A type of American Cheddar, medium to sharp in flavor. A raw milk cheese. The older the cheese is, the more flavor it develops.

Tillamook Cheddar is made from "heat shocked" milk as opposed to pasteurized milk. This process is used because natural enzymes in the milk that are essential for producing quality cheddar cheese, suffer during full pasteurization. Milk is heated to 152°F and held for 30 seconds. Because of this process, the minimum age requirement is 60 days prior to marketing. The length of time cheddar is held for aging determines whether it will be sold as medium (60 days), sharp (minimum of 9 months), extra sharp (minimum of 15 months), or vintage white extra sharp (minimum of 2 years) cheese. After 60 days of curing, the cheese begins to develop a medium flavor. The flavor continues to "sharpen" the longer it ages. All Tillamook Cheese is held in storage at an even 40°F. Which is an ideal temperature for aging. It takes approximately ten pounds (1.16 gallons) of milk to produce one pound of cheese.