Yesterday when I had the cheeses out for their airing I decided to cut one open. It's at the 6.5 week point and my target was for 8 weeks just like the first effort, but my curiosity would not be held back.
I had tried to work through some slip-skin moments and that's pretty obvious from the wrinkly rind and the folds & creases. The paste near the rind is gooey which also reflects a slip-skin condition. The core is still fairly firm. It was just out of the cave so it was still chilled when I tasted it. Slightly tangy, slightly salty...with an earthy character, especially from the rind. Interesting and not altogether disagreeable.
I tasted it a couple hours later after it had warmed to room temperature...better. I sliced it (very soft, so rather difficult to really slice) and spread it on some sourdough bread which was then toasted in the toaster oven. It melted quite readily under the heat of the oven. This cheese would lend a lot of character to a tartiflette or other cooked or baked dish.
I wrapped up the rest of the cheese to age a little longer in cheese paper under cooler conditions. The cheese is fairly decent right now, but might benefit from ripening a little longer. It isn't as rich as the first effort since it didn't receive the added cream. I think the first effort was more correct, but the added cream level should be reduced.
-Boofer-