Brie very 'earthy'

[Dorchestercheese]

Hi-  My Brie is coming out earthy in flavor.  Any idea why? I'm using the recipe on New England cheese. The texture is awesome buttery smooth and silky.  Is it the milk?

[Dorchestercheese]

Wait I just realized it's only 5 weeks old maybe it needs longer.

[SOSEATTLE]

Brie is supposed to have a mushroomy/earthy flavor.


Susan

[Gregore]

Some cultures are like that , is this a commercial culture ? 

[Dorchestercheese]

Here is the recipe-
- 1 Pack of Rick's Mesophilic C101 culture OR 1/4 teaspoon of MM100
The next 2 cultures are surface ripening molds and should be added to the milk when culture is added.
- Geotrichum C7 - just a pinch (about 1/32 tsp.) 
- P.candidum C8 - 1/16 tsp.
- Calcium Chloride 1/4 tsp- If having problems with forming a good curd using cold stored milk then this can help. We do not use this with fresh milk.

[AeonSam]

Hello,

I typically use Flora Danica for brie since it's more buttery. I've found the mm cultures to produce a rubbery texture in Brie and Cams.

Sam

[Dorchestercheese]

I was at a restaurant last night and had a Brie that was like eating a buttery cheese with no earthy. ..wish I knew the producer

[AeonSam]

I would definitely give Flora Danica from Danisco or Probat 222, or even Meso B from biena a try. These all produce more butter tastes.

Sam

[Gregore]

When you say earthy .... do you mean like dirt ?  Or barn yard , hay ? Or mushroomy ?

A good cam should have a coliflower  type taste also

[Dorchestercheese]

The cheese taste creamy smooth mellow then you are left in your mouth a bitter taste at the end.  Not mushroom I like mushroom

[AeonSam]

For what it's worth - I read that bitter peptides are a result of proteins breaking down too quickly and one of many causes is an aggressive strain of PC. I went down to a more moderate PC (ABL) and I stopped having that issue.

Sam

[Dorchestercheese]

thanks all..
Too bad I can't send out samples.

[Gregore]

I agree a less aggressive will help a lot

But I also find that the bitter ending mellows as they get older , geo can be a little acrid on the finish notes .

[Dorchestercheese]

Thank you everyone .. back to the lab lol

[Dorchestercheese]

Hi-  I'm back.  So I cut a blue cheese I made and it has the same musty basement taste as my brie.  It was of course covered with all kinds of colors where the brie only the white.