It was explained that one should wait after eating both hard cheeses as well as after eating cheeses with very pungent taste (“meshichas ta’am”). Can you please provide some parameters?

The Shach (Yoreh Deah 89:15) writes that cheese which has aged for six months is subject to this waiting period, as such cheese does not dislodge from the teeth and disintegrate without a considerable waiting period. Although halachic authorities differ on the matter, the OU’s poskim maintain that cheese varieties which need to be aged for six months in order to properly develop are included in this rule, but cheese which is not aged by its manufacturer for six months (but instead may have been left for six months in a home refrigerator) is not subject to a waiting period, unless this cheese has hardened to a texture similar to that of cheese which has been professionally aged at a cheese factory. (Rav Belsky, zt”l specified that six months is not a precise measurement; cheeses in the range of six months are included.)

Cheeses that are aged approximately six months develop a firm and brittle texture, qualifying as gevinah she’bein ha-shinayim – cheese which gets stuck between the teeth (Shach 89:15); however, Rav Belsky, zt"l ruled that very pungent cheeses engender a waiting period even if they are not aged, as their robust potency of taste may develop quite early.

The most common “six-month” cheeses are Parmesan, aged/sharp Cheddar, and Swiss (when made in Switzerland). (Unless otherwise noted on the label, regular Cheddar is typically mild Cheddar, aged well below six months.)

The most common “meshichas ta’am” (noticeably pungent) cheeses are Limburger cheese and some varieties of Bleu cheese.

For a detailed list of cheeses and their waiting requirements, please see https://oukosher.org/blog/consumer-kosher/aged-cheese-list/, and for detailed halachic analysis of the topic, please see Mesorah Publication Vol. 28, p. 36 here.

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