This is the parmesan I made in March of last year (1 of only 2 cheeses I made last year
). I opened it up a couple weeks ago when I had some friends over. I guess I forgot to tell it that it was supposed to become a parmesan. Instead, it has a very distinct fruity flavor, and makes my mouth numb. It's kind of like sucking on a chloraseptic lozenge for a few seconds. My wife said it feels more like the effect caused by sucking on a lemon drop. The friends we had over didn't notice any strange mouth sensations, and everyone (except my wife) liked it well enough--but particularly those who didn't know it was supposed to be a parmesan.
What causes fruity flavors? What causes numbing sensations? (I've experienced this from other cheeses, too--commercial ones, not homemade)
I used raw milk, NEC thermo blend, and calf lipase.