Okay, I’m relieved. I took my CoJack out of the press this morning and it really did feel nice and firm. The extra pressing time (with high weight) seems to have done the job.
After a day spent in the wine fridge it is now exactly as I had hoped it would be. Only time will tell if it was worth all of the trouble but at this point I’m really happy with it. I wish you all could have saw my daughter’s face when I showed it to her tonight.
This is by far my largest wheel to date. It is 8” diamemter x 5”  tall and it weighs in at just a tad over 6 lbs.
So, here are the pics. The coloring is nice and the wheel looks good. If it tastes half as good as it looks I’m going to be really happy.
Also….
Glad to hear that your Jack came together, Rich. Make sure you let us know how it tastes when you crack it open.

Dave

Its gorgeous Dave!  Glad it worked out for you.  Now the stress can abate for awhile.  And what a great introduction your daughter had to cheese making.  It might have been discouraging if it had flopped, but now she may be hooked as well as you.  Team Cheese!

Thanks Rich. I really am proud of this one. Not only because it turned out well but because my daughter and I did it together.
During the cooking and stirring phase she was complaining a little about boredom setting it, but I could tell she was also having fun with it.
I think we are going to do a large stirred curd cheddar this coming weekend. I have no idea what I’m going to do with all of this cheese but if she wants to stay home with dad and make cheese, instead of getting into mischief, I’ll figure it out.
By the way…
The second photo shows the real color of this cheese. On the first one I decided to play with my photo editing software and quickly figured out that I’m not too good at it. Oh well, with enough practice maybe I’ll get a handle on this photography thing. Regardless, it’s fun playing with it.
I do appreciate the kind words, Rich and I also like the Team Cheese statement. LOL

Dave

It looks excelant !!! congrats

Thanks Neil….
I can’t say that I had fun making this one but it does look as if it was worth my effort.
Dave

now tell us more about it, how much milk , and how u did it

Nabil….
As for how much milk I used, it was a 6 gallon batch of store bought milk.
As for the process involved (do you really want to know this?) please see my post under Rich’s “Jack the Dripper” thread.
This cheese was pretty much a nightmare but in the end it seems to have turned out well. Of course only time will tell but things look really good at this point.
As for this post, I’ll simply say this was not an easy cheese to make. Regardless, I have documented it well, just in case it turns out as I’m hoping it will.

Dave

As a PS to Dave’s post:  I think we’re starting to get the idea that its better to overpress than it is to underpress.  Would you agree Dave?

Rich, I definately agree 100%.
My cheese has been turning out so much better (at least in how it looks and feels) since I’ve moved up to the higher weights. Of course only time will tell if it has helped with the taste and texture but I’m pretty sure we’ll both be satisfied with the result.