Curd & Rind

Cave cross-section: the four aging strata in section

Fresh 0–7 days · 9

Soft ripened 1–4 weeks · 9

Semi-hard 2–6 months · 4

Hard 6–24 months · 2

pH at drain

6.6 6.4 6.2 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.0

Scale 5.0–6.6 in 0.2 steps; acid-set fresh cheeses drain below 5.0 and are pinned to the bottom.

Opened today

Gruyère: A Washed Rind in a Cave That Is Deliberately Too Damp

Alpine wheels are washed for two reasons: to keep the surface from drying into a shell, and to seed it with the orangish bacteria that give the rind its smell and, eventually, some of the paste its flavour.

Hard · 300 days

Edam: The Low Scald and the Paraffin Coat

Edam is Gouda's leaner cousin: a lower scald, a longer press, a heavier brine, and a wax coat that goes on early.

Semi-hard · 70 days

Valençay: Sixteen Hours of Drain and the Pyramid That Sags

The truncated pyramid is a moulding problem, not a shaping one.

Soft ripened · 24 days

24 of 34 records are out; the next lands 2026-10-17.

Every record, ascending by aging days

1 d Paneer: A 90 C Acid Set With a Six-Kilogram Press Fresh · pH 5.2 · 52%

1 d Ricotta From Yesterday's Whey: Why Acid Timing Beats Temperature Fresh · pH 5.6 · 70%

1 d Thirty-Minute Mozzarella With Citric Acid: The Two Numbers That Decide It Fresh · pH 5.3 · 58%

2 d Buffalo Mozzarella: Acid-Developed Stretch at pH 4.9 Fresh · pH 4.9 · 62%

2 d Fresh Cheddar Curd: Cheddaring for the Squeak, Not for the Cloth Fresh · pH 6.2 · 45%

2 d Fromage Blanc Without Rennet: A Twelve-Hour Lactic Set Fresh · pH 4.5 · 72%

2 d Queso Fresco: A Rennet Fresh Cheese That Still Squeaks Fresh · pH 5.9 · 60%

3 d Labneh: Eighteen Hours of Drain and the Salt Rate That Makes It Last Fresh · pH 4.3 · 68%

5 d Halloumi: The 90 C Poach Is What Makes It Squeak Fresh · pH 6.3 · 54%

7 d Crescenza: A Rindless Soft Cheese With No Rind to Fail Soft ripened · pH 5.2 · 62%

14 d Crottin de Chavignol: An Eighteen-Hour Lactic Set in Small Moulds Soft ripened · pH 4.4 · 70%

21 d Camembert: A Ladled Curd, a Dry Surface, and Three Weeks of Patience Soft ripened · pH 4.6 · 68%

24 d Valençay: Sixteen Hours of Drain and the Pyramid That Sags Soft ripened · pH 4.4 · 68%

28 d Chaource: Cream Added, Rennet Cut Back, and a Cylinder That Holds Soft ripened · pH 4.55 · 70%

28 d Reblochon: A Mixed Culture, a Warm Cave, and a Thin Orange Skin Soft ripened · pH 5.6 · 56%

28 d Sainte-Maure: A Log of Goat Curd, Ash, and a Straw Through the Middle Soft ripened · pH 4.35 · 64%

35 d Taleggio: Salting in 18% Brine and Washing the Rind Every Second Day Soft ripened · pH 5.7 · 58%

42 d Brie-Style: Large Format, Slow Drain, and Why Thin Is Harder Soft ripened · pH 4.7 · 66%

70 d Edam: The Low Scald and the Paraffin Coat Semi-hard · pH 6.3 · 44%

90 d Raclette: A Hot Scald, a Brine Wash, and a Three-Month Window Semi-hard · pH 6.4 · 40%

120 d Gouda: Replacing a Third of the Whey With Water Semi-hard · pH 6.4 · 42%

180 d Clothbound Cheddar: The Lard, the Bandage and the Six-Month Turn Semi-hard · pH 6.2 · 36%

300 d Gruyère: A Washed Rind in a Cave That Is Deliberately Too Damp Hard · pH 6.4 · 34%

540 d Parmigiano-Style: A 55 C Cook, a 26% Brine and Eighteen Months Hard · pH 6.2 · 30%

Four words this ledger keeps using

Curd
Milk protein that has been coagulated by rennet or acid and has begun to separate from the whey.
Set time
The minutes between adding rennet and cutting the curd.
Flocculation
The first visible moment the milk stops behaving like a liquid — a cap or a speck on the surface will hold still when nudged.
Scald
Raising the curd-and-whey temperature after cutting to drive out moisture.