When The Man, Spaulding Gray and I lived in the Pacific Northwest, one of our favorite weekend trips was to the Oregon coast (SG never forgave us for not taking him along). Twice we traveled to Tillamook to explore the coast and , of course, visit the Tillamook County Creamery Association’s factory. Once we took Miss Anne and The Tall Guy with us. In addition to the tour, Miss Anne and I considered the 38 scoop tour of Tillamook Ice Cream. We were game but The Man and The Tall Guy ridiculed us into passing… Tillamook ice cream is another food we miss living here in The Deep South… but I digress…
As mentioned in my earlier post today, the good folks at Tillamook recently sent me samples of five of their cheddars and this afternoon The Man and I tasted their newest cheddar, Cape Meares. The first new cheddar created by TCCA in the last 100 years. Last week, Michael Landis ACS CCP hosted a Tillamook Virtual Cheese Tasting with Jill Allen, Director of Research and Development (Cheese and Spreads) at Tillamook. One cheese she showcased was Cape Meares which she developed with retired Head Cheesemaker, Dale Baumgartner. Her inspiration for Cape Meares came from several years of judging cheddars at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich England. You can imagine the number of cheddars entered into this prestigious awards competition. Jill wanted to develop an English-style cheddar with a sweeter profile than the cheddar that Tillamook made.
You can watch the entire tasting with Jill and Michael here:
A little bit about Cape Meares, the landmark and lighthouse which loaned their name to this cheese. From the US Fish and Wildlife website:
“Named after 18th century British naval officer, trader and explorer John Meares, the cape was formerly maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard for its diminutive lighthouse, Oregon’s shortest. The lighthouse still stands, abutting but just outside the 140 acres of centuries-old spruce and hemlock forest that is Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge.”
Now about the cheese. As mentioned above, this is the first new cheddar created by Tillamook in the last 100 years. The cultures used to make this cheese combine meso and thermo cultures created in the lab at Tillamook. The Tillamook cultures are made using the whey from the previous day’s milk, creating unique cultures that cannot be replicated anywhere else. The milk is gently warmed to a little more than 154 degrees Fahrenheit and held there for 15 seconds. This temperature is less than the 161 degrees required to pasteurize milk. By gently heating at the lower temperature, flavor enzymes are protected, allowing the unique beneficial bacteris and microflora that is found in naturally aged cheese.
Like all Tillamook cheddars, Cape Meares is made into 40 pound blocks and cryovac sealed. Then it is aged in the Tillamook warehouse where the temperature is a constant 43-45 degrees Fahrenheit. The blocks are allowed to cool down evenly and constantly to ensure the flavors and textures are the same throughout the block.
The sweet spot for enjoying Cape Meares falls between 12 and 15 months. At this age, you get a bit of the earthy taste (as is common in English cheddars) along with that sweeter profile. You get a clean milky taste with nutty notes. Plus it melts on the palate and finishes velvety.
I paired Cape Meares with slices of red apple, 34 Degrees Sesame Crisps, Kelly’s Pineapple Jalapeno Jelly and… Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies which come as a dough in cookie shape. (I like to bake from scratch but these pre-made cookie dough kits make life easy and guarantee freshly baked cookies any day of the week.) I also added a California Sauvignon Blanc to the tasting. It all came together quite nicely.
If I had to use only one word to describe Cape Meares it would be sublime.
When asked, The Man’s review was simply, “Excellent!! Is there more?
And as if that’s not enough, Cape Meares is an award-winning cheese:
- 2018 Best USA Cheese – International Cheese Contest
- 2018 2nd Place in Aged Cheese Category – ACS Competition
- 2019 US Championship and International Cheese Contest – Awards in its Category
Tomorrow, The Man and I will taste the Tillamook 2012 Master’s Reserve White Cheddar.
In addition to being an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
Starting June 12, 2020, you will be able to purchase my curated selection of Specialty Cheeses and Charcuterie at Blue Haven Bee Wine Bar in Canon and Sweet Combs of Honey in Downtown Lavonia. I will be offering my selections of Cheddar, Gouda, Alpine, Flavored and Blues. Plus Prosciutto and other cured Italian-style meats for your summer picnic and snacking needs. Both locations will also carry a selection of my Premium Line of Small-Batch Cheese Spreads.
FTC disclosure: Tillamook sent samples to me for tasting and discussing on my website. Other than the cheese, I receive no compensation from Tillamook. I also receive samples from 34 Degrees and Kelly’s Jelly to incorporate into my tastings. Again, except for the food items, I receive no other compensation from either company.
The opinions are my own and those of The Man.
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