Yemoos Nourishing Cultures Forum

Is water kefir supposed to be truly watery, with zero thickness/density? I have read varying reports. I'm having trouble making kefir that isn't at least slightly "filmed/syruppy". I have used both distilled water with only a small addition of minerals, and more mineral rich water. No change. Sugar is good turbinado (Sugar in the Raw brand). Thanks for advice.

Generally, most water kefir ferments are suppose to very similar to water thickness. It's possible it may actually be slightly thicker, but visually it still looks like water to me. Sometimes when there's excess minerals, it can get a little thicker. It's happened with excess dried fruit or extra mineral supplements. Even when it thicker, it usually tastes okay and its probably still drinkable in my opinion, but the yeast or bacteria may be out of balance a bit. Try rinsing and resting the grains in the fridge for a couple days and see if that helps.

Alex