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Sorry if this isn't the a proper topic for this section.  I have very limited experience making semi-hard to hard cheese, but would like to know when one would add Cocoa powder, Cayenne, Cinnamon and things like that.  Are these items used sparingly or is the entire cheese dusted with them?  How often are they added?

Andy

Andy - your question is too broad with no correct answer. Depends on the cheese and the ingredient.

Sorry Sailor, Washed curd type cheeses like Goudas or Colbys or even Tommes I was just talking about the rind area and not the entire cheese profile of the cheese, some of the mentioned items are good for combating mold I'm sure and for developing suttle flavors inside the edible rinds.


Andy

With washed curds, you can add in the beginning to the milk, to the wash water, to the milk after wash water is added, to curds after draining, sprinkle on cheese before final pressing, rub on after pressing, or wash the rind during affinage. Some will be a one shot applications. Others require reapplication during affinage. Again it depends on the cheese and the ingredient. The dry ingredients that you mentioned would most likely be single applications rubbed into the rind right after pressing but they could be managed in several ways.

"Sparingly" and "subtle" are in the eye of the beholder.