SimplePhrase Blog

Link.

Creamy, with a rich and complex flavor. The origin story at the link above makes it cooler. I would definitely eat this again.

Lo and behold! The Australians know how to make damn good cheddar. Aged three years, this cheese was oh so sharp and extremely tasty. If you like cheddar, that is, and I so do. That said, this would not be my first choice for a knock-your-socks-off gourmet cheese experience. I've been spoiled by the likes of Prairie Breeze, Marieke Gouda, and the BellaVitanos.

Wikipedia link.

I found this cheese interesting but ultimately unappetizing.

Marieke Gouda is an award-winning cheese out of Wisconsin. It is insanely delicious. I can't really think of anything else to say about it, except that I want more of it.

Here's what they say about it:

"Our Vintage Canadian Cheddar has been aged over four years! Cheddar is a firmly pressed cheese with a hard, homogenous texture. The cheese begins life with a flexible texture and slightly acidic, buttery sweet taste. The fat, protein, minerals and ashes gradually break down during the fermentation and aging process, which intensifies the flavors and firms and dries the texture. Made in Quebec, this cheddar does not contain food coloring. Instead, it showcases a lovely, off-white color. Enjoy the full-flavored, intense, tanginess of this excellent four year Canadian Cheddar."

Here's what I say:

"Damn, that's some sharp cheddar. It has the "fabulous" turned up to 11."

This is a product by Rogue Creamery. It is the first blue cheese from the west coast, and also the first blue cheese to be smoked.

The combination of the smoky flavor with the blue is unique and appealing, but I wouldn't want to eat it all the time. It's one of those flavors that, when you're in the mood for it, nothing else will do. Other times, it's not your first choice.

This is a good cheese that I definitely want to eat more of.

This is a blue cheese made by a single farm in Ireland. It has its own website: www.cashelblue.com.

The flavor is mellow and mild, with far less tang than I expected from a blue cheese. (Though admittedly my experience with blues is quite limited.) The texture is almost impossibly creamy. It's a good cheese but doesn't really excite me. I'd happily eat it if someone handed me a piece, but I don't think I'll be seeking it out on my own.

This is the default flavor of BellaVitano. I blogged the Raspberry BellaVitano here.

If anything, I like this cheese better than the raspberry variety. It is mellow with a piquant finish. So delicious.

Grafton Village Cheese Company operates out of Grafton, Vermont. They specialize in aged cheddar.

Generally, smoked cheddar doesn't really do it for me. But this stuff was different to the normal stuff you get from the grocery store. The texture was more pleasant, less gummy. The smoky flavor was subtle, perhaps even understated, and quite pleasant. The cheese itself was a real nice mild cheddar, a perfect base for the smoking.

Yummy.

Beemster Classic is an aged gouda cheese. It is somewhat hard and has crunchy bits. Its complex flavor is difficult to describe, but I really like it.