The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of somatic cell count (SCC) on the sensorial acceptance of bovine milk and Coalho cheese. Milk samples from different bulk milk tanks were classified into low SCC (less than 200,000 cells/mL) and high SCC (ranged from 200,000 cells/mL to 500,000 cells/mL). Pasteurized milk was evaluated after 2 d of storage, and cheeses at 20 and 40 d of shelf life under refrigeration (>4° to < 7°C). Appearance, color, odor and flavor were analyzed by a sensorial acceptance test with a 9-point hedonic scale ranging from 1 (I disliked it very much) to 9 (I liked it very much) by panels of untrained tasters composed of 92, 84 and 78 volunteers, who respectively evaluated milk and cheese samples at 20 and 40 d of shelf life. The differences between the groups were determined by ANOVA, complemented by the Tukey test (P < 0.05). SCC levels did not affect the sensorial acceptance of milk; the average scores varied between 6.8 (I liked it slightly) and 7.2 (I liked it regularly). Cheese samples presented similar scores for appearance and odor attributes. For flavor, only the cheese with low SCC at 40 d shelf life showed significantly lower sensory scores 6.1 (I liked it slightly) than cheese samples with high SCC (at 20 and 40 d shelf life). The results show no sensorial changes between pasteurized milks with different levels of SCC consumed at up to 2 d of storage under good refrigeration conditions; moreover, they indicate the possibility of obtaining good sensorial acceptance for Coalho cheese from milk with a high level of SCC and up to 40 d shelf life.