Description
Artequeso's Artisanal Farmstead Manchego Cheese is produced with raw Manchega sheep's milk of the highest quality, collected only from selected specimens on the Finca La Prudenciana, a family-owned farm that for decades has raised Manchega Sheep.
The Semi Curado 6 Month Farmstead cheese has a rich, buttery, distinctive, yet mind flavor with a lingering aftertaste. Raw milk makes for a creamier cheese, a more complex, persistent, and developed flavor.
The cheese-making process begins by collecting fresh milk straight from the Manchega Sheep right on the farm. Such proximity assures consistent quality in crafting artisanal cheese from the culturing to coagulation to draining of the whey.
All-natural preservative-free animal Rennet is added to coagulate the milk. From there the curd is put in molds and pressed to remove any excess whey and give it its shape. This process lasts from 5-7 hours, much longer than industrial Manchego cheese. During this time the lactic bacteria in the raw milk have time to develop. No preservatives such as Egg Lysozyme or Natamycin are used.
The fresh cheese is placed in a salt bath (all-natural sea salt with no anti-caking agents) where just the right amount is absorbed. The cheese is then removed and the maturation process begins.
During the maturation process an all-natural, antibiotic-free coating is applied to protect the cheese from developing mold while preserving the natural flavor and freshness. Pair this semi-curado with a young, sweet or dry, white, rose wine or IPA beer.
Artequeso Farmstead Manchego scored a 97.75 at the World Dairy Expo Championship held in Wisconsin on August 22nd 2017. Prestigious and well-known judges from all over the USA tried over 1200 entries and proudly Artequeso Farmstead Manchego came in 7th in the Open Class category and 1st of any Manchego submitted.