What happened to my cheese???

[PizzaBrewer]

My favorite pizza cheese is Cappiello brand whole-milk mozz.  I buy it at the local Wegmans, it comes in whole loaves which the store cuts up into approx. 1 lb. pieces for sale.

It's always been great.  Good strong dairy flavor with nuttiness and perfect salt level, a complex flavored cheese which works great on pizza without having to blend in provolone or other cheeses for flavor "oomph".

The last 2 times I bought it it has been harsh and bitter.  No smooth dairy flavor, just bitterness on top of my pizza.

I've read before that mozz needs to be a certain age, too young is no good.  Does "green" cheese taste like this or is it something else?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

---Guy

[Pete-zza]

Guy,

Once in a while a particular lot of cheese can be off the mark, for no particular reason. I don't know much about the taste aspects of "green" cheese, but maybe this Q&A on green cheese will shed some insights:

http://www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/tt/index.cgi/noframes/read/10978.

Wegman's is a pretty good outfit, so they may well want to hear of your dissatisfaction and to make things right.

Peter

[scott r]

Pizza brewer, I have been noticing that one of my favorite brands of cheese has been seeming different lately as well.  I have been told a few times that one of the reasons Grande is considered to be the premier brand of mozzarella is because it is always very consistent all year round.  I have heard that the cows diet does change from season to season, and that some other brands of mozzarella really show this difference in the finished product.  While it seems like there are more issues going on than just this with your cheese, it could be that the combination of the different milk sourcing/diet, and the cheese being green might partially explain the problem.  I have had "green" cheese before.  It was given to me as a sample from a wholesaler, and he warned me that I should let it age before use.   I did notice that the flavor of the cheese seemed to get stronger with a few weeks in the fridge.  It was by no means bitter or harsh, though.  If anything it was milder, but with a similar flavor. 

Could it be that they have repackaged a different brand, but used the same label?  Maybe someone accidentally grabbed the wrong loaf for the store to chop up into one pound blocks.

[Sacs]

I bought Cappiello cheese from Price Chopper this past summer and thought it was great. When I bought it from Wegmans, it tasted fine uncooked, but on my pizza it had an extreme buttery taste. The funny thing is when I bought it again from Price chopper this past fall, it had the buttery taste. I e-mailed the company and didn't get a reply so I just stopped buying it.  I think Grande is the best, but it is hard to get locally. I've tried ALL the cheese brands you can find in the local stores and I actually found the Wegmans brand mozz to taste the best on pizza- much better than PollyO. A Wegmans rep said their cheese is made by Sorrento.

[David]

The funny thing is when I bought it again from Price chopper this past fall, it had the buttery taste. I e-mailed the company and didn't get a reply so I just stopped buying it. 

I've never tried it but that buttery taste is one of the key elements that draws me to Buffala.When it's cooked, it produces a wonderful buttery taste-completely different from its uncooked characteristic IMO.