Kefir Water

From left to right: ruby red grapefruit with ginger kefir soda on second ferment,  lychee kefir soda, pomegranate kefir soda and then in the mason jar kefir grains with sugar water on day 2 of initial ferment.  

I'm very proactive with my pinterest use. At least once a day I sit on my ipad perusing 2 sections: "DIY & Crafts" and "Food & Drink." I'm fairly conservative with my repinning because I actually do/make the items I mark.

One day a pin for Water Kefir Flavor Guide came up. I just discovered my love of Kombucha this last summer while selling my baked goods at the Brentwood Farmer's Market so this Kefir water stuff definitely intrigued me. While the information available online seems less than thorough the basics are that Kefir water is a bacteria that works symbiotically with yeast to create a fizzy probiotic drink. This is done through the fermentation of "kefir grains" with sugar water and then after a second ferment where juice is added for flavor.

Hydrated kefir grains in coffee filter.

I promptly ordered myself a batch of "kefir grains" from Cultures for Health. In total it cost me $20 but that includes the shipping, etc. My dehydrated kefir arrived by the end of the week. The good news about these grains, which are actually not a grain at all, is that as long as I keep them happy, healthy and fed I will never need to replace them and in fact they may even begin to multiply at which time I can make larger batches or share with friends.

Aside from the digestive and gut benefits of the water kefir, which is basically like the non-dairy alternative to the kefir you find in the grocery store (the yogurt drink,) it really is refreshingly delicious and lower in sugar than soda beverages. The kefir grains essentially eat up the sugar in the water so your final product will have less sugar than the initial sugar water mix.

Once you follow the enclosed directions to rehydrate the grains you are well on your way. I got some swing cap style bottles for my finished kefir sodas and used a quart mason jar for the first ferment step. First add 1/4 cup sugar, I used organic cane sugar, to the mason jar. Add about 1 cup of warm water, use filtered or mineral water, not tap water. Slosh water and sugar around to get the sugar to dissolve. Now add just enough water so that you are about 3 inches from the top of your jar. This also will bring your water temp down to about room temperature so that its safe to add your water kefir grain. Dump in the grains. Cover mason jar with a dish clothe or coffee filter and secure with either the metal band that comes with the jar or a rubber band. You still want the mix to breath but to keep it safe from bugs or other potential contaminants. Place in a warm but not hot, safe area off to the side in your kitchen.

Let the kefir grains and sugar water sit for 48 hours. After 48 hours you should be seeing a few small bubbles popping up from the grains. Your drink will not be fizzy yet, this won't happen till the second fermentation.

Now that 48 hours has passed you want to strain out your kefir grains. I used a funnel and a plastic coffee filter, you want to avoid metal touching your grains at any point. Make sure your bottles are very clean and pour while filtering the kefir water into the bottle.

You should have kefir grains sitting in your filter and a bottle of kefir water with no grains in it sitting on your kitchen counter now. Take the strained kefir grains and follow the steps above to get another batch going of kefir water. Cover and set aside.

You are going to prepare the bottle of strained kefir for its second fermentation at this point. This is also the stage where you add flavor and the carbonation will become active. Depending on the flavor you choose to add will really effect the overall outcome of the flavor in the end. What I mean by that is that is that if you choose to add an organic juice, for example pomegranate, grapefruit, apple juice or a berry juice you can expect the sugar in the juice to continue to ferment and your final product will be very bubbly and have a slight fermented almost cider like quality to it. The alcohol content will be negligible, I've read around .64 so thats not what you are creating but the smell and taste will be that of a fermented beverage. However, if you add lemon and ginger, one of my favorite combinations, there is less sugar to be fed on, it takes a little longer to get to the fizzy stage and perhaps its just the strength of the ginger but I find that it has less of a cider taste and more of a ginger beer taste.

Pomegranate kefir soda on ice. 

Add enough juice to your kefir water that you still leave the neck of the bottle empty and maybe about an inch below that, you can see what I mean in my picture at the top. You can also add fresh ginger slices or lemon juice. Basically add juice flavors and combinations that appeal to you. You are probably looking at adding an additional 1/2 cup to a 1 cup of juice or flavor to your water kefir. If you add fresh ginger slices be sure the slivers are big enough that you can get them out of the bottle to empty and clean the bottle once you have drank all the soda.

Seal tightly and place kefir mixed with juice in a dark warmish area to have its second fermentation. Depending on the sugar content of the juice you have added the second ferment time with vary. I check in on my soda every 24 hours to see how bubbly it has become and as soon as it reaches the level I want I put it in the fridge. Do not let it go too long as it can explode if the carbonation builds up to much. I like my drink fairly fizzy so about 72 hours generally works for me.

Once you get this process going in a cycle you should always have a kefir water going and one on its second ferment and a few in the fridge and you will have a continual supply of soda.

Enjoy and experiment! xoxo - Iris