Waxed Pressed Cheese - Weeping Liquids

[SimplyE]

Hi!  I have my first three Goat Milk cheddars waxed and aging.  I know with the first two cheeses that I didn't have enough weight with pressing.  They have been weeping through the thick layers of wax a bit, though.  I am amazed they are weeping through the wax.  I cut one that has been aging 90 days, and it looks good with no mold.  However, I am concerned that with the weeping that if liquid could come out, nasties could migrate in.  It smells divine, with no mold.  I took a nibble and it seems strong and somewhat dry, which surprises me.  I used my own raw goat milk for the cheese and have never had GM cheddar.  I used the recipe from RCs Cheesemaking book.

Should I be worried about this weeping? 

[anarch]

I started with those recipes and waxing, and always had weeping.  What type of press are you using? 

I have gone on to rinded cheeses instead and have had more success. 

[Susie]

I don't have any experience with using goat's milk for this, but my first question based on what you're saying is did you let the cheese dry well enough before waxing? I think most people wait several days at a minimum. I don't think I'd worry about "nasties." But I'm surprised you're not detecting any sort of sour taste from the excess whey. I'm far from experienced at this stuff though, so hopefully somebody else will step in with vast amounts of knowledge.  :)

[margaretsmall]

I don't have vast amounts of knowledge, but I would think that the weeping is not necessarily the result of inadequate pressing, more likely either not enough whey expelled during the stirring, cheddaring etc. or not dry enough before waxing. I've had some problems with weeping (the cheese that is, not me), although I vacuum bag rather than wax, so I have paid more attention to both of these and my recent attempts have been fine. As Susie says, the excess whey may lead to off-tastes if not dealt with, so you would need to strip the wax off, leave the cheese to dry for several days, then rewax.
Margaret