Temperature

Moderate humidity keeps the young, developing rinds alive in the Natural Rind Cave, while a slightly colder temperature ensures that the cheeses ripen at exactly the right pace for peak flavor.

Affinage/Care:

Vacuuming, brushing, flipping

Flora & Microbes:

A great multitude of microbial diversity can be found in the natural cave. A few of the more notable guests include the gray-brown mold, Mucor racemosus (sometime called “cats hair” mold for the long mycelium it produces); the golden-yellow Chrysosporium sulfureum (often associated with a vegetative bitterness in cheese similar to chicory or endive); the red-orange Sporendonema casei (a rare mold only found on the surface of cheese), the off-white Penicillium camemberti (the same mold found in the Bloomy Cave); and the blue-green Penicillium roquefortii (as its namesake suggests – the mold responsible for the spiciness of blue cheeses such as Roquefort).

Flavor Compounds:

The 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, geosmin, and 2-methylisoborneol compounds provide an earthy flavor

Cheeses You May Know:

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Stilton, Tomme de Savoie, Garrotxa

Cheese from Murray's Caves:

Hollander, Stockinghall Cheddar