Hard Cheeses

Hard Cheeses deserve a place on any great cheese plate. The maturation period of these cheeses is usually measured in years, not months. To ripen a cheese to such an extent, the cheesemaker must take extra care at the outset to use only the highest quality starter cultures, rennet, and local milk.

Hard cheese often possesses a uniquely crystalline texture. As cheese matures, the proteins and amino acids naturally break down. When this occurs in the low-moisture, high-salt environment of an aged cheese, the denatured proteins crystallize. These intensely flavored, crunchy bits are one of the most pleasurable characteristics of hard cheese.