Artisanal Premium Cheese E-Newsletter
-02/13/07-

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A full-blown cheese of the month club might not be for everyone, but here's your chance to try these cheeses before they're gone for good. Artisanal Premium Cheese's customers - a very discerning group indeed - especially love when we bring in rare, exotic, and exclusive cheeses. This week, we are very excited to offer - on a first-come, first-served basis - three very rare artisanal cheeses. We have a limited supply available of the three ultra-exclusive French cheeses featured in February's Artisanal Premium Cheese Connoisseur's Club, including Pitchounet, Sable du Boulonnais, and Gaperon au Torchon.

And its never too late to join the club - sign up by February 28th to receive March's shipment! Artisanal's Cheese of the Month Club is available in three-, six-, or twelve-month installments, or as an Auto-Renew - sign up once, and we'll send you cheese until you tell us to stop.

Pitchounet Reg: $42.00 each Sale: $35.00 each

Sable du Boulonnais Reg: $36.25 each Sale: $32.00 each

Gaperon au Torchon Reg: $30.00 each Sale: $27.00 each

Our customers know their cheese, so we've put together a list of their favorite products. Best Selling Cheese This Week: Valdeon $16.25 per lb Stilton, Colston Bassett $23.75 per lb Humboldt Fog $19.50 per lb

Weekly Cheese Specials: Bayley Hazen Blue Reg: $18.50 per lb Sale: $15.75 per lb Cheddar Truckle & Plum Chutney Reg: $70 each Sale: $50 each Berkswell Truckle Reg: $40 each Sale: $32 each

Weekly Trivia

Question: What role does salt play in cheesemaking? Why is it important? Find out in the next Artisanal e-newsletter!
- The Artisanal Staff

Last Time We Asked: What are cultures? Mesophilic and thermophilic cultures?

Answer: Cultures refer to cultured bacteria used in cheese making to ‘jump-start’ the production of lactic acid in milk. They are usually added to the milk at the beginning of the process and thus referred to as ''starter cultures''. It is essential to ‘activate’ the milk before any enzyme or coagulant can begin to work properly, and though some cheeses do not use enzymes, they are usually very fresh cheeses or fermented milk products such as yogurt. Many different cultures are used in the flavor development and texture profiles of different styles of cheese.

For example, mesophilic cultures, (meaning moderate [temperature] loving bacteria) such as Lactococcus lactis, are used when the milk is at moderate temperature. That being around, 45ºF-100ºF. This bacterium is often used to smooth textured cheeses like brie, fresh chevre, and many blue cheeses.

Thermophilic (heat loving) cultures, on the other hand, are those that are livelier in higher temperatures; anywhere from 90ºF-125ºF. In this range you will find Lactobacillus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus. This is used to make many washed rind cheeses and swiss cheeses like emmental.

Many times a cheese maker will experiment with different cultures to fine tune the flavors they are looking for in their cheeses and the uses of mesophilic and thermophilic cultures is by no means restricted to cheese type. There are scores of different cultures and multiple strains of each bacterium with each contributing a different element to the overall flavor and texture of a cheese. This is a clear example of how cheeses are literally alive and react to the environment and care they are given.

Do you have a question for our trivia section, or some trivia of your own to share?
Send it to editor@artisanalcheese.com and we may use it in a future newsletter!

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