05 Jun Where can I buy the best cured Manchego cheese?

Where can I buy good quality cured Manchego cheese at a fair price?

If you have ever thought about buying cured Manchego cheese for your own consumption, for a family event or to share with friends, you must have asked yourself which cheese to buy and why you should buy cured Manchego cheese at Artesanos Lácteos.

Why do we say cheese is ‘cured’?

For cheese to be called ‘cured’, it must be aged for a period of time. It is a process where cheese is dried and, additionally, preservation techniques such as salting or smoking are applied.

The required time for cheese to be considered cured may vary, but in general, a minimum of 6/9 months to 2 years is required.

The curing process gives cheese a much harder and drier texture, and it increases the intensity of its flavour, a highly desired quality amongst cheese lovers.

However, many people do not tolerate strong flavours, which is why it is easy to find different curing options for the same cheese. 

Types of cured cheese

There are many examples of cured cheese. You can find a wide range of cured cheese in La Mancha, but you should not forget that in order for cheese to have a DO (Designation of Origin), they must have a seal guaranteeing that you are buying cheese made with Manchega sheep milk.

The type of cattle, the breed, the feeding, the milking cycles and whether the milk is used raw or pasteurised influence its flavour and, ultimately, the cheese made with it.

Other types of cured cheese

At Artesanos Lácteos you can also find other types of cured cheese. They are not made from Manchega sheep milk, so you will not find the DO seal.

Nevertheless, they are made with sheep milk and in some cases with mixed milk (sheep, goat and cow). The latter are exquisite cheeses where you can appreciate the different aromatic and taste tones offered by the different types of milk combined in a single cheese with extraordinary flavour.

You can buy cured Manchego cheese at Artesanos Lácteos