smells like pineapple, tastes like cheese
washed in oak and made by ladies.
Ur-Eiche tastes like toasted brioche and macadamia nuts, with notes of barrique wood and pineapple near the rind.
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CHEESEMAKER
“we are just bursting with ideas”
“I am Christa Egli, master cheesemaker of the village dairy Girenbad. Our dairy is unconventional in many ways. Starting with the above average number of women cheesemakers on my team who pay great attention to detail and are bursting with ideas. Currently we have 7 dairy farmers and process 1.1 million kilograms of milk into about 14 cheese specialties. We pay a higher than average price for the milk – but only when it is exceptionally good. A fair milk price guarantees the farmers’ existence and also makes sure the dairy gets high-quality milk. Only when all participants in the production chain benefit, can we expect long term success.”
Click here to visit my dairy that we recently renovated
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STORY
fresh raw milk from the previous evening milking and own kettle whey culture
Christa uses fresh raw milk from the previous evening milking, which is stored overnight in a copper kettle. In the morning it is skimmed by hand to adjust the fat content. Christa uses her own kettle whey cultures, which are cultivated daily for the following day, as well as calf rennet produced herself in the Chäsi. Once produced, the wheels are then washed with oak wood extracts.
An exclusive specialty like this really needs a finishing touch. So that is why the cheese bears the oak leaves and the name “Ur-Eiche” (loosely meaning ‘old oak’) stamped in relief into the rind. Passion for the product is shown by the attention given to the smallest detail by Christa Egli and her team.
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AFFINAGE
treated with oak wood extract
Once produced, the 6.5 kg wheels are regularly treated by hand with oak wood extract. When you taste the Ur-Eiche you experience a light barrique taste, which Christa likes to compare with a barrique wine. Since a cheese cannot be put into a wooden barrel, Christa puts the wood on top of the cheese.
After 10 months of affinage in the cheese cellar, the cheese is brought to Gourmino in Langnau. Before delivery to our customers, each cheese is checked again by our affineurs.
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PROFILE & CHARACTER
| UR-EICHE: | “smells like pineapple, tastes like cheese” washed in oak and made by ladies. |
| RAW INGREDIENTS: | fresh raw milk from happy cows left to graze naturally |
| FAT CONTENT: | 50% FDM |
| WEIGHT PER WHEEL: | approx. 6 kg (12 lb) |
| AGE: | 10 months |
| TEXTURE: | slightly crumbly |
| CRYSTALS: | yes |
| BRAND: | selected & proved |