| Term | Definition |
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| Tangy | A descriptive term describing a cheese's flavor as sharp, distinctive, flavorsome.
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| Teleme | A very soft cheese at room temperature. Large pieces may have rice flour crust. Excellent as a snack, with crackers or bread, in salads or with fruit. Teleme is a California original. (Mild with slightly tangy aftertaste, White, Soft, cream)
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| Terroir | Pronounced tur-WAH, the French word for soil, land or terrain. The term is used to convey the larger concept "of the land", i.e., how the specific place where an agricultural product is produced bears the taste of that particular piece of land, its specific soil composition and microclimate. In the case of cheese, the grass and other vegetation upon which the animals graze impart flavor nuances to their milk.
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| Texture | A cheese's texture can be soft, firm, supple, waxy, open, close, etc. Texture is largely dependent on moisture content: the softer the cheese, the higher its moisture content. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Tome Or Tomme | A name for a small or medium-size rustic wheel or mountain cheese. The term originated in the Haute Savoie region of France (the French Alps). Tommes are typically produced from the skimmed milk left over after the cream has been removed to produce butter and richer cheeses (or when there is too little milk to produce a regular cheese). As a result, they are generally lower in fat than other cheeses. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Triple-Creme Cheeses | Cream is added to the milk to create the richest, most buttery group of cheeses. Triple cremes are a type of bloomy rind cheese and also are aged about two weeks. In order to qualify as a triple-creme, the cheeses must have more than 72% butterfat content, which provides the smooth texture. As with other cheeses that have short aging periods, the flavors are mild and the aromas are subtle.
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| Turophile | A lover of cheese. The word comes from the Greek words for cheese, tyros, and lover, philos. The love of cheese is turophilia. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Tyrosines | These small, crunchy white crystals in the paste of certain cheeses, are a crystallization of the amino acid, tyrosine, a result of the breakdown of casein(the main protein in milk) as the cheese ripens. Certain aged cheeses, like Gouda, Gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggioano and Piave Vecchio will have a preponderance of them. Most cheese lovers consider the crunchy texture one of the delights of the cheese. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Ultra-Pasteurized | The process of super-heating milk or cream to 275F for 4 to 15 seconds. Also referred to as UHT. While this keeps the product fresher for a longer period of time, ultra-pasteurized cream is not best for whipping. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Unripened Cheeses | Describes soft cheeses that have not been allowed to age or mature. (See- Fresh Cheeses,- Soft & Soft-Ripened Cheeses)
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| Vegetarian Cheese | A cheese that is not made with rennet. Rennet, a dried extract of the rennet membrane of a calf, is used to curdle the milk in the cheese making process. Animal products are not eaten by vegetarians. Vegetarian cheeses like paneer are curdled with lemon juice, other food acids or vegetable "rennets." The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Very Hard Cheeses | A category of California cheeses that includes aged cheeses that are hard enough to grate or crumble. Romano is included here, as is Dry Jack, a popular California original often used in place of Parmesan. Cotija Anejo and Enchilado are Hispanic-style very hard cheeses. Water content of very hard cheeses will be 30 percent or less. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Washed Curd | During the cooking process, half of the whey is removed and replaced with water at the same temperature to speed up the shrinking process (syneresis). Examples include Edam and Gouda.
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| Washed Rind Cheeses | Washed rind cheeses are surface-ripened by washing and brushing the cheese throughout the ripening/aging process with brine, beer, wine, brandy, a mixture of these ingredients or any other interesting liquid that will impart flavor and create a different chemical balance for the growth of the bacteria, Breyibacterium linens, which ripens from the outside in by breaking down the proteins and fats inside. The rind is cleaned and brushed off, which causes the cheese to age more quickly, enhancing the flavor and acidity of the cheese and creating a bolder, more noticeable tang. Most of the aromatics will ripen into soft, pungent cheeses; however, some aromatics are firm cheeses that will never go soft. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Washed-Rind | A cheese whose surface is sprayed or rinsed regularly with water, brine, beer, wine or other liquid during ripening. This technique encourages the growth of certain micro-organisms and affects flavor and texture. Examples of California washed-rind cheese are Schloss and Red Hawk. (See Rind) The California Milk Advisory Board
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