Dairy goat owners, I have a question.

[_sonshine_]

I have had goat cheese 2 times and both times I didnt like it. The first time I got some from an old lady that I purchased an Alpine from...it was a cream cheese it was good but had a slight bucky flavor it. She said that she did not keep bucks, she takes her girls to get bred some where else. The cream cheese was good except the faint bucky flavor. The second time I got some from a local farm that resells a hard goat cheese made by Trickling Spring Creamery. This cheese was so bad it tastes like a buck smells, I could not even swallow it. It even smells bucky, it was like chewing on a bucks beard yuck!!!!

So we starting thinking, if this is the norm for goats milk cheeses then goats are not for us (we are new to goats). Does goats milk taste like a buck? This cant be right can it?

Thanks!

 

[ksalvagno]

If there is a bucky taste, then bucks have to be nearby. My bucks are a pretty good distance from my does. Goat milk (or cheese or anything else) shouldn't have any type of "goaty" taste to it. My milk tastes like milk. My family (who was expecting the goat milk to taste bad) all said the same thing. "Wow, it just tastes like milk."

The other thing it could be if a buck honestly isn't around is that the milk is left in the barn while chores are being done or something and the milk is picking up the barn smells. Another possibility is equipment that isn't properly cleaned. I also have heard that some goats may naturally not have a good flavor to their milk. I had heard that Alpines milk can be a bit off flavor but I own an Alpine mix and her milk is wonderfully sweet so I'm not certain.

I just made a batch of soft cheese and added some herbs. It tastes wonderful. Tastes like herb cheese to spread on crackers.

 

[goatgirl4008]

I would agree with the other post I have also heard that some breeds of goats milk taste different. I know for a fact that the meat of any goat will have an off or bucky smell or taste when the grease gets burnt. We had 5 goats processed at our local plant last year had roasts, chops, ground goat and summer sausage made. And thank goodness I was at work came in it smelled like a buck in full rut was in the house and my husband said he tried to cook some chops. Anyway maybe all things goat are good when done properly.

 

[freemotion]

Raw milk and raw milk cheeses are also different. I find that I can detect a faint goaty smell when I pastueurize milk (which has only been for feeding to goat kids.)

I've only had milk from four different goats in my life, all unrelated to each other, and I've never tasted anything other than wonderful. It was always fresh and raw, though, and milking and milk handling practices were quite good.

I will tell you, though, that cheeses made from goat's milk such as cheddar have a different texture than what you are used to from the commercial dairies, bought in the grocery store. You will not be re-creating Cabot, for example, but it will still be quite good. We just opened a goat cheddar from May 2009 and talk about sharp! Yum! But it doesn't melt all creamy-gooey like storebought cheddar. And when you eat a hunk plain, the texture is sort of powdery rather than creamy.

I just made a cheddar with 3 gallons goats milk and one gallon cow's milk (from a local dairy) hoping it will resolve the texture issue. I'll let you know next year....

 

[sunnygoats]

One other thing that I've heard will produce a goaty flavor in cheese is if the milk that is used is older. It could be that the woman you got the cheese from made it with milk she wanted to get rid of before it went bad.
My cheese doesn't have a goat flavor. I have Alpines.

 

[Ariel301]

I don't taste anything bucky or goaty in our milk or cheese. I do notice it has a bit of a "sharp" or "acid" flavor compared to cow milk, but goat milk is more acidic than cow milk, so that does make sense. I don't find it unpleasant, it reminds me of sour cream. And yes, the hard cheeses do seem to have a bit of a different texture; mine at least seem to be a little dryer and don't melt as well as storebought cheeses--but then, who knows what is added to storebought cheese to make it the way it is...

My husband says any goat product I have made tastes like licking a buck. But our buck doesn't run with the girls, and I do everything very, very clean. He also says it tastes worse when they eat alfalfa, and better when they eat grass. When we were feeding grass hay in the spring because the alfalfa was not available yet, he said it tasted fine, but then he tasted some from our neighbor, who was feeding alfalfa from last year, and he said it tasted bad. I wonder if he's got like an allergy or something to the alfalfa byproducts in the milk? lol

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

I agree with Karen, Barn cleaning practices, illness and bucks can throw off flavors...but you wouldnt want to eat or manufacture anything with that meat or milk if there sick or dirty...Ive never had anything but great milk from our goats...Should taste just like raw cows milk...Cooling it fast makes a huge differance too...so it really matters where your getting the cheese and milk from?? Find out how the farm your getting this funny tasting cheese from handles the milk and animals?? And then try someone else...If the milk/cheese taste bad..theres something wrong..and I would find someone else to get your stuff from...Dont shy away from it...Keep trying..!!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

If it hasn't been mentioned already the goat's diet can also affect the flavor of the milk. Our Nubian's milk tastes like cow's milk but creamier since the butterfat content is higher.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

our milk and cheese are clean and delish. i've got several cheeses going now. and i just slugged down a "goat-puccino"

it may just be the case that you dont like goat cheese?? which is fine too. not everyone has the same taste for things.

 

[cmjust0]

There doesn't have to be a buck nearby to make goat dairy products taste like a buck anymore than there has to be vomit nearby to make parmesan taste like vomit.

And, let's face it...parmesan tastes a little like vomit.

The "goaty" you're tasting in goat products is caproic, capric, and caprylic acid, just like the "vomit" you taste in parmesan is butyric acid.. They're all fatty acids.

Having said that, I've personally come to believe that some goats/breeds simply have more goat-acids than others.

Does the handling of milk play a part in taste?...sure it does! If you had a buck in the barn, could some of that bucky odor be imparted into the milk?...you never know, I guess.

Does it mostly come down to the doe?...I definitely think so.