Kefir experiments

I am interested in making thicker kefir. What I end up making right now is pretty thin with some curds floating in it. Here are some experiments I have tried and their results:

1. Reduce the amount of grains and let it sit longer
When I did this, the kefir was still pretty thin and smelled different than it usually does. It had an off-putting smell, so I threw it out. I only tried this once; it is likely worth repeating to see if that was just a fluke. I used approximately 2 tbsp of grains in 1 pint of milk for 24 hours.

2. Add a little sugar
I added about 1 tsp of sugar to the milk and grains and let it brew. I did not notice any thickening, but noticed a change in smell. It smelled less yeasty than before. I tried the sugar experiment 3 times. Ever since then (about 1 week), my kefir has smelled less yeasty than it used to. Weird.

3. Add a little kefir in along with the milk
Here, you're supposed to add some of the kefir you just made to your new brew. So, it ends up being grains, milk, and a little kefir in the brewing jar. This did cause it to thicken up somewhat, but it also made it have some really big curds. I wasn't really thrilled about mostly thin kefir with some big chunks in it.

So, no real positive results yet. Right now I am experimenting with having more fat in the mix during the brewing process. I have been using 1% organic cow's milk, because that's what I can afford. I read somewhere where someone said (I love the Internet) that when they switched to a higher fat milk, they got a thicker, smooth kefir. So, I am using my 1% organic milk with some half-and-half added in. It's about 4 parts milk to 1 part half-and-half. We'll see.