Learn
What is water kefir?
A lightly sparkling, fermented drink made with water kefir cultures, fruit and a little organic sugar. Here’s everything you need to know.
Meet the culture
Small, glassy and very much alive
Water kefir grains aren't grains at all. They're a living community of bacteria and yeasts, held together in little translucent crystals.
We look after ours a bit like a sourdough starter: fed, kept warm and strained after every batch. It grows a little each time, and it's at the heart of every bottle of PiQi.
Dairy-free: no milk, unlike milk kefir
Cared for by hand in Devon
It grows with every batch
From culture to bottle
How PiQi is made
Water kefir is a traditional fermented drink, made with a living culture rather than milk. Here is how we make ours in small batches in Devon.
-
01
Start with the culture
Our living kefir culture goes into triple-filtered water with organic sugar and organic figs.
-
02
A warm, slow ferment
It rests in our warm fermentation room for about two days while the cultures feed on the sugar.
-
03
Strain and save
We strain out the kefir grains and keep them for the next batch. They grow as they ferment, so the culture lives on.
-
04
Add the fruit
A second ferment with organic fruit, juices and herbs, like fresh lemons and raspberries, gives each flavour its character.
-
05
Bottled raw
Bottled and kept chilled, never pasteurised, so it reaches you raw and alive.
Never pasteurised, so the cultures are still alive when you open the bottle. Keep it chilled.
Kefir, kombucha or milk kefir?
How does it compare?
Three fermented drinks that often get mixed up. Here is the difference at a glance.
| Water kefir | Kombucha | Milk kefir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made from | Water, organic sugar and fruit | Sweetened tea | Milk |
| The culture | Water kefir grains: little glassy crystals | A SCOBY: a rubbery disc | Milk kefir grains |
| Taste | Light, fruity and gently tangy | Sharper, often vinegary | Creamy and sour |
| Texture | Lightly sparkling | Sparkling | Thick, like drinking yoghurt |
| Dairy-free | Yes | Yes | No |
| Caffeine | None, apart from a little in Matcha & Mint | Usually some, from the tea | None |
Where it comes from
Water kefir goes by many names, from tibicos to water crystals, and its exact origins are a bit of a mystery. One popular story traces it to Mexico, where the culture is said to have grown in the sugary water of the prickly pear cactus. Recipes have been passed from one home fermenter to the next ever since.
What does it taste like?
Light, fruity and lightly sparkling, with a soft tang from the fermentation. Our Original Fig is honeyed and crisp, and our other flavours bring in ginger and lemon, raspberry, matcha and mint, and blue spirulina with lemon.
How to enjoy it
Pour it over ice as an everyday soft drink, enjoy it with lunch, or reach for it in the evening instead of a glass of wine. It also makes a lovely base for mocktails.
Keeping it fresh
Because PiQi is raw and never pasteurised, please keep it in the fridge. Once opened, the screw cap keeps it sparkling for 3 to 5 days. PiQi is under 0.5% ABV, from natural fermentation.
Curious to try fermenting at home? Read our guide to making water kefir at home, or find more answers in our FAQs.
Five organic flavours
