It's amazing how time flies. Here I almost forgot about this cheese. I had moved it to the big fridge for slower, long-term storage.
Opening the paper I was actually surprised to see that the whole thing wasn't engulfed in mold. When I cut slices they held together well. There was some black mold that had come through the rind in places but not too bad. After I sliced off the rind I had some decent cheese samples to taste.
It wasn't overpowering either in smell, saltiness, or off-flavors. It was actually quite nice...maybe a bit salty. I see that in a lot of the cheeses I have been making. I've tried to address that in some of my latest efforts. There's not much pleasure in eating cheese that's overly salted. It may be okay to incorporate in cooking or baking, but even that may strain a recipe.
I wouldn't consider this a true example of an Esrom. I have actually only tasted one Real Esrom (pictured) and it too was salty but a lot more moist and stinky. I experienced some difficulties in this make. I might try a third time somewhere down the road, but there a few other cheese styles I want to address first as well as concentrate on refining my Goutaler and Beaufort styles.
-Boofer-