See the attached photos for the excellent packaging the grains arrived in. They were shipped in a sealed foil envelope with a paper exterior and a clear, sealed plastic outer covering.
After draining them with a strainer, they weighed 68.15 grams on my kitchen scale upon arrival. They had a somewhat vomit-like smell initially, but this was likely due to butyric acid produced during the extensive fermentation of the solution while they spent five days in transit. Butyric acid (butyrate) is an important short-chain fatty acid that serves as a major energy source and signaling molecule for colonocytes in the colon.
The grains may have been exposed to temperatures around 100°F for roughly half a day while in Texas in August. However, they were cool for most of the remainder of the journey, particularly because much of their transportation occurred overnight.
For their first recovery ferment, I used 946 mL of carbon-filtered tap water, 54 g of organic cane sugar, one preservative-free dried date (13 g), and 0.10 g of sea salt (see attached photos to see my first ferment). After the fermentation, the grains weighed 72.10 grams, and the airlock was bubbling as expected, which was a reassuring sign of activity. The solution also developed a much more normal, pleasant yeasty smell.
Overall, the grains appeared to recover well despite spending five days in the mail and potentially experiencing some high temperatures during transit. Very recommended!
