Malagos Sophia Cheese
Creamy and savory
(Wednesday May 14 , 2025)
TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR
The Malagos Sophia Cheese is a soft cheese made with milk from goats raised in the Malagos farm. It’s marinated in garlic-infused olive oil, making it extra creamy. It has a salty flavor, punctuated by garlicky notes. It’s savory and rich, and will age further the longer it marinades, letting the flavors get even deeper.
PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS
Enjoy your Malags Sophia Cheese slathered on warm bread, or use it as a vegetable dip on its own. You can also roll up some smoked salmon, and stuff this cheese into the roll. It makes a great appetizer!
POP CULTURE PRODUCE
Malagos Cheeses were a happy accident. Olive Puentespina’s husband is a veterinarian, and he brought three goats to the farm. Their names were Marvin, Jolina, and Rica. Yes, after the well-known 90’s Filipino stars.
Olive then decided she wanted to do something with the milk the goats were producing, but Davao was not ready to consume goat’s milk. Understandable, as goat’s milk exudes a strong smell that isn’t all that appealing to anyone unfamiliar with it.
So, she decided to make cheese. It started with cheese for her family only. But apparently, once you milk a goat, they will keep producing milk. For fear of accumulating spoilt milk, there was no other course but to start to selling. The rest, as they say, is history.
Storage Instructions
Cheeses (except brined ones in jars) should be stored in the crisper or the butter drawer of a refrigerator, not on the shelves themselves. This is to help regulate their temperature and humidity levels—and prevents the formation of mold. Once opened, they should not be kept in their original packaging. This fresh cheese should be stored in a lidded plastic or glass container in the refrigerator. Kindly pay attention to the best before date label when you receive your cheese. Consume prior to date indicated.
