Day 1 - Aesthetic Judging American Cheese Society 2016
So why is this different? Well, the ACS uses 2 judges - one a dairy science professional, the other a trade or food service industry professional. Technical and aesthetic. And, not to say that the aesthetic judge can't be very technically proficient, just that most of them have not spent their professional lives in the field of dairy science.

Anyhoooo...I digress. I am paired with a dairy science professional (very capable and generous to this fumbling aestheticist!), and we have a number of categories of cheese to work through. At this point, half through the process, we had a class of only 2 and a class of more than a dozen. Tomorrow, our biggest class is 27! And, at the end of the day! And...well, that will suffice for now! Things I became more aware of:
free whey

Rather pleased I didn't get assigned the fresh goat cheeses, as one judge remarked her tongue was all acid. No flavors, just plain fresh chevre. And, those are bigger classes too! Lots of plain fresh chevre!

And, though I cannot show pics, there is now some amazing craftsmanship in American made cheeses currently. That is, not to detract from the generations of cheesemakers in the country who have been doing a very good job making awesome tasting cheese, but rather that really creative styles, shapes, and flavors have been appearing - and there is a bright future ahead!

This is Laura, your cheese judging commentator signing off until tomorrow! Must get rested up and ready for another day of dairy expectations!