I had originally planned on making this for my Valentine on February 14th or February 19th (our 30th anniversary), but I decided it would do well with more time in the cave. I think I was right.
The cheese sliced very nicely. Semi-hard, so that it was a nice table cheese and could go very well with fruit, crackers, crusty bread, etc. At the first taste, I was wondering "Uh oh, salt level is too low.". After savoring that first flash of flavor, my tastebuds acclimated to the subtle nuances of the raw milk complexity. Then I picked up another small slice...oh yeah, I think this is going to be alright! The necessary salt was there. I had to restrain myself from just finishing that section (one sixth of the cheese). It's the kind of cheese that makes me want to go back and taste... just one more small piece.
I had developed the rind and then tinted it, as per the style, with saturated annatto color. I was literally dumping the annatto from the bottle onto the cheese and rubbing it around.
There was a slight stickiness inside the vacuum bag when I opened it where the linens & annatto clung to the inside of the bag. Not significant though.
This is a nice little easy cheese that's very satisfying.
-Boofer-