Affi-What Now?

AFFINAGE! Pronounced aw-fin-aj

Affinage is the art of aging cheeses. This is one of those tricky topics, because for most things you make them and they are done. Cheese is not so simple. An unaged or young cheese is made by a cheese maker, after which it is aged. In Europe the aging is often done by different people in a different business. The aging can be more influential to the final product than the making and often gets more acclaim. 

The stereotypical affineur; here working with roquefort

Someone who ages cheese is called an affineur and it is their job to control all aspects of climate and handling of the cheeses in their care. They manipulate humidity, temperature, air flow and perform tasks like washing, brushing and turning cheeses. Because of seasonal and other changes in milk and cheese quality an affineur does not just follow a set protocol for each cheese, but is constantly evaluating and re-assessing conditions as the cheeses age. The aging process is where a cheese develops its texture and flavor, so the process is wildly important. 

Basque cave. Photo: NY Times

Aging is where the caves come into play. Traditionally natural caves provided consistent temperature and humidity levels and regional cheeses were different due in part to the natural differences in their local caves. Now we build rooms to produce exactly the conditions we want and can make cheeses that require very different conditions in the same place.

Washing, brushing and turning are all physical manipulations of cheese that help develop flavors and textures. Washing keeps in moisture and promotes certain bacteria to grow, turning lets a cheese age evenly and prevents settling. Wrapping or binding cheeses in different materials also changes their flavor.

What amazes me is that the same milk, made in the same way can become very different cheeses depending on affinage. The size of a cheese effects surface area and how quickly bacteria will penetrate into the interior. Lets just say there is so much to affinage that I can't even start to cover it here!

The word affinage comes from the latin 'ad finis' which means 'to the limit' and that is exactly what an affineur does. They take high quality young cheeses and push them to the limits of their melt-your-face taste potential. 

Affinage continues (should continue) at the retailer. Cheeses can be shipped before being perfectly ripe to avoid over-ripening before they reach the customer, and my biggest pet peeve in the cheese world is to be sold an under-ripe cheese. For as much as the conditions and care matter, if the cheese doesn't reach you at the right time, its going to be sub-prime. I also think the American palate lands a little on the sweet and simple side, so young cheeses are likely to be received well. Timing is everything, and I don't doubt that my best cheese experiences have all come from eating something at the prefect moment for that cheese. 

Maybe I can get this guy to open a cheese counter next to my house and provide me with perfectly aged cheeses all the time. 

Master Affineur Rodolphe Le Meunier

Ossau-Iraty

I went to my favorite cheese counter in Seattle a while ago and noticed a bunch of cheeses with the name Ossau-Iraty. I'd never heard of this before, but based on how many different Ossau-Iraty cheeses they had it must be fairly common and popular. So I grabbed three at random and now here we are!

Here is what a very brief internet search has taught me. Ossau-Iraty is an AOC protected cheese type from France. It's named after the Ossau valley and the beech forests of Irati where the sheep graze and the cheese is made. It is a raw milk, uncooked cheese (neither milk or curds are heated higher than needed for culturing) that is semi-firm, smooth in texture and has plant-y earthy flavors. Apparently this is a very old cheese, having been made by alpine shepards for over a thousand years.

Here's what I tried, and I apologize for the lack of info on these cheeses, but the girl helping me at the counter didn't write very good information down for these guys:

Ossau Iraty, raw sheep milk
Basco-Bearnaiso, France

Is that little blue spot a flaw?

Basco-Bearnaiso is simply a reference to basco-bearnaise sheep, which are one of two breeds who's milk is permissible in making Ossau Iraty. This cheese has a very light paste (interior) and a dark, dusty rind. These are both hallmark characteristics of the cheese. There is one blue-green dot in one of the small eyes, which I don't think is meant to be there, but I don't know what that means for the flavor. It's crystalline and salty, but mild in flavor. A little nutty, but not wildly flavorful to me. It has the sheep milk sweetness and a little wooly flavor, which I like. It has some meaty-ness as well. Not a mind blower I'd say.









Ossau-Iraty, raw sheep milk
La Tradition Du Bon Fromage, France

This is so different than the first! It is a deep creamy yellow with a sticky orange rind. Much more pungent and less salty. It has the characteristic smooth and crystalline texture. It is quite spicy/sharp. There is deep earthiness and a hint of stanky. Some tropical fruit as well. It is quite aromatic.






Ossau-Iraty, raw sheep milk
Mons Fromagerie, France

Both Mons Fromagerie and La Tradition Du Bon are affinuer/distributors, but I've linked the Mons website because it is just cool! Check it out. Also, this is my favorite out of the three that I tried. This cheese is creamy-pale in color with a dark brown-orange rind. And what a different taste! Quite meaty and creamy. This is crystalline, but the crystals are finer than in the others. Semi-firm and very tongue-coasting in texture. I would give this to someone new to the cheese world, it's a wonderful introduction.



None of these are mind blowing, but a very mellow and tasty cheese. Flavorful and friendly. I think I just have very specific tastes.

I also tasted a fourth sheep milk cheese with the Ossau-Iraty

Puit D'Astier, raw sheep milk

Rodolphe Le Meunier

Les Fromages du Moulin, Auvergne, France

I'll get to the tasting notes on this in a second, but i just want to babble about cheese making and aging for a while first. This totally sexy and beautiful cheese is aged by a quite attractive award winning affinuer named Rodolphe Le Meunier, who was named World's Best Cheesemonger 2007 and is a nationally recognized artisan in France (that's an official title, he's like a French national treasure). This cheese is aged on a bed of straw and is named for its donut shape. Man, now I want to try everything this guy ages. I think I would both like to be this man and go on a wildly romantic date in France with him. It could happen.






This cheese is just fun, so much going on visually! Like I said it's from a donut shaped wheel so there is rind in the center (yay, more rind!). It has a soft, bloomy appearance edged in neon yellow! Like really, truly bright neon! What is making that color? It has a lovely semi-soft, still sliceable texture. Ooooh! What flavor! A little woody and wonderfully pungent & stinky. Very creamy with that meaty/umami flavor. It is very flavorful without being at all overripe. Very nice. The rind is bitter. It has one of my favorite cheese textures; buttery and supple but can be sliced and served. I can't stop eating this.

How long till Rodolphe and I disappear into the French countryside?