As some of you may know, we did a test batch back in March 2014, that turned out really well. In September last year we then did a much larger production batch at Tistrup Mejeri. Together with Mads Østergaard Clausen from Arla Unika, we brewed 250 liters of Finca Vista Hermosa that we put into 2500 liters of fresh organic milk, turning it into a gigantic cafe au lait. And then we made cheese from it.

The cheese style is a combination of the Swedish Prästost and the Dutch Gouda and our intention was to use the coffee in a subtle manor to add flavour to the cheese. We didn’t want it to be a bitter sensation, as coffee is often just used as a bitter component in other contexts. We wanted to use the aromatics from the coffee and see how it would intertwine with the cheese flavours.

The idea originally came from Mads and Klaus agreeing over coffee and cheese being a fantastic match. Maybe it’s because we’ve all grown up with the classic combo and coffee and cheese for breakfast or a break. In any case there’s something magical about the sensation when you’ve eaten a really good cheese and then drink a warm coffee afterwards. The fattiness from the cheese are coating your mouth and the coffee acts as a palate cleanser and releases a bunch of retro-nasal aromas.

So it made sense for us to give the combo a shot. After 8 months of resting in the special Arla Unika storage facility the cheese has finally matured to the desired level. The funny thing is, that once the cheese was made it didn’t taste of cheese or coffee at all. As it matures, and dries out, the cheese flavours start to appear. In the test batch we worried if the coffee flavour would then disappear completely, but it turned out the coffee flavours step into character together with the maturation. After 6 months the coffee really starts to shine. And now at 8 we think it’s the best it can be.

The cheese is already sold out from the production space. A couple of Michelin star restaurants have secured themselves an allotment, and the majority will be for sale only in the two Arla Unika shops in Copenhagen and Århus. We will have a small amount for sale at our Godthåbsvej location soon.

Our favourite online news broadcaster Sprudge did a fantastically thorough piece on the coffee cheese that we highly recommend you check out: Coffee Cheese! In Copenhagen With Coffee Collective’s Klaus Thomsen