Hello from Spain

[Queixo]

Hello cheesemakers!
I like fermenting things, and bake sourdough bread at least once a week. I love cheese, so getting into cheesemaking is the next logical step.
Past week I made my first cheese following no recipe in particular, just applying some things I learnt at this great site.
I suppose it will not be the best cheese in the world but it looks like it will be edible 
It's 9 days old now:

[zenith1]

way to go Queixo!. Welcome to this great forum of cheesemakers. Where do you live in Spain? My wife spent a glorious 3 weeks traveling around your country in the mid 90's. It is a wonderful place . What type of cheese did you make, I can't tell from your picture?

[Cheese Head]

Bienvenedo Queixo!

Congrats on your cheese, looks great, as you are in Spain, origin of so many wonderful cheeses, I was hoping you'd be able to teach us .

Have fun!

[Queixo]

Thanks for your welcome 
Zenith1, I'm currently living at the Costa Brava (NE) but I'm originally from Galicia (NW).
Re the cheese, I cooked the curds at 36ºC and pressed inside a piece of cloth with 6 Kg for 9 hours, so I suppose it is a semihard cheese, but I don't really know. We'll see in a few weeks.

John, I know of many Spanish cheeses, but don't know how to make them, just how to eat them 

[iffans]

Hi everybody! I'm also Spanish (Seville, S) and newbie in all the cheese stuff. So far I've only made fresh cheese, quark, yogurt... but would like to try with the semi and hard ones. Queixo, how did you press the cheese? I'm browsing the web and it's so hard to find equipment here in our country!   

[Cheese Head]

Ola iffans. also welcome!

Our list of cheese making suppliers is here, several in EU, sadly none yet in Espana, but three must be!

On pressing, I don't know what Quiexo used but from rounded edges it looks somewhat like a cloth ball method, some details here. Most our members use the more common and simpler hoop with base and follower or mold to shape the cheese, for weights there are many ideas and options depending on size and type of cheese (I now use larger expensive Kadova Brand molds but my free to me stepladder and paint bucket as a weight, earlier I used cheaper simpler devices). Lots of ideas in the Equipment - Cheese Forming Board.

[iffans]

Hi John! Thanks for all this valuable information  I just had a look at these suppliers and some of them ship to Spain 

By the way, great step-by-step guide and nice pics! hahah I didn't know a bucket and a ladder would be of so much help for pressing!

[Queixo]

Hola iffans, encantado de conocerte 
I don't have any mold yet, I've ordered a couple of them from http://www.capraispana.com/, but they have not yet arrived.
That store is a bit expensive and their selection is not too large, but is the only one I've found in Spain.

This is mi hi-tec press:

[iffans]

¡Hola Queixo! I like your system too, real home-made By the way, I just received my order from capraispana today (some fresh cheese moulds and calcium chloride) and agree it's a little expensive. Have a look at UK ebay shops on the supplier list. They have better prices and reasonable shipping rates! 

[Cheese Head]

Thanks for the link you two, I've just added to our list of suppliers.

Also, Queixo, I just noticed your picture of you using the cheesecloth ball pressing method (not sure if that is the right name, maybe you have a better one in Espania), which took me back to this thread which I just updated with pictures.

Appreciate if you could post any advice on this method in that thread.