> Hi Anna,
> Does enough of the original taste persist to make you think that your
> starter is maintaining the original cultures from the Lalvain product?
>
> S. cerevisiae is of course baker's yeast, and the less surviving of
> this the better, but the L. brevis and L. plantarum colonies, which
> should provide the flavor in the culture, could be enjoying a new home
> with compatible wild yeast species!
>
> --Lisse


Lisse,

What I noticed was that as long as I was maintaining the starter on
the counter, and feeding it daily, it seemed to stay consistent with
the original. I noticed a taste change after I switched to keeping it
in the fridge - it still leavened nicely, but became fairly mild. I
adjusted the hydration, and it soured up again nicely, though the
taste was not quite the same. I baked off that particular starter,
and descendants, for about three years as I recall.

Anna