Experiences with Permeable Vacuum Bags

[LakeThomas]

Hey guys, I am looking for a little advice on these permeable bags if anyone has any experience. I have a supply of them specifically for aging cheese  and a chamber sealer. I understand the technology but I am not 100% on the process.

I read somewhere online that it is possible to seal the cheeses right out of the press and then put straight into the aging environment? My initial thought was to let a bit of a rind develop before sealing them for aging? Would it be safer to seal them right away and let a more natural appearing rind develop at the end of aging? There isn't a great deal of information available online so if anyone has any insight I would be most appreciative!

[River Bottom Farm]

Most that use bags put the cheese in right away but  if you are looking for the flavor notes of a more wild rind it is possible to let the rind develop then bag it to slow down the growth for a while. Bagging then  opening and finishing in the open is also an option but the flavor notes will not be the same as if you bagged after aging a bit first. It all depends on what you want from your finished cheese

[dc-k]

I'm relatively new to cheesing and I have found that vac packing straight away increases my consistency. This has enabled me to vary other factors and more accurately assess their impact.

Most recently I made a ricotta salata from leftover whey and vac packed it after a few hours pressing. It developed a decent flavour in a couple of weeks without any of the mold issues I had with its predecessors which I matured and then vac packed.

Keep us posted with the results

[LakeThomas]

Thanks for the replies. It is the first time using this breathable bags for me so I will be interested to see how it goes. I think I am going to give them a couple of weeks exposure to develop a decent rind before sealing. Will monitor weight loss from there on and update this post.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Where did you get the bags from? The responses that you received so far were relevant to regular vac bags, not the breathable type.

[LakeThomas]

I got the bags from the Danish company Tublin. They also make the material for UMAI Dry Bags (Tublin 10, I think). I have Tublin 30 bags.

Do you know any more Sailor?

[5ittingduck]

I used a Umai bag to age a Hispanico. 
I use them extensively (in tube form) for salamis and get great results.
I age all my cheeses in a frost free fridge in vac bags, low humidity.
The cheese dried out a fair bit in this environment, and didn't develop as much flavour as it's brother in an impermeable bag.
If done in a higher humidity environment, I suspect the result would be better. 
I have not repeated the experiment as I have been getting superior results with different methods, far cheaper too.
If you can get the bags cheap, it's worthwhile to experiment with this option.  If you age in a wetter environment, it's worth a try.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Your profile does not show your location. Are you in the USA? Did you buy the bags directly from the company or thru a 3rd party distributor?

[LakeThomas]

I am based in South Africa, I bought the bags directly from Tub-Ex. I am going to start using them and will post back here when I get some results.