San Simón da Costa PDO

Tasting notes

It has a typical aroma and flavor, including the smoky touch achieved from using birch wood. The cheese texture is fine, fatty, semi-hard, semi-elastic and dense; it has a creamy yellow color and cuts smoothly.

Other notes

The rind is smoked, hard and non-elastic, between 1 and 3 mm thick, a yellow-ochre color and a little greasy. It has a small number of rounded or irregular shaped 'eyes' in a variety of sizes, but usually smaller than half a pea.

Analytical characteristics:

Dry extract: minimum 55%
Fat: minimum 45% and maximum 60% of dry extract
pH: between 5.0 and 5.6

Formats:

Large format, weighing between 0.8 and 1.5 kg (1.7 / 3.3 lb) and with a height of between 13 and 18 cm (5.1 / 7.09 ins).
Small format, weighing between 0.4 and 0.8 kg (0.8 / 1.7 lb) and with a height of between 10 and 13 cm (3.9 / 5.1 ins).

Production / Processing method

The cheese production processes consists of the following stages: Coagulation: this is done using rennet, with special emphasis on recovering and using local stocks. The milk curdles at a temperature of between 31 and 33ºC for 30 to 40 minutes, except when raw milk is used, when these parameters are changed to 28-32ºC and 30-35 minutes. Cutting: cutting is done so that the size of the curd granules is between 5 and 2 mm in diameter.

Molding: the curd is packed into molds of suitable shapes and sizes to produce cheeses that have the typical features of the certified product. Pressing: special presses are used and the cheeses stay in them for a set length of time, depending on the pressure applied and the size of the cheeses. To allow the cheese to release the whey and to ensure a smooth rind, the individual cheeses are wrapped in cotton cloths. Salting: the cheeses are immersed in a 14% to 17% concentrated salt solution for a maximum of 24 hours.

Ripening: The minimum ripening period is 45 days for the large format and 30 days for the small format, counting from the end of the salting process.

During the ripening period, the cheeses are turned and cleaned as required so they acquire their distinctive features. Immersion in anti-mildew bath: This optional step consists of dipping the cheeses into a bath with olive oil or another authorized product to prevent mildew forming.

Smoking: this is done for the time required to give the cheese its distinctive color, avoiding direct contact with the flames at all times. The wood used is always birch with the bark stripped off.
v To safeguard product quality and traceability, protected cheeses must normally be sold whole and in packaging authorized by the controlling body. However, this body can also allow the cheese to be sold in portions or to be cut into pieces at the point of sale.

Geography / Relief and climate

The Terra Chá region, in the province of Lugo, is one of the biggest and most well-defined in Galicia, consisting of gently rolling countryside framed by the edges of the surrounding mountains. The area is ideal for pasture land, which grows well in the prevailing mild, wet conditions. Wood from the many birch trees that grow here is used in the cheese smoking process, giving the end product its typical color and aroma.

Regulatory Council

Consejo Regulador de la DOP San Simón da Costa
Plaza da Constitución 13, 1º C
27800 Vilalba (Lugo)
Tel: (+34) 982 512 250
info@sansimondacosta.com
www.sansimondacosta.com

Sources:
 
- Spanish Ministry of Agriculture

- Regulatory Council, San Simón da Costa PDO