We are so proud to finally roll out our latest “Cavemaster Reserve” cheese, and already people are buzzing about it. After months of testing, cavemaster Brian is ready to start selling our new one-of-a-kind Cornelia. Named for our original location at Cornelia Street and Bleecker Street in New York’s West Village, these adorable tiny toma-style wheels were made in partnership with Point Reyes Farmstead, who make several wonderful cheeses out in California.
We receive the wheels at just a few days old, and they are immediately moved to our washed-rind cave where we give them lots of love, and several washings. After they’ve developed a nice orange-colored rind, they’re moved to the natural-rind cave, where they’re allowed to develop further. The final result is a beautiful natural-rind, similar to the rinds found on Tomme de Savoie and Toma Walser.
Our friends over at Cheese Notes had these astute tasting notes on Cornelia:
The rind is orangey-pink, with a frosting of white mold, and a light layer of crystalline accretions from the washings. The paste is smooth and rich, with a scattering of eyes, lightly bulging and oozing as it warms. The aroma is a bit musty, carrying over from the aging caves; the flavor is beautifully buttery, with a silky, melting mouthfeel (reminiscent of a higher-fat sheep’s milk cheese even though it’s made from cows milk), with notes of roasted peanut and buttered toast, earthy and a bit brothy once it comes to room temperature. This is an easy-eating cheese, and I wouldn’t expect too many Cornelia’s halves to make it back into the fridge once they’ve been put out on the board.
You can read the whole write up here, or try the cheese for yourself at both of our New York retail location and of course you can always order it online.
