Featured Cheese - Sept 2021

Originally a Dutch cheese, versions of Gouda are now made by artisan cheesemakers throughout the world, like Michigan’s Old Europe Cheese. Old Europe’s Smoked Gouda is unique in that it’s smoked using a “cold smoke” process, which preserves the cheese’s inherent flavor and moisture.

This 1st Place winner in 2011 at the American Cheese Society is known for its buttery, full-bodied, semi-firm texture and snappy, citrus-like fruity notes. As the patriarch of Utah's Beehive Cheese Company's family of cheeses, Promontory is equally great on its own on a cheese board with some dates and honey, or with anything you would pair a cheddar-style cheese with, like a Panini or grated on a salad.

In addition to simply being visually stunning and making an outstanding addition to any cheese tray, this delicious double-cream cheese offers complex flavor and texture profiles. Prior to being cut, it's a sphere of cheese covered in lovely white bloomy mold after 2-4 weeks of maturation. When sliced open, tellicherry peppercorns dot the paste which is a light buttery color. Just under the rind, the paste begins to mature, forming a creamy, fluid texture

Upon opening each 10-pound, washed rind wheel of Alp Blossom, you'll see an even distribution of small 'eyes' in a consistently creamy, butter-yellow paste. The herbs and field blossoms make for a strong floral aroma which also influences the flavor of the cheese. It presents a dense, semi-firm texture, super creamy mouthfeel, and herbal and floral notes. It won’t be hard to imagine what these cows were eating just before they were milked!

Toma Piemontese is a semi-firm, cow’s milk cheese. Upon opening the wheel, its paste is a rich buttery yellow hue and mild fragrant earthy aromas are present which remind one of clean soil and grass. The flavor profile confirms the nose. Cows from this region are grazing at a pretty high altitude when they produce the milk to make this cheese and that terroir presents prominently in this Toma. It’s not an overly sweet tasting cheese.