Why isn't my kefir getting thick?

[Our7Wonders]

I bought kefir grains and a kombucha scoby - the kombucha is happily brewing. My kefir, I'm not sure what to think of it.

The directions sent to me said that to get them acclimated and going in my milk to put them in just 1 cup of milk and allow to set for 48 hours. Do this for the initial 3 brews, then I should be getting good, thick kefir. I'm not.

So I e-mailed the seller and told her step for step what I was doing. I mistakingly had been rinsing my grains between each milk change - not in water, but with a quick swish of raw milk (maybe 1/4 cup milk). She told me not to rinse them and to start the three 48 hour brews again. I haven't quite made it to three again, but there is NO improvement in the thickness of the milk. By 48 hours the milk and whey have completely seperated and the whole batch smells rather yeasty. I stir it back together to check the consistency and it's pretty thin still - not as thin as plain milk but no where near the thickness of my buttermilk that I culture in about 18 hours.

I'm tiring of wasting milk on these grains. Thankfully it's only a cup at a time, but I'm getting close to a half gallon that I've gone through trying to get this right.

Any thoughts from the kefir experts?

 

[Oberhaslikid]

Mine has to set for at least 2-3 days before it gets Yogurt thick.Its more like buttermilk in a 48 hour period. Are you leaving it on the counter or in the fridge?
leave it on the counter,It takes longer to brew in the fridge.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Are you using goat milk? I know when I switched, I noticed it did not get as thick as the cow milk version.
Also, kefir does not get as thick as yogurt, in my experience.

 

[Our7Wonders]

I am using raw goat milk - and I'm leaving it out on the counter. It's left long enough to seperate - by 48 hours all the yellowish whey is on the bottom. And by that time it's very yeasty smelling so it's either bad or it's long past done by then.

I'll finish out the three different cycles that were recommended and then I'll taste a 24 hour batch, though at 24 hours it's still about as thin as plain milk. Really, I can live with a thin kefir, I just want to make sure it's good. I remember someone on here (maybe it was Freemotion?) saying their kefir was thicker than their yogurt so I thought it should at least be like my buttermilk, but maybe not.

I'll keep trying.