What makes our kefir Kickass?

The photo displayed in the thumbnail of this article is not meant to be a jump-scare, and although it is quite a strange image to show you to promote our product, what you are looking at there is a portion of our kefir "grains". They are the life force behind Kickass Kefir and those squishy little globules of bacteria and yeast are how we separate ourselves from the rest of the pack when it comes to kefir production. 

Some brief history about kefir grains (I think they’re incredibly cool). They originate somewhere in the Caucasus Mountains, roughly 4500 years ago (maybe even more who knows!!). What I find most interesting however, is that no one really knows where they exactly came from (???). I have my theories, probably incorrect ones, but they seemed to just spontaneously appear out of thin air. They were described as being “a gift from the gods” to people of that time. Kefir became so popular and well loved amongst the people that you were considered to be of great wealth if you were in possession of kefir grains. This is likely due to how healthy it kept the people who were regularly consuming kefir (health is wealth remember). 

All those years ago kefir was produced by combining the grains with milk (goat was quite popular due to living in mountain regions). They would be left to ferment in leather pouches, or goatskin bags, and hung up on doorways to ferment. People walking by these bags would knock them to mix the grains with the milk. I've also read other sources saying that kefir was produced using large clay pots where they would combine milk and grains. 
We take the notion of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and since this method of producing kefir is tried and tested we do things as close as we can to the original way (don't worry, there's no goatskin bags at Kickass Kefir.. yet...). We combine milk with grains in a large jar, cover that jar with a tea towel and then put it in a dark, temperature controlled room to ferment for 24 hours, we then strain our fresh kefir after 24 hours and bottle it. It's as simple as that. 

Another cool fact about kefir grains is that we have no freaking idea how the hell to make them. Scientists have tried to recreate them in a lab but have never been successful at producing something even slightly similar to what nature managed to give us overnight. That, to me, is more valuable than almost anything else (well, maybe not a roof over my head etc). Now, if you’re following along with this narrative, knowing that these grains can’t just be produced by a lab or factory, then you might be able to piece together that all kefir grains in the world are derived from that initial mother batch of grains. The same kefir grains that we use to make your kefir (the same ones in that photo), are the ancestral children of that OG kefir mother from some 4500 years ago. Wooooowwweeeee. If that alone isn’t cool as hell to you then I honestly can’t help you. Kefir rules. 

You may have gathered by now but if not, kefir grains are a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY). You can tell from the photo that they have been described as looking like little cauliflower florets, I think they resemble popcorn. They are chock full of good gut bacteria, a few of the core microbes present in kefir grains are: 

• Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens: This strain is responsible for producing kefiran which is a polysaccharide (poly = many, saccharide = sugar) gel that also contains protein. Kefiran creates the matrix that holds these grains together. Research has shown this strain to have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and barrier enhancing effects in the gut. You will not find this bacterial strain in kefir unless it is brewed traditionally (using grains). 

• Lactobacillus kefiri: Much the same as it’s family member above, kefiri is unique to kefir brewed using kefir grains and provides a similar gamut of health benefits. There is some research pointing towards L. kefiri having antioxidant effects in the body, and some animal studies suggest it can help support metabolic function. 

• Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, Acetobacter: Again, these are dominant strains found in kefir grains (and therefore, kefir brewed using kefir grains). Offering support for the aforementioned health areas whilst also having research to improve skin health, IBS, producing lactase (to better digest lactose), and potentially being anti-carcinogenic.

As well as having good gut bacteria, kefir grains produce kefir with living yeasts (commercial kefir cannot produce kefir with yeasts as it’s pasteurised after processing). Some common yeasts found in traditional kefir are: 

• Kluyveromyces marxianus: Known to survive the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, this yeast has some research to suggest it can help remodel the gut microbiome, support digestion, and fight (chronic) inflammation. 

• Kazachstania turicensis: Much the same as above, this yeast offers GI support, can potentially reduce oxidative stress (healthy ageing), and support skin health.

• Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Again, this yeast has been shown to help with all the aforementioned areas of health with a special consideration for improving immune function, being anti-inflammatory, and improving gut barrier integrity. 

These are just some of the bacteria and yeasts you’ll find in kefir grains. And of course, as you’re well aware all kefir we make at Kickass Kefir is made using these grains and that is why we kickass. In future blogs we will go into depth on all bacterial strains and yeasts found in Kickass Kefir and detail how they can benefit you.