2 Year Coolea
- Pasteurized
- Age: 2 Years
- Cow Milk
- Ireland
- ApproachableAdventurous
- SoftHard
One of the world’s best goudas is, improbably, from Ireland. All thanks to the Dutch-born Willems family who moved to County Cork and started crafting savory-sweet Coolea. For this extra-special batch, Murray’s worked with Neal’s Yard Dairy in 2023 to select wheels fit for extra aging. At two years, it’s an explosion of nutty, buttery flavor, like freshly popped kettle corn. Crumbly yet rich, with petite crystals in every bite, it’s a snackable essential—just add Jamon Serrano and Effie’s Oatcakes.
“At this age, Coolea is still giving gouda sweetness without being overwhelmingly caramelly. It’s a little lighter and more balanced, and I can’t get enough of all those crystals.”
Allergens: Milk
- Coolea aged for two years is a rare treat—the wheels distributed by Neal’s Yard Dairy are typically aged 12-18 months, but we asked them to hold onto a few wheels for extra aging.
- The extra months allow the flavors to deepen and become more complex. Texturally, the 2-Year Coolea is not quite as creamy but still mouth-coatingly rich, with lots of fine crystals.
- Those crystals are tyrosine, an amino acid that forms white crystals in the interior paste of some aged cheeses.
- The Willems family brought their Dutch cheesemaking know-how to Ireland, producing Coolea seasonally, only when the local milk is at its highest quality.
- Most goudas tend to be on the sweet side for cheese, thanks to the step of washing the curds during the cheesemaking process.
- By flushing the curds with fresh water, the cheesemaker clears away residual lactic acid from the fermentation process, reducing the acidity and letting the milky sweetness shine.
- Neal’s Yard has been working closely with the Willems family since the 1980s to bring Coolea to cheese lovers around the world.
When you receive your cheese, unpack the order and refrigerate the items. We recommend using the cheese paper we send most of our products in to store the cheese. The cheese paper helps cover the items and stop them from drying out, while also allowing the cheese to breathe. Since cheese is mold, it's a living thing! If you cut off air circulation to the cheese, you can actually cause it to suffocate and spoil at a faster rate.
