Not upset, just confused about your comment. I showed examples of the bad things that can happen in a clothbound cheddar. I like funk but not all molds are good. There is a reason commercial bloomy rind cheese and almost all blue cheese use selected strains of mold. My friend who is a professional cheesemaker in NY is very particular about her Clothbound cheddar and there are specific molds that she doesn't want growing on it. I am also very particular, I design my own cheeses and in this cheese, I don't want to deal with wild molds because they have the potential to burrow into the paste and they typically have a musty smell. To be clear, I said bad stuff as in they can give bad flavor (musty) and taste (bitter/acrid) and those 2 cheeses aren't mine. Although there are people who are allergic to certain types of mold so there can be some health risk. From my experience, vacuum bagging tends to promote the growth of calcium lactate on the rind which can give an off flavor and looks unsightly. Whey seepage from the cheese inside the bag is another issue which can make the cheese bitter if not removed. Newly opened vacuum bagged cheese can also have a funky flavor in the beginning. I think using PVA eliminates all of those issues I mentioned. I still vacuum pack cheese because it is cheap and convenient.
