Water kefir
Milk kefir
Kombucha
Ginger beer
Kefir duo
Kefir and kombucha
Starter kit
RennetPut the grains into sugar water on the day they arrive: 1 litre of water, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 dried fig and 1 slice of lemon, without rinsing them. The first one to three batches are often flat and sweet, with few bubbles. That is the grains settling in. Keep to the 24-hour rhythm at 20 to 25°C, and within a week the fig rises on time and the drink sparkles.
The parcel has arrived: what now?
Your water kefir grains come in a well-sealed pouch, in their own liquid. They are alive and they have spent a few days in the post. The best thing you can do for them is feed them the same day.
- Open the pouch over a bowl. There may be a little pressure inside, and you do not want the liquid all over the worktop.
- Do not rinse them. The liquid belongs to the culture and helps the first batch along.
- Have a look. Translucent, white to pale beige or golden, from the size of a grain of rice to a pea. Some may be a bit squashed after a few days in the post. They recover on their own.
- Have a sniff. Lightly sour, a bit yeasty, sometimes a little like cider. That is a good sign.
If you really cannot start them that day, put the closed pouch in the fridge and get them into sugar water the following day at the latest. Longer than that in the pouch does them no favours.
Your first batch
The first batch is exactly the same as every batch after it. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of sugar (about 60 g) in a little warm water, top up with cold water to 1 litre and let it come down to room temperature. If your water comes from the mains, let a jug stand for a few hours first or boil it and let it cool, so the chlorine is gone. Add a dried fig and a slice of lemon, then the grains with their liquid. Tea towel over the top, elastic band round the neck, and the jar goes somewhere quiet in the kitchen. The full recipe, with every detail, is in How to make water kefir.
Day by day: what you are likely to see
Every kitchen is different, so take this table as a guide rather than a timetable. What matters is that something changes from one batch to the next.
| When | What you usually see | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1, first batch | The fig stays on the bottom, hardly any bubbles, the drink still tastes sweet | Strain after 24 hours anyway and start again |
| Day 2, second batch | A bubble here and there, the drink turns slightly cloudy | Keep the rhythm, keep it warm enough |
| Days 3 and 4 | The fig starts to float, fine beads on the glass, a fresher smell | Try your first bottle with a second fermentation |
| Days 5 to 7 | Clearly tart and fresh, a ring of foam, the grains look plumper | Fine-tune the taste with the timing |
| Weeks 2 and 3 | A steady rhythm, the grains start to grow | Weigh them now and then, add more water if needed |
If it happens faster, great. If it takes a bit longer because your kitchen is cool, that is fine too. As long as each batch looks a little livelier than the one before, you are on the right track.
Why the first batch is often flat
The grains are a community of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. In the post they tick over on very little: not much food, changing temperatures, a dark pouch. In your jar they have to get going again, and they have to get used to something new: your water, your sugar and your temperature. That takes one or two batches.
That is why it is not a good idea to leave the first batch for three days in the hope that more will happen. Regular fresh sugar water is precisely what brings them back into rhythm. Strain after 24 hours even if little seems to have happened, and start a new batch. That first sweet litre is perfectly drinkable, or you can blend it into a smoothie.
Dried cultures, by the way, need a few extra days to get going. Our grains arrive wet and alive, so with yours it is usually a matter of a few batches.
What is normal in the first week
Plenty of things that look odd are completely normal. Here is an overview, so you do not get a fright for nothing.
| What you see | Normal? |
|---|---|
| Few or no bubbles in the first batch | Yes, the grains are still settling in |
| White, cloudy sediment on the bottom | Yes, that is yeast |
| A cloudy drink | Yes, a sign that fermentation is under way |
| Grains changing colour | Yes, they take on the colour of your sugar |
| A few grains floating | Yes, they are full of tiny gas bubbles |
| A light yeasty smell, a bit like cider | Yes, that is part of it |
| Fuzzy spots in green, blue or black | No, that is mould |
| A rotten or musty smell | No, stop and email us |
Mould is rare with water kefir, because the drink turns acidic quickly. If you do see something fuzzy and coloured, throw the batch away and send us a photo. We will look at it with you personally.
Five good habits for the first week
- Fresh sugar water every 24 hours, even if the batch does not look ready.
- Real sugar. Granulated white or cane sugar, no honey, no sweetener. More on that in Water and sugar for water kefir.
- A warm, steady spot. 20 to 25°C, out of the sun. Below 20°C everything slows down, and in a cool house a shelf in or beside the airing cupboard is often the best seat in the place.
- No experiments yet. No fruit juice or herbal tea in the jar for the first batches. The basic recipe first.
- Throw nothing away. Even the first sweet litres are fine to drink.
Your first fizzy bottle
Once the fig rises within 24 hours and you can see bubbles, you are ready for the second fermentation. That is usually around the third or fourth batch. Pour the strained kefir into a swing-top bottle with a few pieces of fruit, leave a couple of fingers of air at the top, close it and leave it on the worktop for 24 to 48 hours. Then into the fridge.
For a first go, a few slices of fresh ginger and a squeeze of lemon are a safe choice: the recipe is under lemon and ginger water kefir. How to check the pressure in the bottle, and what to do if it fizzes too hard, is explained in Water kefir: the second fermentation.
If it is still not going after a week
If the fig still does not float after seven batches and the drink stays sweet, the cause is nearly always in the conditions. The three usual suspects:
- It is too cold. A kitchen at 17 or 18°C is on the chilly side for water kefir. Find a warmer spot.
- The water is very soft or filtered. Water from a filter jug or a softener has had most of its mineral salts taken out. Try ordinary tap water, left to stand, or a still mineral water.
- Something has changed with the sugar. A sugar substitute, for example, or not enough sugar.
For everything else there is Water kefir problems and how to fix them. The mistakes beginners make most often are listed in Beginner kefir mistakes. And if you are stuck, just email us.
Frequently asked questions
My grains arrived squashed. Is that a problem?
Can I keep the grains in the fridge for a few days first?
Should I throw the first batch away?
How fast do the grains grow?
My grains have turned brown. Is that all right?
No grains in the house yet? Live water kefir grains start at £11, with instructions that walk you through this first week step by step. Everything about water kefir is together in the complete water kefir guide.