Plymouth Artisan Cheese Hand Waxed Series

Producer

Plymouth Artisan Cheese

Country

United States

Region

Vermont

Website

www.plymouthartisancheese.com

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Raw

Classification

Hard

Rennet

Animal

Rind

Waxed

Style

Cheddar-like

Flavor

Flavor added to paste

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be a curd-munching early American settler, we recommend that you snag a wedge of Plymouth Artisan Cheese. This might be the country’s only remaining granular curd cheese, a vintage style with an open-bodied curd texture that ends up sort of—but not exactly—resembling cheddar.

While like the cheese, the creamery is full of history—Calvin Coolidge’s father built it in 1890, making it one of the oldest in the U.S.—it’s now being run with a young, innovative cheesemaker at its helm. A true foodie, Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese founder Jesse Werner has scoured the world for innovative ingredient combinations to flavor several versions of the granular-curd cheese.

“He loves being inspired by how flavors show up in the cheese, how they can be enhanced by cheese flavor and vice versa” says Sarit Werner, Jesse’s wife and branding and marketing manager for the company. Out of all the flavor combos—which include Hot Pepper, Garlic Peppercorn and Sage & Herbs—the Sambal, laced with a mix of an Indonesian-style spicy relish and Vermont maple syrup, is perhaps most reflective of the company’s innovative outlook.

In addition to a lineup of flavors, Plymouth offers its flagship cheese in different ages of maturation: East Meadow is aged 60 days and Original Plymouth is aged a year, while Hunter matures for over two years. Rectangular blocks are hand-waxed and adorned with colorful labels—designed by Sarit—before sale.

The company sources all of its raw milk from a nearby single herd of Jersey and Holstein cows.

Pairings

Flavors vary greatly; when pairing, experiment with a variety of Vermont beers.