What is the Make, Post-Make Model?

Bringing order to the unruly world of cheese is not easy. There are thousands of different cheeses made across the world and the way they are classified varies a great deal. One cheese monger’s washed rind is another’s semi-soft.

The Academy of Cheese has developed a unique system for categorising cheeses, that is becoming recognised and highly regarded by cheesemakers around the world.   

Rather than using vague, undefined terms based solely on appearance or texture, the Make and Post-Make (MPM) model groups cheeses according to similarities in their production and allows the reader to anticipate a cheese’s appearance and flavour, based almost entirely on these classifications alone.    

Starting with the “Make” classification, cheeses are categorised by their initial production process (in-vat); in other words, how the curd is made.  The “Post-Make” classification describes what happens to the curd after this point.

To give you an example, Stilton would be classed as a Crumbly cheese in terms of its Make with Internal (blue) Mould as its Post-Make class. That’s because the blue veins develop after the initial production process as the cheese matures. Gorgonzola Dolce would be classified as Soft with Internal (blue) Mould because the initial cheese has a higher moisture content and softer texture. 

The Make Post-Make model is not influenced by the breed of milking animal nor whether the milk is pasteurised or raw.

[it] is a great way to organise the otherwise huge and confusing world of cheese into a simple structure while giving a notion of the steps involving the process of making cheese

Paula Cochero, De Kaasserie, Amsterdam

The Make Classification

The Make Class was designed as a tool to distinguish the early stages of cheese production. These stages significantly influence the moisture content, paste density and ageing time of the final cheese product.   

At Level One, the Academy defines four Make classes:

  • Soft:  Soft cheeses, such as Mozzarella di Bufalo, are high in moisture, with a fragile paste.  They include cheeses that are sold fresh and eaten within a few days, eg. Perroche, as well as those that are ripened for several weeks, eg Brie de Meaux.
  • Crumbly:   Cheeses, such as Wensleydale and Blue Stilton will, as their name suggests, have a crumbly paste which can be semi-hard or hard.  They are intended to be aged for several months.
  • Hard:  Hard and semi-hard cheeses, such as cloth-bound cheddar or Pecorino Sardo PDO, have much less moisture and can be aged for 12 months or more.
  • Hard-Cooked:  This group, which includes Parmigiana Reggiano PDO, has the hardest, most dense paste and can be kept in cellar conditions for up to 3 years or longer! 

To clarify this, let’s break down the cheesemaking process.

Cheese Production

This initial stage of cheese making covers the basic processes that take place in a cheese vat and will dictate which Make class a cheese falls into. 

  • Coagulating the milk to form curd
  • Extracting the water, or whey, from the milk curds
  • Adding a preservative, usually in the form of salt.

As we know, milk in its raw form is a liquid state of matter, made up mostly of water and then fat and protein solids, sugar (lactose) and finally small amounts of trace minerals and vitamins.  

To make cheese, varying amounts of water needs to be removed, depending upon the style of cheese being made.  This will also govern the length of time it can be kept for.  

Coagulating milk to form curd 

To start this process off, the solids need to be separated via coagulation, which is the term used to describe the formation of a curd from the proteins in the milk.  This can be done by acidification (either naturally or, more often, with the help of starter cultures) or enzymatically (with rennet).  Rennet is the more common method used to coagulate milk as it speeds up the process and gives the cheesemaker more control.

Extracting water, or whey, from the milk curds

Cheesemakers control the amount of water (whey) removed through a variety of processes, and it is this process which has the greatest bearing on their Make classification.  

Once the curd, also known as junket, has formed, it can be cut, stirred, scalded, drained and pressed, with each process having an influence on the amount of whey that is released.

Cutting:  Cutting begins the process of releasing the whey from the junket, with the size of the cut depending on the Make class.  The curd of soft cheeses, for instance, may be cut just once into large pieces if at all, whilst the Hard Cooked cheeses will have their curd cut several times into the size of dry rice grains.  This has the action of increasing the surface area of the curds, enabling more of the whey to escape. 

Scalding: Crumbly, hard and hard-cooked cheeses need to have their curd heated whilst still in the vat to allow for additional evaporation of moisture. The temperature of the scald will depend on the final cheese: the higher the temp the harder the cheese and longer it can be matured for.

Draining, Moulding & Pressing: How the whey is drained will influence the final texture and shape of the cheese.  Soft cheeses are generally left to drain slowly in a mould, whilst the smaller curds of hard cheeses are often left on a draining table before being ladled into moulds.  Some hard cheeses will be pressed, either by using a special cheese press, or under their own weight; this allows for further expulsion of whey.

Adding a preservative

Salt, in the form of table salt, or sodium chloride, is essential for most cheeses; not only for adding flavour, but also to act as a preservative.  This step doesn’t dictate the Make (or Post-Make) classification, but cheesemakers will adjust the amount and type of salt depending on the cheese being made and how long it is to be matured for. 

Sub Makes

At Level Two, the Academy breaks each Make classification down further into Sub-Makes, effectively fine-tuning this stage of the cheesemaking process, looking at how the rate of acidification has an impact on the final cheese. 

For instance, the sub Makes of Hard cheeses would be “cheeses that acidify in the VAT” (such as a clothbound cheddar) and “cheeses that acidify in the mould” (Goudas for example).  This is an important distinction, affecting flavour, texture, moisture, and microbial activity.   

The ‘Post-Make’ Class

Whereas the Academy’s Make classification refers to the in-vat processes, the Post-Make describes what happens after the curd is formed.  

At Level One, taking the cheesemaking process a step further down the line, there are five Post-Make families.  Essentially, this groups together the cheeses into similar “outcomes” and is indicative of that cheese’s specific cheese’s appearance and properties:

  • Internal (blue) mould
  • External Mould/ yeast ripened
  • Washed rind
  • Flavoured or Smoked
  • Wrapped, Rolled or Processed

Internal (Blue) Mould: The flavour of blue cheese arises from the Penicillium Roqueforti mould which grows through the paste of the cheese, includes Blue Stilton PDO and Gorgonzola PDO.

External Mould / Yeast Ripened: Cheeses which are ripened by yeasts or moulds growing on their rind and typically include those white, bloomy rinded cheeses such as Camembert & Baron Bigod.

Washed Rind: Cheeses in this class are rubbed with a liquid, such as weak brine, to encourage the growth of sticky ripening bacteria on the rind, includes Morbier PDO & Stinking Bishop.

Flavoured or Smoked: The flavour of cheese is modified by the addition of ingredients, because of being smoked, following maturation in brine, or because of the deliberate presence of mite. This group includes Smoked Cheddar and Mimolette.

Wrapped, Rolled or Processed: Cheeses are either wrapped or coated or subject to physical manipulation, includes Livarot PDO and Cloth-bound Cheshire & Cheddar.

Most cheeses have at least one Post-Make, whilst others will have more: Morbier PDO, for example is a Hard cheese (Make), with two Post-Make classifications: “Washed Rind” as it is washed in brine, as well as “Wrapped, Rolled or Processed” since it has a line of vegetable carbon added after the curd is made.

Sub Post-Makes

As with Sub Makes, at Level Two, Post-Makes are broken down into Sub Post-Makes, predominantly focusing on the specific yeast, bacteria or wash used for that Post-Make process.

The Role of the Make Post-Make model in Maturation and Affinage

Once the freshly made cheese has left the make room, it is up to the Affineur (or left with the cheesemaker) to observe the ongoing care of the cheese, in accordance with the cheese style. 

It is essential for an affineur to understand the Make of a cheese from a HACCP perspective.  Knowing the expected levels of moisture will ensure that cheeses are not kept for beyond their accepted Use-by dates, whilst the use of certain yeasts and bacteria for Washed Rind varieties will come under scrutiny of the EHO.

Essentially, the Make and Post-Make classifications will influence the affinage processes used, and will, ultimately, contribute to the final flavour, texture, and character​ of the cheese. 

Using these common classifications will help an affineur assess the paste structure of Crumbly, Hard and Hard-Cooked cheeses when grading, and adjust humidity levels and temperatures to hasten or temper the maturation process, based on what has happened in the make room before.  

Additionally, by understanding the different categories, an affineur will be able to detect any defects. For instance, there shouldn’t be any blue mould in hard or hard cooked cheeses; if there is, it is likely that they have picked up microflora from neighbouring cheeses at maturation stage.  And whilst this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it could highlight the need to better segregate cheeses.

Similarly, by categorizing and understanding the rates of drainage, or the use of different yeasts for example, an affineur will know how long to ripen a cheese and the flavours to expect.  

Application of the Make Post-Make in the Industry

The Academy of Cheese’s Make Post Make model is an industry-recognised classification system that gives wholesalers and retailers a framework to connect a cheese’s characteristics to its production methods, whilst also serving as a guide for cheesemakers and their goals.      

For cheese mongers and wholesalers aiming to offer a diverse selection of cheese styles, it is essential to familiarize themselves with the complete list of Makes and Post-Makes.  This allows them to cater to a wide range of preferences and broad spectrum of tastes, whilst streamlining the process of purchasing.  Wendy Downes of The Cheeseboard in Brisbane  agrees that the model is a great tool for cheesemongers and also great for the industry as a whole: 

“As a cheesemonger, I find the MPM model initiative and practical.  It provides a framework to organise our cheese cabinet, build platters for our customers, select new products and to document and benchmark quality. Understanding how a cheese is made and matured helps us appreciate and respect its taste, texture and form.  It gives us a consistent vocabulary to discuss cheese, debate its merits and flaws and describe it to our customers. Best of all it gives us a system to appreciate and share the diverse range of weird, wonderful and unique cheeses that we are lucky enough to work with every day.”

Tasting and Assessing Cheese 

As we evaluate cheeses using the Academy’s Structured Approach to Tasting Cheese, we focus on analysing the composition of both the paste and the rind. This examination aids us in grasping the Make and Post-Make Classification of each cheese, which in turn helps us pinpoint specific flavors and understand their origins.

Training and Certification

At the core of our learning and certification programme is the Academy’s Make Post-Make classification model.  This model is woven through the courses and is the common thread that knits each module together.  In our Cheese Library, every cheese features its Make Post-Make (and Subs) and these have been carefully chosen to provide a comprehensive representation of each classification.

Further Cheesemaking Resources

In addition to the Make Post-make model, the Academy has developed and continues to develop relationships with cheesemakers and suppliers around the world, allowing for the sharing of knowledge and expertise to cheese lovers and industry professionals alike.

We have plenty of articles, videos and resources to help you further your cheese knowledge and appreciation, whether you work in the industry or just love to eat it.