Preparing Water Kefir: Instructions and Tips

Preparing water kefir is quite easy and afterwards you get a refreshing drink. Incidentally, you can very rarely buy the probiotic drink in this country. The required ingredients, on the other hand, are easy to get.

Preparing water kefir – You should know this about the fermented drink

In contrast to milk kefir, water kefir is less well known in this country.

• The two types of kefir are quite different. Water kefir, also known as Japanese crystal or Himalayan crystal algae, is a carbonated soft drink. In contrast to water kefir, milk kefir is a yoghurt-like drink.
• The kefir types have in common that they are healthy and are obtained by means of a fermentation process. The two types of kefir also have a lot in common when preparing.
• The water kefir is made with the help of light, slightly milky-transparent shimmering kefir grains. The most important components of the kefir crystals include the various milk bacteria and yeasts, which start the fermentation process.
• Depending on how you prepare the water kefir, the finished soft drink will contain more or less alcohol. The room temperature during fermentation plays a crucial role. If it is rather cool, yeast fermentation takes place and the alcohol content is higher. At higher temperatures, lactic acid fermentation predominates and the alcohol content is correspondingly lower.
• The alcohol content in water kefir ranges between 0.2 and 2 percent by volume. Therefore, depending on the alcohol content, the drink is not suitable for children, pregnant women, dry alcoholics or people taking medication.

Fermented drink made from Japanese crystal – You will need these utensils

To prepare a water kefir, you need the following:

• You need kefir crystals. You can often reuse the water kefir. If you treat the culture carefully according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it will last almost forever, as the crystals grow over time.
• Besides the crystals, you will need a plastic strainer and a plastic funnel. Plastic is important here, because if the kefir comes into contact with metal, the sensitive cultures are quickly destroyed by the resulting small current surges due to the good conductivity.
• You also need a large fermentation vessel and a glass bottle. For example, you can use a large mason jar with a glass lid or a swing-top jar as a fermentation vessel.
• Water kefir is usually prepared with water. Alternatively, you can use juice. In addition to the water, dried fruits such as apricots, raisins, dates, cherries, bananas or plums are also added to the water kefir. It is important that the dried fruit is not sulphurised. You will also need a few slices of organic lemons or lemon juice.
• Also important is sweetener, which should be either raw cane sugar, cane sugar or table sugar. Other sweeteners are not suitable for preparing water kefir.

Preparing water kefir: Steps

How to make the fermented drink:

1. Before you prepare the water kefir, first dissolve 60 grams of the chosen sweetener in one liter of water. Then fill the sweetened water into your fermentation vessel and add the water kefir. If you want to prevent the dried fruit from getting stuck between the kefir crystals, put the mushroom in a tightly meshed net beforehand.
2. If you have organic lemons at hand, cut off two to three slices and place them in the fermentation vessel together with around 30 to 40 grams of the unsulphurised dried fruit. You can also use lemon juice instead of the lemon slices.
3. Close fermenter. If you don’t use a special fermentation vessel, open the lid briefly once a day to allow the gases to escape. You can tell that the fermentation process has started by the numerous bubbles that form in the vessel.
4. Depending on the ambient temperature and the kefir culture, it will take between one and three days until your water kefir is ready. As a rule, the water kefir is prepared at a temperature between 20 and 25 degrees.
5. Finally, the kefir crystals, the dried fruit and the lemon slices are strained using the plastic sieve and the water kefir is poured into a flip-top bottle. If you prepare the next water kefir right away, you can also use the dried fruit again.
6. Your drink will keep in the fridge for up to four weeks.
7. Note: Always rinse the water kefir briefly after each use to prevent germs from forming.