The white jacket and cap worn by the master affineur speaks to the authenticity of the product. In the Cave de Salers, Dominique Varlet watches over the proper aging of a thousand or so cheeses, carefully arranged along wooden planks and stored in a climate-controlled atmosphere; approximately 10°C and more than 95% humidity. Once a week, Dominique Varlet scrubs down every cheese, Salers cheese to be more precise, with a hessian (burlap) cloth. ''I scrub down as many as 70 in an hour. At 40 kg per cheese, its quite a workout!'' smiles the affineur, with 22 years of experience and counting. The cheese must take on a cylindrical shape and a rich golden-coloured rind.
