I haven't had any time to make cheese in the past week (plus we are still eating the Neufchatel....). In the meantime, I keep hearing phrases like "bloomy rind" or "washed rind" and, while I intuitively THINK I understand what such terms mean, I thought maybe I'd read up on these descriptors and various cheese classifications while we're still eating the Neufchatel. (Somebody PLEASE help us eat all this cheese!) According to the American Cheese Society (www.cheesesociety.org), some basic categories include the following:

1. Fresh Cheeses. These are unaged, unpressed, lactic-fermented cheeses. These cheeses have a high moisture content and are usually mild and have a very creamy taste and soft texture. These may be made from all types of milk and in the U.S., these cheeses will always be pasteurized. These are highly perishable. The 2 cheeses I have made so far - Lactic Cheese and Neufchatel - belong to this category.
2. Soft-Ripened (Bloomy Rind) Cheeses. The term “soft-ripened” is used to describe cheeses that are ripened from the outside in and are very soft and runny at room temperature. The most common soft-ripened cheeses have a soft, white, sometimes fuzzy (thus the term "bloomy"?) rind that is edible. The rind is produced by spraying the surface of the cheese with the mold penicillium candidum before the brief aging period. In the U.S., soft-ripened cheeses are generally produced from pasteurized milk. Cheeses in this category include brie and camembert styles, triple crèmes, as well as particular branded cheeses produced throughout North America.
3. Semi-Soft Cheeses. The term “semi-soft” is used to describe cheeses that have a smooth, generally, creamy interior with little or no rind. These cheeses are high in moisture content and range from very mild to very pungent in flavor. Semi-soft cheeses may be made from both pasteurized and raw milk, depending on the aging requirements and the style the cheesemaker is creating. Cheeses in the semi-soft category include many blue cheeses, colby, fontina styles, havarti and Monterey Jack. Many washed rind cheeses (see # 6 below) fall into this category.
4. Firm/Hard Cheeses. The terms “firm” and “hard” are used to describe a broad category of cheeses with tastes ranging from mild to sharp and pungent. Textures range from elastic at room temperature to hard cheeses that can be grated. These can be made from pasteurized or raw milk and include gouda styles, most cheddars, dry jack, Swiss (Emmenthaler) styles, Gruyere styles, many “tomme” styles and Parmesan styles
5. Blue Cheeses. These cheeses have a distinctive blue/green veining, created when the penicillium roqueforti mold, added during the cheesemaking make process, is exposed to air. This mold provides a distinct flavor to the cheese, which ranges from fairly mild to assertive and pungent. Blue cheeses are found in all of the categories above except for the fresh cheeses. Blues may be made from both pasteurized and raw milk and in many styles. The most common styles are the French (roquefort), Italian (gorgonzola) and Danish blue styles.
6. Washed Rind Cheeses. These cheeses are surface-ripened by washing the cheese throughout the aging process with brine, beer, wine, brandy, or a mixture of ingredients to encourage the growth of bacteria. The exterior rind of washed rind cheeses may be pungent, but the interior is most often creamy to semi-soft. Washed rind cheeses may be made from both pasteurized and raw milk. Cheeses in this category include some tomme-style cheeses, triple-crème, and semi-soft cheeses, similar to Epoisses, Livarot and Taleggio.
7. Natural Rind Cheeses. Cheeses that have rinds that are self-formed during the aging process. No molds or microflora are added, and no washing is used to create the exterior rinds. (Those that do exhibit molds and microflora in their rinds get them naturally from the environment.) Most of these cheeses are aged for many weeks, so to develop their flavor and rinds, raw milk is often used. Many “tomme” style cheeses fall into this category, especially the French Tomme de Savoie and Mimolette, as well as the English Stilton (also a blue), and Lancashire cheeses.
8. Processed Cheeses (included out of curiosity as to what the heck goes into these....). The term “processed” is used to describe cheese by-products made from a combination of natural cheese and added ingredients, such as stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavor enhancers that are used to create a consistent and shelf-stable product aimed at mass market consumption (ick). Cheeses in this category include American Cheese, processed cheese spreads, and “cheese flavored” spreads.

So there you have it--some of the basic cheese categories in a nutshell!

Next on my cheese making agenda is cottage cheese, after which I graduate into the cheddars. Can't wait!!!