I really like Colby cheese; and my wife absolutely LOVES Colby cheese.  But occasionally my cheese doesn’t turn out like I want it to.  The one we are currently eating has great flavor, but its a bit dry and hard - which is not what one wants a Colby to be!  So, it was time to experiment.  I have never had an accurate pH mark for Colby, using instead the mark I have for Cheddar.  But Colby is supposed to be a milder cheese; so I decided to try one that was less acid.  During ripening, the temp got a degree or two too high, but the real difference is that I cooked it to a pH of 6.2 instead of 5.95.  The final press was 1.75 PSI for 15 hours.  I just put the cheese in the cave yesterday and it was beautiful.  The color development was great and the wheel was soft and spongy like a Gouda would be.  I think I’m going to be really happy with this one; but it will be August before I’ll know for sure.

Sounds great.
Dry hard, so maybe not enough moisture in the “Cave” ?

Cave moisture level would be irrelevant in this case, since I vacuum seal my cheese.  It has to be due to internal conditions within the wheel.  I’m going to have to manipulate the moisture content at the make.  That’s why I used a higher pH.  I also cut the curd a bit larger than usual by about 1/4 “.  To me the biggest challenge of artisanal cheese making is consistency.  There are so many minute factors that change from batch to batch, and we just don’t have the means to adjust for them.  Things like the diet of the cow, conditions in the milk room, handling procedure prior to acquisition of the milk, etc.  Getting milk directly from the dairy, as I do, is a guessing game in these respects.  Then too, minute differences in the amount of additives during the make can also have effects.  A gram more or less difference in culture and rennet could alter things significantly.

Yup consistency is almost impossible, also makes it more interesting

I find the end texture is usually dictated by the size of the cut curd and the amount of stirring as it pitches. The stirring is crucial to drive the correct amount of whey from the curd. The other crucial point is the curd “set” before cutting and I find this varies in the time it takes from batch to batch so it is vital to actually check the firmness of the set rather than relying on a simple time period from renneting only. I use the slice and lift method usually.
So in essence if you cut the curd larger and stir it less during the pitch process it should produce a softer texture cheese.

I totally agree with your comments.  I know that I have overworked curd and ended up with a very dry cheese.  I’m thinking I was more gentle with this one.  As far as curd set, I like to rely on the feel of the curd as I pull my finger through it.  I look for an almost sharp break as it splits over my finger.  It’s a lovely feel, by the way, because I know I’ll get a great curd to work with.