Mixing Spirulina Powder

[Dreamscaper]

Hi everyone, I have been having trouble with the spirulina. I know that you are supposed to put it in the juices, but how are you supposed to mix it in? I have tried several things. First I tried the good old fashioned spoon method. That worked very poorly since the powder doesn't seem to be easily dissolved in the juice, and it is so sticky that it just clumps up and sticks to the spoon and cup and ends up making the juice lumpy and nasty tasting.

Next I tried a wire whisk. This worked a little better then just using a spoon, but still had many of the same problems that the spoon did minus the sticking to the whisk itself. Still lumpy, and not all that great.

Finally I tried taking a hand blender and blending it in a bowl. This worked great for homogenizing it, but it was too messy and it made the juice super frothy (which I can't stand). I have also thought about blending it in the blender, but I don't want to end up just straining it out when I juice since this would be really wasteful.

If anyone has any ideas or proven methods as to mix the spirulina or respective algae in more efficiently, please let me know

Thanks all

-Dreamscaper

[jinksT]

i thought i loved the taste until i added it to a green juice. now i know that i just love what spirulina does to sweet or citrus juices. my favourite spirulina drink (before the feast) was grapefruit, pear and frozen strawberries.

this morning for my juice feast i had the juice of 4 grapefruits, 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of spirulina, 1 clove garlic, a heafty pince of cayenne, MSM and some hemp oil. i must be a freak but it was sighing with pleasure as i drank it. i also noticed it was a good waker upper when i was feeling a bit groggy :)

[Irina]

I've tried spirulina powder before - with the same problem, and switched to Flakes. I add a teaspoon to my morning juice - dissolves easily and !!! juice doesn't have this nasty spirulina smell. Flakes are a little bit more expensive, but well worth the price vs. powder mess and smell. You can buy flakes in bulk, btw, and save some $$.
Irina

[Dani]

where do you get the spirulina flakes?
Dani

[Irina]

Dani,
we have a store here is Boston: VitaminShoppe, the product name is Spirulina Pacifica Crystal Flakes. I usually buy at the store but they have a website with the same name...
Irina

[Dani]

Thank you for the info.
Dani

[Zoe Cobb]

Use one of the little capucino electronic wiskers. it doesn't make it too frothy, but mixes almost any powder.
Z

[Lisa]

You can mix it really well if you put the Vitamix on the very lowest setting, so the juice is moving, sprinkle it in, and turn the speed up just a little bit until it gets all blended in, but not fast enough to make it frothy.

[Suely Teixeira Menezes]

Hi,
I basically make my green juices on my juicer and then I put the juice in blender with spurilina, vitamineral green and bee pollen and press mix button on blender. That's all I do. It taste great to me. Xo, Suely

[Sharon Riggins Patterson, Ph. D]

I tried heating the water and mixing the Spirulina in it. Better results, but not perfect. Dr. Pat

[David J Murphy]

Hi,

For anyone who's still reading this thread, I just found a FABULOUS solution to this (ha, no pun intended).

Mix the powder with something viscous, then mix in your drink.

I just tried this with a tbsp of spirulina powder with a tbsp-ish of maple syrup, stir til blended, then add liquid slowly. Worked like a charm.

What happens is the viscosity of the substance (syrup, honey, molasses, anything thick.. I dunno, almond butter?) sort of "eats" the powder, muscling through any clumps, until it's all homogeneous. You now have soluble matter between each particle of spirulina. When you slowly add/stir in your juice/water to get it thinner and thinner, the syrup/etc is dissolving and it keeps each particle separate.

Sorry for the geekiness :)

The taste of the 1T powder with 1T syrup, and a modest amount of water, was actually palatable enough to just down it. I thought I would gag, but it was actually ok. I then chomped some ginger to cleanse the palette :)

Happy juicing, friends.

PS - I have found this to work with protein powder as well, using only water, when i had no mixer. Make a 'paste' of the powder and gradually thin it. I don't think it works as well with spirulina since it seems to repel water a bit.

[Jalaska]

most days, i mix it in juice or a smoothie. but i often spoon it into a couple of leaves of romaine lettuce, roll and eat. a terrific combination. (no gagging required.)