Water Kefir Made Easy

Let’s warm up the microbial crowd with the opening act before we bring out the headliner for the probiotic concert.

I teased you last week with a video production for this week’s newsletter but thanks to the 70-ish-year-old Sammy Hagar’s recent concert I attended, I lost my voice trying to talk over the deafening, but sweet sound of heavy metal.

Maybe next week on the video debut?

The challenge of tuning and caring for our gut microbiome requires a different rock concert of sorts, starring fermented foods to seed good gut bacteria and an encore of plenty of dietary fiber and prebiotics to feed the crowd.

When it comes to fermented foods, there are many options. Some are better than others. Some require an acquired taste to get used to. Often better fermented foods come with a steep climb up the hill of palatability. Natto comes to mind here.

I personally subscribe to the saying “Embrace the Tart”. Some of the most bacterial-diverse fermented foods have a very tart flavor profile. The tart taste is synonymous with the “good stuff”. If you’re not there yet, I have the answer for you.

Water Kefir.

I have had the opportunity to introduce fermented foods to many people over the last 5 years and only one remains undefeated in the category of “this tastes very good”.

And the standing ovation here is water kefir. It’s probably the most probiotic-dense, bacterially diverse fermented offering that comes with a sweet and flavorful taste profile. Next to its milk kefir sibling, which boasts as many as 50 strains of yeast and bacteria, water kefir clocks in with a respectable 35-40 different strains.

All of this probiotic power and it still tastes good?

YES!

At least the way I make it.

This fermented sugar water has been around since the 1400’s so I can’t take credit for creating this concoction. But I will take credit for stumbling across this easy, cheap, and delicious version.

It all starts with translucent, spongy crystals of yeast and bacteria cultures that ferment sugar water into a tangy drink, resembling citrusy, lemon water after the first fermentation.

Although completely fine to drink as-is, the exceptional flavor comes during the second fermentation where the probiotic water is transformed into a delightful and refreshing drink.

I prefer to use a frozen, triple-berry blend that turns the formerly Sahara Desert-colored drink into a deep red, sweet-ish liquid as the berries infuse their goodness.

Let’s break it down.

I prefer to make batches in half-gallon increments. Use any glass jar and fill it with boiling, or even hot tap water. Many people use filtered water but I’ve found that very hot, tap water works just fine. I’ve found that tap water in my area doesn’t degrade the grains.

In fact, the hard water actually feeds the grains more than the filtered water does.

One theme you’ll see in most of my recommendations is it has to be easy. I want the easiest, lowest barrier for entry. And I’m tighter than two coats of paint so cheap is preferred as well.

Use the gallery above as a reference and fill the jar about halfway with hot water. I do this for two reasons, to save time and to ensure the sugar is quickly dissolved. Next, add the 1/2 cup of raw, nutrient-dense sugar to the hot water. Stir the sugar water to completely dissolve the sugar in the water.

A very important tip before we move forward.

Kefir grains do NOT like heat, it will kill them. To save time, I add roughly half of the recipe’s requirement with hot water, and stir in the sugar. Then I upfill the remaining water amount with cold water so we end up with a room-temperature, half-gallon of sugar water. If you boil the entire half gallon, then you need to wait for it to cool.

To the room-temperature water, we’ll add 1/2 cup of water kefir grains and a couple of prunes. The prunes (or you can use figs) provide another nutrient source for the grains. They also double as a way to tell when your first 1st fermentation is complete, as they float to the top!

Once the sugar water is prepped for a first fermentation that will last anywhere from 24 to 72 hours, you have two options for safe storage. Since kefir is an anaerobic fermentation, it does not require air to work its magic.

After years of doing it both ways, lid on and lid off, I prefer (more importantly my grains prefer) to have exposure to ambient air. For this reason, I cover the open jar with a coffee filter and a rubber band. This allows for exposure to air and keeps the fruit flies out.

Feel free to experiment both ways and see how it goes. I find the air exposure keeps the grains happier and they remain larger. The closed jar method with a lid also requires “burping” to release carbon dioxide produced during fermentation.

As I mentioned earlier, depending on the temperature in your house, fermentation times will vary. Periodic tasting will tell you when you’re done more than the clock or the floating prunes. I prefer to end the first fermentation when the taste is citrusy but still has a bit of sweetness.

The second fermentation will continue during flavoring so if you wait until a full tart profile is achieved after the first fermentation, your final drink will be very tart. If that’s the way you like it, then go a little longer. But I’ve found ending the first fermentation a little sweeter ensures the final drink is perfect after flavoring.

As I mentioned, the water kefir is fine to drink unflavored, and quite tasty actually. But infusing it with flavor takes it to another level. The 2nd fermentation not only flavors it, but it will naturally carbonate it as well.

I’ve experimented with many flavors but the one that I always default to is a triple-berry blend.

I get mine with most of my other worldly possessions at Costco. Some artists prefer to work in oils, acrylics, or watercolors. My artistic medium is anything “Kirkland”. And if you are a Costco member and you eat chia seeds and you are not buying them at Costco, we can’t be friends. $8.49 for a 3-pound bag seems illegal by every other store’s price.

I digress.

Despite the endless “1/2” measurements in this recipe, 1/2 gallon of water, 1/2 cup of raw sugar, 1/2 cup of kefir grains, for the berries, I always use a full cup to flavor every half gallon of water kefir.

But before we add the berries, we need to use a strainer to collect the grains.

You see grains are only mixed with the sugar and prunes, not the fruit. Once grains are flavored, they lose their ability to work effectively and will begin to die.

The gallery above takes us through the 2nd fermentation. After about 12-24 hours, it will be flavored. Again, taste the water and tailor the 2nd fermentation to your liking.

At this point, the water kefir is flavored, but not carbonated. To do this, we’ll use a funnel to fill some flip-top bottles to the base of the neck, close the lid, and leave at room temperature for another day. The shorter the time, the less carbonated, and the longer you go, the more careful you need to be opening the bottles!

Lastly, take the carbonated bottles and place them in the refrigerator as this will slow the fermenting. The key word here is slow. Refrigeration slows the carbonation, it does not stop it. This is precisely why you won’t find true water kefir in stores. The fermentation is unstable for mass production.

There would be bottles exploding all over the stores.

No, this ferment is uniquely an “at home” product because it will require fairly quick consumption and if the drinks aren’t consumed within a few days, it’s always a good idea to occasionally “burp” the bottles quickly and reseal them. The reason water kefir is so diverse is that the grains are busy from the very beginning of fermentation and don’t slow down much in colder temperatures.

As I referenced in an earlier writing, having water kefir and all its potency is like getting into the back room at the fireworks stand!

For the money, bacterial and yeast diversity, and ease of production, I don’t believe there is a better fermented offering on the planet.

I have helped many people make their own kefir, water AND milk,

I will help you too.

If you’re a subscriber, you know how to get in touch with me.

If you’re not, subscribe today and I will provide all the help you need, from supply sources, tips, and cost-saving methods.

Once again, this stuff is undefeated in taste tests.

Make some and let me know what you think. And if you’re close to me, come pick some up!

Thanks for reading,

Jeff