Cumberland

Producer

Sequatchie Cove Farm

Country

United States

Region

Tennessee

Size

10 in diameter x 4 in height

Weight

3-4 lbs

Website

www.sequatchiecovefarm.com

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Raw

Classification

Firm

Rennet

Animal

Rind

Natural

Style

Alpine-style

Set in the shade of the Cumberland Plateau outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sequatchie Cove Creamery is a family-run business owned and operated by Nathan and Padgett Arnold and a small team of devoted turophiles. The focus here is on expressing the local southeastern Tennessee terroir, as well as sustainability; the 100% solar-powered creamery's most substantial waste product, whey, is fed back to the farm's livestock.

Cheese is made at Sequatchie Cove every day using fresh raw cow's milk produced on the 300-acre farm. Dairy and herd manager Randall Tomlinson tends to an 80-plus head herd of dairy cows, predominantly Jersey and Jersey-Holstein crosses. As cows forage, Tomlinson and his crew busily oversee pasture health, milk quality, genetics, on-farm breeding, calving, and milking equipment.

Inspired by the classic French Tomme de Savoie, Cumberland is aged 75-90 days. Like their French predecessors, wheels of the cheese are not washed during aging, just turned. The result is a striking mold growth on the rind that varies between over the seasons, expressing changes in milk composition. “We let this cheese have a wild streak,” says co-owner Padgett Arnold. 

Tasting Notes

Sequatchie Cove’s best selling cheese at the farmers market, Cumberland is reminiscent of a barn, with a humid and pungent smell that is especially earthy and powerful toward the rind. A malleable, dense, golden paste reveals a mild flavor with a clean lactic finish. Aromas of mushrooms, flowers and grass can be detected. 

Pairings

Pair it with a full-bodied, dry white wine or with a tempranillo.