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t Cheese Processor's Raw Close at Hand r By MIKE PATERSON Staff Reporter It is squeezed, kneaded, sniffed and discarded. "It's a 93 -- first grade," says Don Harvey, cheese grader for Black Diamond Cheese Division of Brooke Bond Foods Ltd. First step in the production be crumbly when you work it of a range of aged, flavored up in your hand," he said, and processed cheeses, the squeezing and working angrading of factory - produced other sample plug with h i s blocks of cheese is an impor- fingers. tant responsibility. "It should smell like this," On the basis of Don Har- said Mr. Harvey as he handvey's evaluation, the unproces- ed part of the plug over. sed cheeses are channelled "This other one has a bit of toward a particular market- an odor." A slight pungency, over and above a clean cheesy able product. "I'm looking for what's smell, was detachable. Smell and texture are the there that shouldn't be there," said Mr. Harvey. "And hop- basic determinants of t h e grading a cheese will receive. ing I don't find it. "Cheese should have a nice The samples are rarely tasted,, smooth texture: it shouldn't only when Mr. Harvey has second thoughts or doubts about the smell. A grading score is made up of separate scores on qualities such as finish, color and closeness as well as flavor and texture. Above 9:2 a cheese is rated first grade, from 88 to 92 it is second grade and below 85, third grade. With 20 years' experience in the cheese trade, however, grading is almost second nature to Mr. Harvey. "It's something you can learn over a long time -- but it needs a certain feel for cheese as < TTiis and That Bob Grain weighs up a batch of different cheeses for blending at Black Diamond Cheese Division of Brooke Bond Foods Ltd. -- -1 !