Two Month tasting -- my first Gouda

[sominus]

So over the weekend we opened the Gouda (vacuum packed) for a taste test.  To be fair, we weren't expecting much considering that my wife, daughter and I had just polished off a large chunk of Beemster XO, but we had to give it a try anyway.  Also, to be fair, this was the first cheese in my press -- and I WAY overpressed it due to a miscalculation.

The texture of this cheese is still slightly dry, but seems to have gentled out a bit.  The flavor is a bit sharp, much like a cheddar with a slightly bitter "mark" in the background.  When tasted a month ago this bitter "mark" was not there.  We decided to try it again in a month.  I'll be making another Gouda soon, along with a couple 1 lb wheels of Feta.  (My first Feta, by the way, ROCKED!  My family won't even touch the store bought stuff anymore.)

-M

[Cheese Head]

Heh great stuff sominus, glad to hear they are coming along!

[mtncheesemaker]

Hey, if it's edible, that's a success! And kudos on the feta; that can be tricky too.
Pam

[DeejayDebi]

Sorry Michael I can't remember how old this cheese was but I would not look faith time it a cheeses best friend! Congrats on the feta.

[Baby Chee]

Hey, if it's edible, that's a success! And kudos on the feta; that can be tricky too.
Pam

This is true.  You might acquire a welcome taste for what you have.

[sominus]

This cheese was made on 5/2, so its probably still a little young.

The Feta had a two week aging prior to tasting, and it was really good then.  We tried a little more with the Gouda and it was outstanding!

Now all I need is some time to actually make more... I was going to on Saturday but the pool pump broke, turning a 1 hour task into an all day event.