm fairly experienced in yogurt-making and occasionally dabble in fermenting vegetables (in fact, I just finished a batch of fermented mustard greens today), but new to kefir. I usually make yogurt in my Instant Pot on the 'yogurt' setting. That setting actually has 2 modes, high and low. High (36 ~ 43° C (96.8 ~ 109.4°F)) is for yogurt; low (30 ~ 34°C (86 ~ 93.2°F)) is for "fermented glutinous rice", to quote the manual.Now, if you listen to the instructions on the bag, neither setting is right for this starter. The bag calls for 77ºF, which sounds reasonable but is actually an odd, inconvenient temperature for me, because that's not a common home temperature, whether in winter or summer. I considered using a thermos or a sous vide bath, but then it occurred to me to just look up the ideal temperature range for the main bacteria in the starter, L. reuteri. Lo and behold, it likes to be at human body temp (98.6ºF)! That makes so much sense, since L. reuteri is found in human intestines.Well, the low setting on my Instant Pot is slightly lower than that, but it's somewhere between what the instructions call for and what the internet prescribes, so it seems like I can't go wrong. The high setting might be too high - I see online reports of L. reuteri dying at 109ºF. And the Instant Pot is by far the most convenient way to ferment things (thermoses don't hold a constant temp for more than 12 hours, and sous vide baths are noisier, less energy-efficient because of the constant evaporation, and less hands-off because you have to top off the water), so if that works, that's a big win.So I heated my 1 qt of milk (9 minutes in the microwave brought it up to 180ºF), let it cool to 77ºF as instructed, then stuck the whole Pyrex cup in the Instant Pot, uncovered, put the lid on, and let 'er rip. The instructions say to use an airtight jar, but if the Instant Pot is airtight enough for yogurt (which, like kefir, is also a form of anaerobic fermentation), surely it's airtight enough for kefir.After exactly 11h17m, according to the Instant Pot timer, I opened it up to check. It'd coagulated very nicely, like a very very soft set yogurt. The tartness is mild and very agreeable. I could have called it right there, but I put it back in to see if the tartness would intensify. Sure enough, after 16 hours, it was VERY tart, about as tart as cultured buttermilk. That's when I called it.At this point, it was slightly more tart than we preferred, and also an odd texture, too soft for spooning but too set for drinking (it's pourable but not a smooth liquid), so I doctored it by adding sweeteners (half allulose, half sugar to cut some calories), a few drops of peach flavoring and a pinch of red and yellow food coloring to simulate peach coloring. Then I blended it with an immersion blender to smooth and thin it out. The resulting drink is AWESOME. It can give Lifeway a run for its money. So tasty that I'm making another quart tonight. Blending it makes it nice and smooth, and with some sweetness to balance it out, the tartness is perfect.Worth noting, I'm not used to drinking plain kefir or cultured buttermilk, but someone who does would probably find the tartness just right without any need for sweeteners. I think blending was a worthy step to take, but you can certainly drink it as-is.And now that I have a first batch, I can just use it as my starter and save the remaining 4 sealed sticks just in case I fail to keep my own starter alive. Super excited to infuse it with other flavors. Mango? Raspberry? Guava? The sky is the limit!Another note: other than L. reuteri, it also contains a wide range of other probiotics, many more than you get from even premium yogurt brands like Fage and Chobani. I know because I researched the bacteria strains in each brand to use as starters for my yogurt-making so I could get the widest range of probiotics AND be able to manipulate the tartness (L. bulgaricus makes tarter yogurt than S. thermophilus, for instance, so my yogurt starter of choice is Fage, which has more of the former than the latter).In summary, I'm super happy with this starter. It's clearly robust and makes great kefir. You can tweak the fermentation time to find the tartness level you prefer. 5 stars for sure!

I make yoghurt all the time, along with other fermented products like sauerkraut and kombucha, and have long been curious about kefir and wanted to give it a go. Fermented in my dough proofer, the technique for this could not have been easier, and the resulting beverage is pleasantly tart, somewhat thickened, and mildly effervescent. I can't say that the flavour is something I particularly crave, but I appreciate the potential health benefits and don't actively dislike it.My issue--if i can even be termed that--is that I'm not wholly certain this is technically kefir? I had thought that authentic kefir had to be made with kefir grains, whereas this appears to be more of a yoghurt drink with a few exotic strains added in. I don't mind it, and I've no doubt the resulting beverage is beneficial, but I did find it somewhat confusing.In any case, the starter packets I received appear to be fresh, are certainly healthy, and yielded a beverage that was just as described. The instructions are clear, and the fermentation process straightforward and very easy. Recommended...depending upon what type of beverage you're wanting to make.

This review is for the Coolinario L Reuteri Kefir Starter Powder (10-Pack, 1g Sachets). I am new to fermenting kefir so I searched online and found that you can use this starter powder to make plant-based or vegan kefir so that is what I set out to do. Note that you should not use pasteurized nut milks that come from the store, you need to make your own in order to then make kefir. I made 1 quart of warm coconut milk from water and shredded coconut. I blended in a single Medjool date since kefir needs sugar to feed on. Then I poured this into a glass carafe and stirred in the Kefir Starter Powder with a wooden spoon (never use metal when making kefir). I covered the carafe and waited 24 hours. I stirred the mixture a few times while it was fermenting. Then I put the kefir in the refrigerator. Wow, it was great! It was fizzy and sour in a good way. So easy to make! It is my understanding that you can continue to make vegan kefir using your homemade kefir by using 1/4 cup of it added to 3-3/4 cup of nut milk and fermenting for 24 hours. You can do this a few times before the kefir organisms peter out. That would then make this a very economical way to have kefir.

Fermented foods are so good for the microbiome. I think this powder is fabulous to have on hand. Following the directions, it's super easy to use and reliably makes a creamy, tangy kefir. I like that the sachets are freshly packed with a 2-year shelf life according to the package that I received. This is a good value for 5 fresh-from-my-kitchen quarts of quality product, super yummy in smoothies!