Zingerman's City Goat Cheese

We’ve long defined quality around two things: full flavor (which we think of as complexity, balance, and finish) and traditional foods. Over and over again for more than 40 years, we’ve found that the foods fitting this bill are terrific, like our City Goat Cheese.

We call it “City Goat” since we make it in town rather than in the countryside. These small rounds of fresh goat cheese are exceptional. Like Zingerman’s cream cheese, they’re incredibly simple to make. But don’t confuse simplicity with ease. They’re a LOT of work. Making fresh goat cheese of this sort requires excellent milk and careful handwork from the cheesemaker.

It starts with fresh goat milk from small local Michigan farms that gets a dose of rennet and starter culture. Once the curd sets, it’s cut to begin separating the solid curd from the liquid whey. The curd is then gently hand-ladled into perforated round forms – one ladle at a time. As the whey drains and the curd settles, another ladleful is added, and then another, until each round reaches the right size. We use three ladlefuls per form. The super-fresh rounds are then placed in a light salt brine for half an hour. Salt is the only preservative.

The beauty of the traditional hand-ladling process is that it produces a cheese much closer to what the best fresh goat cheeses were like many decades ago: delicate, flaky, and delicious. Many industrially processed “fresh” goat cheeses are extruded (pushed through a press) into the plastic casings in which they’re sold. The process can make the texture pasty and the flavor bitter. Suboptimal or older milk can also result in an overly “goaty” flavor. But Zingerman’s City Goat shows that the traditional, slow, hand-made method results in lovely layers of cheese, a fantastic fluffiness, a clean delicate finish, and freshness that is fantastic!

Goat’s milk cheeses run the gamut of flavors, but when most of us hear the term one type comes to mind: soft, earthy cheese with a chalky edge and a barnyardy bite. We don’t lump all cow’s milk cheeses into one flavor category. Why are we so cavalier with goats?

Goat’s milk is very fragile compared to cow’s milk.

Flavors reminiscent of a barn likely indicate that the milk wasn’t treated well. As goat’s milk sits, it starts to break up which leads to soapy and rancid flavors that comes through in the final cheese, which is why using fresh milk is important. Goat’s milk also has smaller fats and different acids compared to cow’s milk, so it needs to be processed gently and acidified slowly in order to bring out the desired flavors.

Large commercial producers of goat’s milk cheese are not so gentle. They’re working with large quantities of not-so-fresh milk, pasteurizing it hot and fast, then sealing it up in plastic. All of which lead to unsavory flavors.

You really can taste the difference from small producers.

Zingerman’s goat cheese is made with fresh milk sourced from small Michigan goat farmers. The milk is gently heated and pasteurized at lower temperatures. The milk is then allowed to slowly acidify over a longer period of time to retain those delicate, earthy flavors you want in goat cheese.

Blakesville Creamery relies on the milk of the herd of 1500 goats that live on site at Blakesville Dairy Farm. Less time in transit and more carefully handled cheese results in better tasting cheese.

Another shortcut of industrial producers is to use GMO-modified rennet and veal rennet in their cheesemaking. They’re cheaper, but not made for goat’s milk. Zingerman’s goat cheeses uses rennet specifically created for goat’s milk. Although it’s more expensive, it leads to a better final flavor and supports better aging.

What about aged goat cheese?

Fresh goat cheese highlight the milk’s lovely qualities, fruity sweet flavors and a soft, chalky dryness. As they get older the “goaty” flavors can be accentuated, but well made and well aged goat’s milk cheeses will have more strength and character without any taste of barn. A great example is Brabander – aged six to nine months, the goat gouda cheese turns into a vanilla milkshake of rich flavor.

How should the cheese be stored?

Hard cheeses have been carefully selected to withstand a longer transit time. Don’t worry if it arrives a bit warm or a bit cold – cheese is durable. Hard, aged cheeses stay good for a long time. Many days for sure. Sometimes weeks. Bigger hunks of cheese last longer. If it looks and smelled as expected, it’s likely still great.

Soft cheeses and cheese spreads (like pimento and liptauer) are best eaten within a week or two of receiving them.

We wrap hand-cut wedges of cheese in a cheese bag before shipment, and you can continue to keep the cheese in that cheese bag. The next best option would be parchment or wax paper. After you open the cheese for a nibble, any remainders can be put back into the bag and closed with a simple roll or fold. 

Store cheese in the fridge, ideally in the spot closest to 50 degrees. That will likely be the door of your refrigerator or in a drawer where the temperature is consistent but not too cold. Do not freeze your cheese! Cheese is a living thing. Freezing will stop the natural processes that keep cheese so tasty.

What if it’s got a little mold on it? A little mold is no problem. It’s a good sign, it means the cheese is alive. Scrape it off with a knife. But if there’s a lot of mold and it’s turning dark and funky it’s time to say goodbye.

What’s the best way to serve cheese?

Regardless of the kind of cheese, it’s best to take it out of the fridge about 20 to 30 minutes before serving it. Cheese tastes better at room temperature. It makes a world of difference: the aromas expand, becoming more complex; more of the fat spreads on your tongue, which makes the flavor more intense. When cheese is warm you’ll eat less of it and enjoy it more.