Cultures For HealthGreek Yogurt Starter Culture | 2 Packets Dehydrated Heirloom Style DIY Probiotic Yogurt | Delicious for Smoothies, Granola and Berries, Tzatziki, Soup, & Other Healthy Snacks

The first batch was terrible - basically tasted and looked like milk with flecks of thickness. No tang. Flavorless. This second batch actually looks right and tastes tangy! I need to keep trying - this batch may be a bit grainy and a bit too tangy. I used 4 tbsp of the first batch to start the second and I will reduce to 2-3 tbsp for the 3rd. But I’m not removing stars because the starter instructions did say you may need to activate the freeze-dried starter with (basically) a throwaway batch so it can wake up, then reuse a bit of the yogurt for each new batch and it will get better and better each time. Fingers crossed!As you likely know, the liquid at the bottom in the pic is whey I strained out to make the yogurt thicker. You can use it for lots of things, I guess.I used a Bear yogurt maker to keep the temperature consistent for fermentation. For this batch I did 13 hours in the machine at 104 degrees, 3 hours in fridge to set, 8 hours in strainer in fridge. I used pasteurized organic whole milk and heated it to 104 degrees before stirring the starter in. I didn’t scald and reduce the temp. I followed the machine instructions for milk temp instead of the starter instructions for both batches.The real test will be if I can keep reusing this yogurt to start subsequent batches and how each batch changes over time.

The media could not be loaded. I was looking forward to receiving this starter, as I have been making yogurt at home regularly for years, using store bought greek yogurt as my original starter. I decided I wanted to try purchasing a quality starter to compare the difference to what I was already making at home.I read the instructions carefully, and it was exactly the same as the process I had been using. Well, first batch didn’t set by 8 hours, so I let it keep going until 12 hours, per the instructions. All I got was rancid, chunky milk. Not yogurt at all.I decided to try again with the second packet that came with my purchase, in case it was user error. I sanitized my equipment, reread the steps, and carefully did the process one more time, including taking the temperature to make sure my yogurt maker was incubating at the right temp. Same thing happened.I tried to ask for a refund, but Amazon just takes me to a page that says there is no returns for this item. So wasted a bunch of milk, and a bunch of wasted time.This is the first negative review I have ever written, and will be happy to update if the seller sees this and tries to remedy the situation.Update: The company did contact me and gave me a full refund.

I raised my review from a 4 star to a 5 star.I successfully made my second batch of yogurt- used whey from the previous batch as the starter.I could smell it fermenting at 5 hours and pulled it out of the incubator at 6 hours.I think the flavor had improved a bit and I'm looking forward to sampling the finished product tomorrow. So far really enjoying the product and no complaints at all!Original review:I've been making greek yogurt for a few months now, but I used a store-bought yogurt as the starter. My results were never "bad" but I didn't feel like I was getting the right consistency between the batches (some were perfect, and some were a bit thick), so I decided to try this product as the starter.I'd read various reviews indicated that the first batch wouldn't set or tasted terrible, so I was prepared for some disappointment and the first round and just made a one quart batch.I did cheat a bit- the recipes that I had made in the past indicated to heat the milk to 185 degrees before cooling to 110 degrees. The instructions for this kit indicated to heat the milk to 160 degrees before cooling- I cooked mine to 185...The kit indicated to incubate the milk for 5 hours and that if it hadn't set yet- to continue to check every two hours- up to 12 hours total. Mine hadn't set at 6 hours but was firmly set by 8 hours.They recommend tilting the container to see if the yogurt has set but afterwards I realized that I could tell just by the smell of fermentation that nothing had happened at 6 hours but that it set somewhere before 8 hours had elapsed- so you can also use the sniff test before tilting the bowl if you want.The only thing that seemed to be missing from the instructions was the step to actually strain your yogurt after its fermented and let it chill for a few hours. So my understanding is that these instruction tell you how to make a batch of regular yogurt but don't tell you how to make "greek" yogurt.The taste was a bit rough, but the instructions indicate to set some yogurt aside (or I set aside the whey after straining) to use it as a starter for the next batch. Instructions indicate that the flavor should improve dramatically with each batch and then you should be able to scale up your batch size afterwards once you get consistent results that your happy with.Another note was that their instructions include directions for both activating the starter (cool it for two hours covered after fermenting) and directions for a regular batch using starter from a previous batch (no cooling period)All in all-I'm happy with my first batch and really looking forward to seeing if I can get really consistent results and fantastic flavor in the future!

I was a wee bit skeptical after reading all the reviews but decided to give it a shot anyways! It was wonderful! The first batch wasn’t perfect but I took that and used it to make a second batch and it was brilliant! I wasted nothing I used the first batch in my morning drinks and as a topping for my blackberry cobbler! I am so happy with this purchase. If you read the directions and let stay in the maker for 12 hours you will have perfect yogurt. The first was a bit clumpy and very thin but the flavor was amazing the second was thicker and flavor also amazing! Just try it and follow the instructions! I made this yogurt in my bread maker which is also a yogurt and jam maker!Thanks for a great starter and helping me save money!!Here are a few tips.After making my first couple of batches I did some research on how to make my yogurt thicker. I ended up making a batch to thick that I had to toss. I tried again with the starter. It was more than perfect and very thick with no additives!!The key is heat to 180 NOT 160 keep at that temp about five minutes. Cool to 110 as per instructions. Pour in the starter mix well. And set a timer for 12 hours in the yogurt maker! Allow to cool for an hour on the counter then bam you have perfect thick yogurt without any additives!!