Hi,
We cut into this yesterday. Decided to compare this one with the natural wild rind to the first make, which was vac. bagged. You can see a piece of the first one in the lower right corner of the cut cheese photo. Anyway, now that the bagged one has aired out for a while, it is a ver good cheese. This one, with the rind, is also very good, and very different from the bagged version.
First, the paste is much drier, as could hardly be a surprise. It also has much more of a bite to it. The rind has to be removed, but it has a great aroma and look to it. As you can see, the mould is only on the surface, but it has added flavour. I'm very pleased with both results, and haven't decided which I prefer.
So, although this isn't a 3 week cheese as it had suggested in the make notes, it is one that is worth making and aging out at least 3 months. I would suggest more (these are now just over 4 months). I might bag half of this and take it out until 6 months. Or, I might just eat it all. Oh, why must life be full of difficult decisions?
- Jeff