Tasting notes offer a deeper appreciation for our curated cheese selections. We invite you to share your own impressions and remember great cheese is definitely not fast food!
These “tasting” tips come from our cheese paper vendor, FORMATICUM
Look
A cheese’s appearance can tell you a lot about the type of milk, its style and overall condition. Note the visual attributes of the cheese: what color is the rind? What color is the pate*? Cheese made from goat milk will be much whiter in appearance than cheeses made from other milk types. What type of rind does it have: bloomy, natural, waxed or washed? Are there any unusual fissures or holes? *Pate, pâte, or paste, a term for the interior body (non-rind portion) of cheese, described by its texture, density, and color.Smell
The smell of a cheese conveys both its style and condition. If the first rule of cheese aromas is: “stinky” cheese does not mean “spoiled” cheese, then the second rule is: cold cheese does not reveal its full aroma. If tasting a cold cheese, start with clean, unscented, hands and break up the cheese in your palm. This will warm the cheese and expose more surface area– both important for releasing the cheese’s aromas. Then take a good whiff and exhale through your nose.Taste
When you taste a cheese, take your time. Breathe in, chew slowly, exhale through your nose. Allow yourself time to observe the flavor curve from the initial taste through the finish. Often, the difference between mediocre cheese and excellent cheese is in the finish – and you might not experience it until 30 seconds after first taste. Great cheese is definitely not fast food. Whether a cheese is mild or pungent, the cheesemakers’ goal is to achieve balance among the five human taste areas: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. If it tastes right to you, eat it! Trust your palate: life is too short to eat cheese you don’t enjoy.
A great resource for quick cheese references – http://www.cheese.com/