Master Cheese maker, Christa Elgi, 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 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.
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.
Minimum Order of $25 (including all items) to ship cheese, thank you for your understanding
To maintain quality, our cheese inventory is constantly refreshing. We cannot guarantee that a cheese is in stock at a quantity sufficient to fill on order. Orders for out of stock or limited quantities will be notified, substitutions recommended and purchases partially or wholly refunded if necessary.
1-2 day shipping is required at checkout. Cheese is shipped on Monday - Wednesday in insulated packaging with cold packs. Cheese should be refrigerated immediately after receive.
All our orders are sliced by hand. Slicing cheese is an inexact art. Weights are approximate and will vary.