06/03/2023
1. KUNIK, NETTLE MEADOW FARM ($12 for 4 ounces; saxelbycheese.com)
This triple cream bloomy rind, made from goat’s milk and cow cream, has a dense chèvre-like paste that ripens outside-in to a silky-smooth consistency. It offers salt and tang up front, some earthy and bittersweet goaty notes as well as a mellow, sweet finish—like crème fraîche with a touch of mushroom.
2. COCOA CARDONA, CARR VALLEY CHEESE ($8.50 for 5 ounces; carrvalleycheese.com)
Semi-soft and dense yet yielding to the tooth, this inviting goat cheese has a remarkably well-integrated package of the five flavors: sweet, sour, salty, pleasantly bitter, with a hefty dose of umami. The coup de grâce is its creative cocoa rubbing, leaving an impression of savory chocolate cheesecake.
3. BARELY BUZZED, BEEHIVE CHEESE ($14 for 7.5 ounces; igourmet.com)
This smooth, delicate Utah Cheddar is rubbed with the unlikely combination of ground espresso and lavender. Its sturdy, substantial, relatively mild paste is satisfying and creamy, with caramelly sweetness—a perfect flavor accent that yields a dessert aftertaste.
4. AGED BLOOMSDAY, CATO CORNER FARM ($19 for 8 ounces; catocornerfarm.com)
Aged up to one year, this raw cow’s milk cheese falls between a fine English Cheddar and a Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO, with a nod toward Caerphilly. Semi-hard and open-textured, with formidable flavor volume, it features mouthwatering fruity tang, hints of orange and tangerine and a long, savory finish.
5. SHEPSOG, GRAFTON VILLAGE CHEESE ($14 for 8 ounces; dakinfarm.com)
Vermont Cheddar meets Spanish Manchego, this hybrid cheese of raw cow and sheep milk is aged seven months. Full-flavored, tangy, salty and rustic—with a bit of cellar must and peat—its hard, grateable, crumbly yet moist paste delivers some sheepy lanolin flavors that recede in the aftertaste as the sweeter, nuttier aspects of the ewe’s milk take center stage.
6. DUNBARTON BLUE, ROELLI CHEESE HAUS ($21 for 8 ounces; saxelbycheese.com)
This blue-Cheddar hybrid cow’s milk cheese is aged for a minimum of four months. Master cheesemaker Chris Roelli carefully controls ripening so any salty, bittersweet bite is offset by sweet and nutty notes as it evolves to a balanced earthy, beefy finish, with a hint of dark chocolate.
7. BLUEBIRD, THE GREY BARN & FARM ($15 for 8 ounces; dibruno.com)
This semi-soft and buttery cow’s milk cheese is reminiscent of Gorgonzola Dolce. Starting with assertive minerally aromas, it jumps on the palate with a pronounced alkaline and salty bite, then adds a host of sweet creamy, grassy and earthy notes and the occasional touch of yeast.
