For the Love of Cheese
There is a whole lot to talk about when it comes to cheese. And there are a million different types of cheeses to try! Well, a million might be an exaggeration but there definitely are thousands! |
I took a drive around all of America. It took six months and I visited all 48 states. It was an amazing experience for me. But... what I wanted to say here is that one of the stops I made was in Wisconsin at a place called "The Mars Cheese Castle". Fun place and wow do they have a whole lot of cheese! Read about it on my website here
I am a Mead maker (Making wine from honey rather than grapes). And I have made hundreds of batches of mead and it is a craft that I really enjoy. You can check out my hundreds of mead making pages right here: The Joy of Mead Making.
But, what I am getting at is that I think it would be a whole lot of fun to also make cheese. But I don't know anything about it (yet). So I am thinking about buying a kit. What do you think? Have you ever made cheese? If so, send me an email and give me some pointers! Here is my email address: 
And here is a cheese making kit on Amazon that I am thinking I will probably buy. But I want to do a little bit more research first.
Somebody recommended I try some kind of a cracker when I eat cheese. One of the crackers I have tried is the Nature's Promise Thin wheat cracker. It has a mild taste and it seems to go well with cheese. The first cheese I tried this with is the Boar's Head Dill cheese. That's further down the page.
New: While on a short adventure to Santa fe New Mexico I stumbled on the One and Only Santa Fe Cheese shop. It was a great moment of serendipity. I had a great conversation about cheese with the owner of the shop and he gave me a terrific recommendation for cheese and also what to enjoy it with. Blakeville Sunny Ridge Goat Cheese at the Santa Fe Cheese shop
An interesting note about pairing cheese with foods and drinks - On the back label of Swiss Gruyere cheese they have some recommendations on what to pair it with. Here: Apricots, Figs, Honey, Almonds; Reisling and Chardonnay. And they also give some recipe suggestions: Onion soup, omelettes and Grilled Cheese. See more about this cheese on the page below here
This is the Cool Whip of Cheese! I was a little puzzled when I read the label on this cheese. It says that it is great with Tiramisu! I was flabbergasted.
I couldn't picture cheese on Tiramisu. But... they are right. Read more about this cheese down the page here: Mascarpone
I bought this cheese in Price Rite. It's a good cheese and I will tell you about it. But, one of the most interesting things about this cheese is the packaging. I have some thoughts you might find interesting. Tirolez cheese
Clicking on a cheese will hop you down the page to that cheese review.
     
     
     
     
     
 
Let's Review some cheeses!
Castelo Danablue - Danish Blue Cheese
On the back label: Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Cheese, Cultures, Enzymes, P. Roqueforti. Contains: Milk
I love this cheese! The label says that it is extra creamy and it sure is. And the blue cheese flavor is excellent but not overwhelming. They have achieved a great balance with this cheese. I highly recommend this cheese. I paid $6.49 for 4 ounces.  
I spread this cheese on Sea Salt Naan Crackers. Look at that beautiful blue cheese look. 
Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese -
This is a tasty cheese and I really like it. I paid $6.99 for it. And this cheese has a bit of a different presentation than other cheeses. It comes in a box and inside the box is the cheese wrapped in foil, much like Philadelphia cream cheese is. It's about the size of the bottom of a big muffin. Here is what is on the back label:
Ingredients: Pasteurized cultured milk and cream, dried garlic, salt, white pepper, potassium sorbate (preservative) Parsley, dried Chives. Contains: Milk  
I spread this cheese on Sea Salt Naan Crackers. And it is quite delicious. It has the consistency of a soft cream cheese and a great garlic and herb taste. I like this cheese. 
Mimoso Semi-soft Cheese
This is a soft cheese that I bought at a grocery store. It was okay, with a mild flavor and a good texture. But it definitely is high in salt content.
Here is how the label describes it:
Farmer's cheese - Semi-soft cheese - Serve for breakfast or as a dessert with Briazilian marmalate or any other jam, dulce de leche/milk caramel, guava paste or crackers.
Some excess water is normal. This is a 12 ounce package.
Now, I wasn't very impressed with this cheese to be honest. It seemed very mild but ... after reading the label I realized that it is very much a cheese that should be paired up with other foods, flavory foods like marmalade or jam! I will do this, giving it another try.
Castello Havarti Cheese I was truly stunned by this next cheese. I absolutely love it. The consistency was wonderful (moderately soft) and the taste was amazing. Cheese can be so good. This is a good example.
I can't remember how much I paid for it but it was around ten ish dollars.
 
BelGioioso Asiago Cheese
This next cheese is pretty good. To me it has mild hints of parmesan cheese. Texture is good. I paid 6.99 for it.  
Cabot Creamery Wildly Horseradish Cheese
I am partial to horseradish. I absolutely love it! And this cheese did not disappoint. The texture and consistency of the cheese itself is near perfect; very rich and creamy like. And the taste of horseradish is perfect, not too much and not too little. I am definitely getting this cheese again.
I paid 6.79 for it.
Tropical Gouda Cheese Cost me 3.99
Some stats and label information:
Ingredients: Pasteurized Part-skim Milk, Salt, Cheese Culture, Enzymes, Annatto (color). Contains Milk.
Distributed by Tropical CHeese industris, Inc. Perty Amboy NJ. And they have a website: Tropicalcheese.com  
Saint George Azorean Cheese (Imported from the Azores)
On the label it is described as a cured cheese and as a firm ripened cheese.
My taste test was terrific. This is a tasty cheese with great texture, great flavor and slight hints of creaminess.  
Boar's Head Havarti With Dill It may sound like an obvious thing but dill is what makes a pickle a pickle! And this boar's head cheese (Cream Havarti with Dill) is a delicious and creamy cheese that has a mild pickle flavor! I realize it isn't actually "pickle" it's Dill. But that's what my palate understands it as. And... I do love pickles, and I do love Dill. Great cheese with a mild creamy cheese flavor with a mild taste of pickle!
 
I tried this cheese with Nature's Promise Thin Wheat crackers and they made a good pairing. The crackers are mild in flavor so the cheese was very prevalent.
Castello Edam Cheese - This is a pretty good cheese. It is mild and creamy with a semi hard texture just like the label says. I didn't taste the nutty or salty bite. Decent cheese. I paid 6.49 for it.
 
Queso Fresco Wrapped in a Banana leaf -
I spotted this in the refrigerated section of the supermarket and I thought it would be worth a try. Wrapped in a banana leaf! It's just a little bit different.
 
Some things from the label:
It is produced by the Tropical Cheese Ind. Inc in Perty Amboy, New Jersey. And they do have a website here: Tropicalcheese.com
Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Cheese cultures (lactic starter, soy protein)
It has a trademark tagline: "The Flavor of El Salvador® "
And it has a couple of instructions that it needs to be refrigerated and the banana leaf is not for consumption.
My thoughts about this cheese:
The cheese itself was about average with a mild flavor and some nice, crumbly texture. But the banana leaf definitely brought the overall experience down. It added a bitterness to the cheese. And, banana leaf does not taste like banana! It tastes like, well, a tree leaf! So, this cheese is a pass for me.
Bom Petisco semi soft natural cheese
THis is a cheese that comes from Portugal. It is made from Pasteurized milk, culture, vegetable-based enzymes. and salt.
It is made in the USA and distributed by the Henry Gonsalves company in Smithfield RI.
 
I tried this cheese both alone and on crackers. The crackers are bowl and basket thin wheat crackers. And the cheese is pretty good. Nothing spectacular just a good basic cheese with a small resemblance to a gouda. I also cut off a slice and made a cheese burger with it. It was okay. But there really is nothing that can compare to good ole american cheese on a good ole american cheeseburger.
Bom Petisco Brand Queijo Fresco
(Leite de Vaca - Fresh Cheese) "Leite de Vaca is Spanish for "Cow's milk"
Here is what's on the label:Made from Pasteurized milk, Ingredients: Fresh Whole Milk, Part Skim Milk, Rennet, Salt, Secondary starter (soy)
My review: This is a pretty standard cheese, moderate flavor and good texture. 
Boar's Head Manchego Sheep's Milk Cheese
I never tried a cheese made from sheep's milk so I had to pick this up. And Boar's head has a reputation for extreme high quality. This one is called Manchego cheese.
On the Label: Aged over 12 months - Produced in the La Mancha region of Spain for hundreds of years from the milk of Manchega Sheep.
Ingredients: Pasteurized Manchega sheep's milk, contains 2% or less of cheese cultures, rennet, salt, calcium chloride, contains: milk.
My thoughts: It is a firmer and drier cheese. Firmer and drier than a gouda. And it has a slight parmesan taste to it. And a little hint of nuttiness. Great, high quality cheese.  
The rind of the cheese has a very unique and distinct herringbone pattern.
I enjoyed it on Nature's Promise Thin Wheat Crackers.
 
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President Camenbert Cheese
On the back label: President Camembert, created by a family of artisan cheesemakers with over 80 years of French heritage, is recognized as a leading cheese brand throughout Europe. Whether in France or America's dairyland, rich and earthy President Camembert is made by expert cheesemakers using traditional methods and natural ingredients. It's that expertise that has made President brand the #1 Camembert throughout France and the US.
Ingredients: Pasteurized cow milk, Salt, Cheese cultures, enzymes. Contains: Milk
Will's Review: I have heard of Camembert cheese. It's kind of famous. But up until now I had never tried it. And.... I got to tell you that it is famous for a reason. This is a wonderful cheese. It looks great, has wonderful consistency and a terrific smooth and creamy cheese flavor. Big thumbs up for this cheese. It is one of my favorites. I paid $5.46 for this cheese.
It comes in this very nice container with an inner wrapping. The white color you see in the last photo is the rind of the cheese.
Swiss Gruyere
On the back label: Le Gruyere AOP boasts a unique sweet and nutty flavor that becomes more complex as it cellar-ages for more than 5 months.
non GMO certified - The farm animals were fed with Non GMo feed (>99.1%) All rennet used are produced without GMO. Certified by BioAudix LLC. (www.bioaudix.com)
Ingredients: Cultured milk, salt, enzymes. Contains MILK. Keep Refrigerated.
Will's review: This is a wonderful cheese, famous for good reason, and it is on the drier side in terms of cheese. It is nice and firm and has a good flavor with a hint of nuttiness with a hinting resemblance to parmesan. Being a drier cheese I think that it would be best paired with wines and sweet fruits.
KerryGold Dubliner
On the back label: Product of Ireland. Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Cheese cultures, & enzymes. Keep Refrigerated. - Vegetarian friendly and gluten free.
For more visit their website at: kerrygoldusa.com/irishgrassfed
Will's review: This is a terrific cheese. It has a mild and creamy sweet flavor with a firm texture.
Viva Espana
I spotted this cheese in the refrigerated section of my local supermarket. And it was on sale for 99 cents! I picked up two of them and.... was totally shocked, and pleased, by how good it is. I love this cheese. I am going back to the supermarket tomorrow and picking up several more of these.
And notice the beautiful herringbone pattern on the rind. It's very similar to the high quality boar's hea d Manchego Sheep's milk cheese that I had previously reviewed.
On the label: Traditional Spanish cheese made from Cow, Sheep and Goat Milk. "Smooth, Creamy, and Buttery".
And the label is 100% accurate. This cheese is Smooth, creamy, and buttery!
Ingredients: Pasteurized Cow's Milk, Pasteurized Sheep's Milk, Pasteurized Goat's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Rennet, Contain's Milk.
Can Cheese - Sharp Cheddar de-Lish
When I was a kid I loved these cheeses in a can. I like the taste of the cheese and I loved the fun factor that was added with it being in a can. Maybe you felt the same!
Well, I was walking through the supermarket when I spotted this cheese and I had to give it a try. Why not!
These cheeses in a can are often ridiculed. But I like them! And I can't speak for other brands but this one is actual real cheese. And it tastes good. It has that wonderful cheddar taste.
If we take a look at the label we see that it is cheese but. There are a lot of other things in there that we should really take note of. So... It's a fun little treat but I won't be making a habit of eating this cheese.
Here are the ingredients on the label:
Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) water, soybean oil, whey, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, less than 2% lactic acid, salt, naturl flavor, sodium hexametaphosphate, sorbic acid, (as a preservative), annatto color, sodium alginate, xanthan gum. Contains: Milk.
I enjoyed this cheese on wheat thins.
Sartori Farmhouse Cheddar
This is an extra sharp cheddar cheese but don't let that fool you! It is a beautiful cheese with a creamy taste - Yes, it is a sharp cheddar but on the milder and more subtle side.
On the label they call it an extra sharp and rich cheese. And they are right. They also say it is a cheddar masterpiece inspred by our dedicated local family farms.
This is a wonderful cheese with a beautiful rich and creamy flavor. It is difficult to describe but this cheese almost melts in your mouth.
I enjoyed it on Rosemary and Olive Bruschettini. (Bruschettini are snack size Italian Bruschetta toasts.
Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese
This is a very nice swiss cheese and it is on the mild side - it's not a strong swiss. This is definitely one of my favorite swiss cheeses. It has a nice firm texture but not too hard. Swiss cheeses can often be on the hard and dry side. This one isn't.
The label describes it in a couple of ways.
"Semi-soft Part Skim Cheese" and "Made with our Secret Recipe." Which is kind of fun.
Ingredients: pasteurized part-skim milk, cultures, salt and microbial rennet.
Cost: It is labeled as 11.99 a pound. This is a .665 pound wedge. For a price of 7.97. It was on sale for $5.35.
I had it with Cedar's Original Pita Chips.
Cedar's Original Pita Chips
Montchevre Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese
This is an interesting cheese combination. I love blueberries and I love vanilla and I love cheese! . This is kind of like a nut log roll. The blueberry mixture is around the outer part of the roll. It is meant to be refrigerated but I had it out for a couple of hours before I tried it and it was nice and soft; about like a soft cream cheese. And it had a nice blueberry vanilla flavor with a little bit of tartness which was a pleasant surprise. It's a great atypical cheese combination.
The label: Montchevre 4 oz goat cheese, blueberry vanilla - Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized goat's milk, sweetened dried blueberries (blueberries, sugar) salt, vanilla extract, enzymes. Contains: milk. Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Milwaukee Wisconsin. www.saputo.com
The Laughing Cow Spicy Pepper Jack Cheese
I spotted this cheese in Price Rite; in a cardboard display case and it wasn't refrigerated which I found interesting. On the package it says "Refrigerate after Purchase".
And... I love this cheese. It has a creamy consistency and a perfectly balanced spicy pepperjack flavor. It is soft enough to easily spread on crackers or bread yet firm enough to not be messy. It is definitely one of my favorites.
There are eight individually wrapped wedges inside the container - Oh and I love this circular container.
On the label: Made with real cheese; No artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no artificial growth hormones.
Ingredients: Cheddar, semisoft, and monterey jack cheese (pasteurized milk and part skim milk , cultures, salt , enzymes) Whey, milk protein concentrate, water, skim milk, sodium polyphosphate less than 2% of each dehydrated green and red jalapeno peppers, tricalcium phosphate, citric acid, salt. Contains: milk.
Daroca Queijo Mineiro Fresh Cheese
This is a pretty average cheese with a mild cheese flavor and a firm consistency. It is a bit on the salty side. But, it's a simple and inexpensive cheese. Pretty decent.
On the label: Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Titanium Dioxide, Cheese cultures, Enzymes. Contains: Milk
About the Titanium Dioxide. If you do an online search for it you will find there are some cautions and concerns about this additive. It is used to lighten and brighten the color of foods. The FDA regulates it and says it is safe at certain levels but it has been banned in the European union.
Cheese Factory New Azores Garlic and Parsley Cheese
This is a wonderful cheese that is firm and has a mild flavor. This particular one is made with garlic and parsley. And it is very mild with the garlic and parsley. They have achieved an excellent flavor and balance. I am not a big fan of parsley but they did it very nicely.
After I let it warm up to room temperature it took on a beautiful firm yet creamy consistency.
This is an imported portugues/azorean cheese.
I paid $10.99 for it.
Note that I bought this at a supermarket that specializes in Azorean and Portugues groceries and more. It is called "Portugalia Market". You can see that market and read more about what they have right here: Portugalia Market in Fall River Mass.
I enjoyed it with a portuguese roll.
Boar's Head Caramelized Onion Jack Cheese
I love caramelized onion so I was pleased to dis
Icover this cheese in my local Stop & Shop. And I wsn't disappointed. It is a great tasting cheese. It has a good consistency and the perfect caramelized onion flavor in the mild.
I paid $7.99 for it.
After I let it warm up to room temperature it took on a beautiful firm yet creamy consistency. I had it with Yucca bread.
This isn't my first Boar's Head cheese. I have tried several and have come to the conclusion that they make some great cheeses at reasonable prices.
On the label:
Caramelized Onion Jack- Monterey Jack cheese with caramelized onions -
Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Caramelized Onion (Dehydrated Onion) Enzymes.
BelGioioso Marscarpone
I did not expect this cheese! I was in the supermarket looking over the cheeses when I spotted this one. And on the label it says "Delicious, Creamy, Spreadable cheese for Bagels, Toast and Tiramisu." Tiramisu? I was surprised by this. How could a cheese be spread on Tiramisu? Well, once I tried it I was convinced. It is good for Tiramisu.
In my opinion this cheese is a cross of two different things. It is a cheese and it is a cream. Yup. Picture a cheese with overtones of cool whip flavor. True! And it is very light, almost the same consistency as cool whip. Anyhoo, this is a bit of a peculiar and different cheese.
I paid $4.99 for it.
I enjoyed it with Mariner Stoned Wheat Crackers. But next time I will definitely get tiramisu!
Sartori Montamore Cheddar
This is a good high quality cheese with a firm texture and a mid range cheddar flavor. It also has nutty undertones. Wow, look at me being all fancy and talking about "nutty undertones". But, it's true. That describes it pretty accurately! And it has a nice smoothness to it. Great cheese. I had it on Mariner stoned wheat crackers shown in the third picture.
I paid $7.49 for it.
Old Croc Grand Reserve Cheddar Cheese (Australian)
This cheese is labeled as Vintage and aged over two years. I am starting to develop a palate that can discern a bit about cheese and this leads me to realize that aging does make a difference in a quality cheese. This cheddar has a wonderful smoothness to it and a great consistency. It is firm and slightly crumbly. This is a terrific high quality cheese.
I paid $5.99 for this cheese.
And I am always wondering what I should eat cheese with. And funny story here. Two weeks ago I was in Stop & Shop looking through their very nice variety of cheeses and the cheese guy was there. He was stocking the various fridges with cheeses. So, I struck up a conversation with him. I asked him for recommendations on cheeses and also what I should pair cheese up with. He didn't have any solid recommendations for me but... this week I noticed a new product peppered all over the cheese area. It was this cracker:
So, I had to get a box! And the claim: "That perfectly pair with cheese". Is kind of right. I am no cheese expert and certainly no cracker expert but the thing about these crackers is that they are very mild in flavor - kind of like a blank palette. And they are unsalted. This blank palette allow you to really taste the cheese. But these crackers have a nice crunch to them. And that adds a nice sensory experience that the cheese doesn't have. What do you know. I learned a little bit about cheese and cracker pairings.
Tirolez Spreadable Cheese
This is an inexpensive cheese that has good texture and a good taste with a little bit of sweetness to it. Good cheese! But there are a couple of thoughts I have about the packaging of this cheese. You might find this interesting.
They packaged this cheese cleverly.
There is a reason why it is shaped like a parallelogram.
It's so you can use a pair of scissors to trim off one of those corners. And then you can easily squeeze it out. I like it!
I mentioned that there is a couple of things abou the packaging! Here is the other thing that I noted.
Doesn't that image on the package look like a chocolate chip cookie? LOL!
When I first glanced at it I thought this was cookie dough. You read the words and realize it is a "Spreadable Cheese". But upon first glance you think it's chocolate chip cookie dough!!
So, I recommend they change that image. I bet they would get an increase in sales just because of the misunderstanding.
I enjoyed this cheese with baked thin wheat crackers.
Tropical Cojita
This cheese was interesting but not quite to my taste. It's a bit on the dry side and a bit heavy on the salty side. I paid $6.99 for it.
From the Label: Authentic Mexican style hard aged cheese. Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Cheese cultures, (lactic starter, soy protein), enzymes.
