In my mind, I’m an avid yogurt and probiotic junkie. In reality, I stick to one or two yogurt flavors, only one yogurt brand, and often forget to take my daily probiotics. I’m blessed with a stellar intestinal system, so the yogurt and probiotics are more of a luxury than a necessity. But who am I kidding; I am always on the lookout for some healthy, probiotic-rich foods to give my gut a boost to ensure the highways stay clear (if you catch my drift). But kefir? That’s a new one for me.
I found a small individual serving-size bottle of Lifeway Strawberry Kefir in my job’s employee food pantry, and although I’ve seen kefir on the shelves in many different grocery stores, I never took the plunge in trying it. Something about ingesting soured yogurt doesn’t seem particularly appealing. But on this day, I was in more of an experimental mood. Plus, it was free. A true win/win situation.
But First… What is Kefir?
Kefir has been around for ages. Literal ages. Thousands of years. Older than our mommas and daddies and their daddies daddies. The first documented existence of kefir showed up in graves in the Xioahe region of China almost 4,000 years ago, but possibly originated even earlier than that in the Caucasus Mountain region by wandering nomads trying to preserve their milk in some way. Through a very interesting fermentation process (seen here), and thousands of years of trial and error, kefir is now on the shelves of countless food markets and groceries, mass produced in tons of different flavors and sold under numerous different brands.
I didn’t go looking for Lifeway Strawberry Kefir. It found me (aww!), in my office breakroom, desperate for a lil’ snacky snack to break up the monotony of my day.
Lifeway Strawberry Kefir: The Taste Test
My colleague and I took the plunge together. We “Romeo and Juliette’d” it, if you will. We held hands (not literally) and decided to try this beast together and let everyone in the office know how we felt about it. She, more hesitant about the sour part, wanted to try kefir based on the numerous health benefits attributed to it. I, with my more refined palette (sarcasm) and garbage disposal-mentality toward food (not sarcasm), simply wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We pulled the little foil lid off the tiny little bottle, took a courageous sniff, and immediately drew back in shock.
“It smells sour,” I said.
“Mine too. Is it spoiled? Maybe it’s spoiled.”
“I think it’s supposed to be sour though, so let’s try it anyway.” (I said this. Ever the explorer. Look how brave I am).
I took a small sip, and while the taste of strawberry was present, I was immediately aware of the tart fermented milk. In any other situation, just the smell of spoiled and soured milk would be enough to turn my stomach and expel my insides, but this… this was a different story.
The tartness took nothing from the strawberry notes; if anything, it was a very harmonious pairing. If I didn’t know I was drinking a fermented beverage, I might have been provoked to ask what other fruit or flavors were added to make it so tart. Sour, yes, but not an offensive sour. While my first sip was laced with confusion and a screwed-up face, I actually really, really liked it.
“…wait, I think I like this,” I said to my colleague.
“…I’m not mad about it, I don’t think?” she said, also confused but enjoying the ride so far. We finished our little individual serving and sat there in silence, letting the tartness seep into our tongues and letting our brains sort out the experience.
This is the best kefir I’ve ever had*
(*this is the only kefir I’ve ever had)
In all seriousness, the Lifeway Strawberry Kefir was a very pleasant experience. I welcome sour flavors of all kinds – sour candies, drinks, fruits. You name it. I’m a big kimchi girl, I dabble in kombucha. I enjoy the taste of fermented foods (fermented pickles are next on my list), and this was no different. This particular kefir has a thinnish consistency. It’s certainly thinner than Greek yogurt and even thinner than the typical Dannon or Yoplait. It’s drinkable, which heightened my already-positive experience (no dishes, yay!).
The Verdict
I should note that I am not a particularly picky eater – my close relationships (and my waistline) will attest to that fact. If you’ve read this far, you can likely gather that I enjoyed this product, but my experience with kefir remains incredibly limited. Just something to keep in mind when taking a look at my scores.
Taste: 8.5/10 – As I mentioned before, the strawberry flavor of this product was a bit subtle and was slightly overpowered by the tartness. I wish there had been just a tinge more strawberry elements, but I give it high marks for having a realistic strawberry taste (as opposed to a horrid, artificial strawberry flavor). The tartness, of course, speaks for itself. It was lovely and left a slight tingle on my tongue afterwards (in a good way, not an anaphylactic way).
Texture: 9/10 – Super smooth. Not a single lump or curdle. I’m not sure if kefir typically has any lumps or textures, but again, as a first-timer, I was pleased that there were no curd-like elements. The drinkability factor was definitely a plus. It was just thin enough.
Smell: 8/10 – You will smell the fermentation. You may even think it’s spoiled or past its expiration date. While this is completely normal, my brain had a hard time processing at first. This may be a bit off-putting for some, so just beware.
Product Availability/Offerings: 9.5/10 – A quick glance of Lifeway’s website tells me there is no shortage of flavors, offered in non-fat, organic, or traditional options. I popped in my zip code to see how many stores near me carried Lifeway products, and while most Kroger and Walmart stores had some of the more popular flavors like strawberry or blueberry, some of the more niche flavors (coconut and guava, for example) were not available within my range. This is a total first world-problem. I can live without coconut flavored kefir, but broadening my horizons and trying new flavors, should I choose to do so, might be hard.
Overall Score: 8.75/10
Do I recommend this product? Yes! Grab a small bottle of your favorite flavor and see for yourself.
Have Y’all Tried This?
I am the last person who needs another food fixation, but I am always on the lookout for comparisons! Are there other brands of kefir on the market that are doing it better than Lifeway? Share your experience with this product, or leave other recommendations for me in the comments!
Ready for more? Click here to see what else I’m reviewing!
Until next time,
Megan
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