When I was new to making cheese, I rarely allowed my cheese to get any older than three months old. It was exciting to taste test what I had made...but I know that I never tasted the full possibilities in the product, either.
Anyway, this week I opened two cheeses that have been aging for quite some time. The first was a year-old cheddar, my first that I had made in over two years. It was quite moldy and even very colorful once the mold was scrubbed off.
Once cut into, it has an almost marbled appearance.
The texture is slightly crunchy, it is dry-ish, but not enough that it falls apart. Very, very tasty.
The other cheese is a Raw Milk Tomme that is 17 months old. Creamy texture, very sharp flavor. Very very good. Sorry, no pics on that one!
So, my conclusion is that, once I am geared up for making cheese again, I need to alternate a long-aging cheese with one that is meant to be eaten at a younger age. That way, maybe I can get past the urge to eat them all before their time.