Well, here's a blast from the past! I noticed a few spots under the wax on this one, so yesterday I removed the wax and tended to it. It's almost 2 years old now. It had that fruity aroma I associate with waxed cheeses, which I think is something fermenting on the surface of the cheese. It wasn't wet, like I've had if I wax too early, but in the photo you can see a "crust" that forms. I scraped much of that off and will let it air out for a week or so in a ripening box with my week old Staffordshire. When I left it out on the counter to air out yesterday, it cracked a bit (not surprising) so the box should help readjust to the outside world.
Anyway, after a day, some scraping, etc it now weighs 972g, is 14.8 x 5.1 cm, and has a density of 1.11 g/cm3. Overall, looks to be in good shape (the spots that needed tending are on the far side, but pure coincidence I assure you!
). Once it's aired out and the fermenting aroma has cleared, it might be time to taste test it!
- Jeff