The cheese I made two weeks ago, I waxed. The cheese I made last weekend I sealed with a PVC coating from Mad Millie’s. The cheese I make today I am going to cloth band. I wonder what the difference will be in taste and texture.

I did not like applying the coating, you have to brush it on with a paint brush and I kept having to pick the bristles off of the cheese.

I like waxing, I just heat up the wax and dip the cheese a little at a time.

I’ll see how I like cloth banding in a few days.

Tammy, when you don’t like to pick bristles off of the cheese, use a better brush. It’s worth the money, because it’s very easy to clean the brush from the coating so you can use a good brush for ages. It can indeed be very annoying picking up bristles. When you use a new brush, make it wet with warm water first and strike it about 10 times over a sandpaper. This will remove most loose bristles. Don’t give up coating because of a brush

Banding is a more traditional way of aging cheddar.  But be prepared:  it requires regular maintenance, as it will form mold on the surface.