Thanks Jeff--as you say, though, it's hard to describe what aspect of the flavor I don't like. I'll try:
The flavor starts of great, just like I want it to, but after a few seconds on the tongue, a more "chemical" or "industrial" flavor (best way I think to describe it) hits the sides of my tongue. After swallowing, the aftertaste continues with that industrial flavor, though less pronounced, and it is augmented by a bit of heat/irritation in the back of the throat.
If I could get the starting flavor and avoid the follow-on flavor and sensation, I'd be thrilled. I've had a blue like that before, and that's what I thought I was getting. I wonder if/am hopeful that having a little less veining will limit the flavor to more of the initial taste. The cheese I thought I was getting didn't have nearly as much veining as this one I've got now.
Tia, I'll let you know how it goes. Jeff's advice to try a bunch is a great idea. Had I recognized that I wasn't getting what I thought I was, I would have done something similar. If this doesn't turn out, that's what I'll try. Also--you should try a cambozola. It was one of my first "strange" cheeses and the whole reason I decided to learn to make Camembert and blue (though now that I have had other good cheeses, I have additional reasons to want to make each separately).
[img width= height= alt=milk in sink]https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/733855_309099692548811_449448425_n.jpg[/img]
You can see some fat chunks floating on top. I had about 5% milk fat here. (Notice I put insulation around the sides of the vat)
[img width= height= alt=cut curds]https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/62448_309099689215478_1813591834_n.jpg[/img]
I like to show pictures while my curds still look good. By the time I got done with this, the curds were really mashed up and not so nice looking. One problem I have not yet been able to resolve with this sink is how to use the drain effectively. So far, I tried to use a big cheese mat to push all of the curds past the drain and then open the drain. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold the mat stable enough and curds kept escaping past it. After that, I let the curds drain on their own, which clogged the drain immediately. Once that happened, I started stirring in the drain, essentially mashing any curds blocking the flow though the drain. While doing this, I held a strainer under the drain and caught all the mashed up curds. That was last time. This time, I took some cheese mat, and cut it to fit the drain, and put it under the plug, providing a bigger area for the whey to flow through. When I started draining, it worked well for a bit, but then got clogged, too. I need something that will filter out the curds, but let the whey through. If I can get the filter far enough away from the drain, the velocity of the whey won't be too great, and the curds won't get sucked up against the filter. I think my first idea would work if I attached it to a rigid framework. I'll add that to my list of things to figure out...back to today's cheese.
[img width= height= alt=cheese in mold]https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/601197_309099679215479_823434415_n.jpg[/img]
I used 2 of my cam molds. The plan is to pierce one as the recipe says (4 holes per square inch, I think), and one with a lot fewer to see if I can get the flavor I want.
[img width= height= alt=top view of cheese]https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/598723_309099735882140_532996875_n.jpg[/img]
I actually had 2 1/3 molds filled when I started draining. But, I didn't want to manage them all, so I took the 1/3, cut it in half and put half in each of the other two, filling up the space that they had compressed down to during draining. I'm pretty sure it will all knit together...