First Pressed Cheese - Gouda #1

[mikekchar]

Yummy cheese!  AC4U!

[cheesehead94]

Congrats! A cheese for you

[rgreenberg2000]

Thanks, Mike & Cheesehead.  Fun to get some positive reinforcement!   Can't tell if my wife was happy for me, or disappointed that this means the hobby continues!

R

[awakephd]

Well done, AC4U!

[Susan38]

Hi again!  So happy your Gouda #1 is coming along nicely!  AC4U! 

Turns out I have my own G #1 going about the same time frame as yours.  I tested it at 2 months and was edible but not worth keeping out to eat, then just the other day tried it at 3 months.  Texture and flavor much better, but just like you...back to the cave it goes.  I had so many *little* things with it that did not go according to plan, so I don't have super high expectations, but if it keeps improving it just might be quite edible. 

Have you decided how long you will let yours age prior to taste testing again?

[rgreenberg2000]

Thanks, all, for the cheeses!

Susan, I think I will probably let it go for another three months (so six total from make date) before I taste it again.  I've got it divided into fourths, so I can use one as my tester piece, and leave the others alone.

Really fun to get a first taste of cheese that tastes like cheese!

R

[awakephd]

I think it is a good idea, especially as you are figuring out recipes and cheeses that you like, to sample along the way to see how it develops with age. Some cheeses I wind up liking at a younger stage, but others become ever more amazing with age.

Typically Gouda is aged a relatively short time (3-6 months), but there are long-aged varieties (3+ years). I have had a commercial long-aged Gouda that was out of this world, so I decided to give it a try. Currently my long-aged Gouda has been aging for 2 years, with a target of at least 3 years before opening. Only another 12 months of waiting to see if the experiment worked ... !