Today's cheese haul

Ooh, got a paycheck! Expect a cheese haul of fancier types this week. I thought I'd reviewed St. Martin d'Argental, but can't find it, and I have a craving.

La Gruta del Sol Brandy Sheep Cheese Semi-hard Spanish 🐑🧀 with added brandy and fine herbes. There's a strong vinous fruity flavor with an herby undertone (tarragon, I think). Long creamy finish retains brandy essence.

Nordic Creamery Sheep Cheddar Cheese Semi-hard Wisconsin 🐑🧀. Odd texture, almost chalky. No cheddar sharpness. Sweet, mild, a bit of nut flavor. Not unpleasant, but far from what one expects from cheddar.

Shullsburg Creamery Mozzarella Firm Wisconsin part skim, low moisture 🐄 🧀. Typical mild milky flavor and low salt for mozzarella, melts well with noticeable stretch. Best shaved on pizza or pasta.

La Gruta del Sol Brandy Sheep Cheese Semi-hard Spanish 🐑🧀 with added brandy and fine herbes. There's a strong vinous fruity flavor with an herby undertone (tarragon, I think). Long creamy finish retains brandy essence.

Nordic Creamery Sheep Cheddar Cheese Semi-hard Wisconsin 🐑🧀. Odd texture, almost chalky. No cheddar sharpness. Sweet, mild, a bit of nut flavor. Not unpleasant, but far from what one expects from cheddar.

Shullsburg Creamery Mozzarella Firm Wisconsin part skim, low moisture 🐄 🧀. Typical mild milky flavor and low salt for mozzarella, melts well with noticeable stretch. Best shaved on pizza or pasta.

Fun thread. Vacherin Mont d'Or, which I haven't had in years. It's a cheese hot tub party.

Cypress Grove Sgt. Pepper Soft fresh California 🐐🧀 with added spices, chilies and herbs. Does not have the typical sharp tang of goat cheese. Has heat in aftertaste. Something, perhaps flecks of lime leaf or lemongrass, was hard to chew. Pretty, but a miss on the flavors.

CannonBelles Tuscan Cheddar Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added onion, red bell pepper, Italian herb mix. This is a very nice, better than average, young white cheddar. The herbs and onion are at a level that I could detect them, but not identify them. The pepper is mostly for color.

Cypress Grove Sgt. Pepper Soft fresh California 🐐🧀 with added spices, chilies and herbs. Does not have the typical sharp tang of goat cheese. Has heat in aftertaste. Something, perhaps flecks of lime leaf or lemongrass, was hard to chew. Pretty, but a miss on the flavors.

CannonBelles Tuscan Cheddar Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added onion, red bell pepper, Italian herb mix. This is a very nice, better than average, young white cheddar. The herbs and onion are at a level that I could detect them, but not identify them. The pepper is mostly for color.

Kynthos Halloumi Semi-soft fresh Cyprus 🐄+🐐+🐑🧀 with added mint. Meant to be grilled, this keeps its shape on cooking, ideal for kebabs. The mint is lost under heavy salt when cooked, but is there when raw. It squeaks when bitten, like saltier Wisconsin cheese curds.

Castello Brie Soft Danish 🐄 🧀 with bloom rind. Very fluffy texture. There's a mild eggy mushroom flavor, but it is very young and undeveloped compared to French Brie.

Cypress Grove PsycheDillic Soft fresh California 🐐🧀 with bloom rind and added dill and dill pollen. The rind was minimal. The dill is noticeable, pleasant, not like a pickle. The cheese lacked any goaty tanginess, was creamier than most chevre. Made a nice spread.

Yancey's Fancy Smoked Gouda with Bacon Semi-hard processed New York 🐄🧀 with added bacon and smoke. This has an artificial smokiness that hides the bacon flavor. The bacon gives a second texture to the otherwise pliable, slightly rubbery cheese. It finished clean. Probably best melted on a burger.

Kynthos Halloumi Semi-soft fresh Cyprus 🐄+🐐+🐑🧀 with added mint. Meant to be grilled, this keeps its shape on cooking, ideal for kebabs. The mint is lost under heavy salt when cooked, but is there when raw. It squeaks when bitten, like saltier Wisconsin cheese curds.

Castello Brie Soft Danish 🐄 🧀 with bloom rind. Very fluffy texture. There's a mild eggy mushroom flavor, but it is very young and undeveloped compared to French Brie.

Cypress Grove PsycheDillic Soft fresh California 🐐🧀 with bloom rind and added dill and dill pollen. The rind was minimal. The dill is noticeable, pleasant, not like a pickle. The cheese lacked any goaty tanginess, was creamier than most chevre. Made a nice spread.

Yancey's Fancy Smoked Gouda with Bacon Semi-hard processed New York 🐄🧀 with added bacon and smoke. This has an artificial smokiness that hides the bacon flavor. The bacon gives a second texture to the otherwise pliable, slightly rubbery cheese. It finished clean. Probably best melted on a burger.

Today's cheese haul

Eichten's Tomato Basil Gouda Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added tomato, basil, onion, garlic. Tomato is noticed in the aroma. Very herbal and vegetal, oniony, but not distinct basil. A 2 month gouda, creamy on the palate, but undeveloped. Salty for a young gouda as well.

Cabot Creamery Wickedly Habanero Cheddar Semi-hard Vermont 🐄 🧀 with added Habanero peppers. Much hotter than most pepper cheeses, the fruit flavor of the pepper was muted by the mild young white cheddar which itself is unexceptional. For when you want a real pepper kick with cheese.

University of Minnesota Tomato Basil Feta Semi-soft Minnesota 🐄🧀 with added sun dried tomatoes and basil. I enjoyed this more than expected. Not as crumbly or wet as most feta, nor as salty. The tomato comes through, the basil tastes fresh, like a Margherita pizza.

Eichten's Tomato Basil Gouda Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added tomato, basil, onion, garlic. Tomato is noticed in the aroma. Very herbal and vegetal, oniony, but not distinct basil. A 2 month gouda, creamy on the palate, but undeveloped. Salty for a young gouda as well.

Cabot Creamery Wickedly Habanero Cheddar Semi-hard Vermont 🐄 🧀 with added Habanero peppers. Much hotter than most pepper cheeses, the fruit flavor of the pepper was muted by the mild young white cheddar which itself is unexceptional. For when you want a real pepper kick with cheese.

University of Minnesota Tomato Basil Feta Semi-soft Minnesota 🐄🧀 with added sun dried tomatoes and basil. I enjoyed this more than expected. Not as crumbly or wet as most feta, nor as salty. The tomato comes through, the basil tastes fresh, like a Margherita pizza.

University of Minnesota Black Pepper Feta Not as dry or as salty as most commercial feta, not packed in water and a bit less crumbly than usual. Salt and pepper is a classic combo; this goes well with pasta or roasted vegetables as a topping.

University of Minnesota Gouda 6-8 week gouda with very thin wax coat, it lacks the complex flavor of aged gouda, has a springy texture, is a clean simple basic cheese. It's a good cheese for sandwiches.

Only 2 cheese reviews today. Wish @maggiewestrum.bsky.social a happy birthday and maybe give her a follow. There's no cheese in her posts, though.

University of Minnesota Black Pepper Feta Not as dry or as salty as most commercial feta, not packed in water and a bit less crumbly than usual. Salt and pepper is a classic combo; this goes well with pasta or roasted vegetables as a topping.

University of Minnesota Gouda 6-8 week gouda with very thin wax coat, it lacks the complex flavor of aged gouda, has a springy texture, is a clean simple basic cheese. It's a good cheese for sandwiches.

I think we know the answer, don't we?

University of Minnesota Cheese Curds Firm fresh Minnesota 🐄🧀. These needed 10 seconds microwaving in order to squeak when bitten, so were a few days old. Slightly salty, otherwise clean milky flavor. I could tell these were different in taste from Ellsworth curds, but couldn't say how.

Paradiso Reserve from Beemster Hard Dutch 🐄 🧀. 24 month gouda with added Parmesan cultures. No crystals. Strong nuttiness typical of gouda. Parmesan notes are muted. It's good, but seems to miss the point of the style.

The Swan by Deer Creek Cheese Semi-hard Wisconsin 🐑🧀 layered on 🐄🧀 that has added black pepper. Two cheddars, the difference between the sheep and cow milk is lost under the pepper flavor. Perhaps a bit creamier than most pepper cheeses.

University of Minnesota Cheese Curds Firm fresh Minnesota 🐄🧀. These needed 10 seconds microwaving in order to squeak when bitten, so were a few days old. Slightly salty, otherwise clean milky flavor. I could tell these were different in taste from Ellsworth curds, but couldn't say how.

Paradiso Reserve from Beemster Hard Dutch 🐄 🧀. 24 month gouda with added Parmesan cultures. No crystals. Strong nuttiness typical of gouda. Parmesan notes are muted. It's good, but seems to miss the point of the style.

The Swan by Deer Creek Cheese Semi-hard Wisconsin 🐑🧀 layered on 🐄🧀 that has added black pepper. Two cheddars, the difference between the sheep and cow milk is lost under the pepper flavor. Perhaps a bit creamier than most pepper cheeses.

Unplanned second cheese haul

Today's cheese haul

Today's cheese haul

Garlic Cheddar from Redhead Creamery Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added garlic powder and garlic salt. Clothbound, leading to edible mold and bacteria on rind. The first poor cheese I've had from the usually reliable maker, it tastes like garlic powder (no bite), the cheese itself is flavorless.

The Indigo Bunting from Deer Creek Semi-soft Wisconsin 🐑 🧀 with added 🐄 cream and blue mold. Richer and fudge in texture than usual for blue sheep cheese, less crumbly. Mild blue flavor mostly in the finish. Frankly, I don't remember this one well.

Glacier Point Blue Cheese from Carr Valley Semi-soft Wisconsin 🐄 🧀 with blue mold, smoked with blue spruce. Intensely blue, the smoke adds not the expected pine note, but bacon! There's complex competing flavors (oregano‽), mushroom prominent. Smoke returns in the finish along with blue sharpness.

Garlic Cheddar from Redhead Creamery Semi-hard Minnesota 🐄 🧀 with added garlic powder and garlic salt. Clothbound, leading to edible mold and bacteria on rind. The first poor cheese I've had from the usually reliable maker, it tastes like garlic powder (no bite), the cheese itself is flavorless.

Glacier Point Blue Cheese from Carr Valley Semi-soft Wisconsin 🐄 🧀 with blue mold, smoked with blue spruce. Intensely blue, the smoke adds not the expected pine note, but bacon! There's complex competing flavors (oregano‽), mushroom prominent. Smoke returns in the finish along with blue sharpness.

The Indigo Bunting from Deer Creek Semi-soft Wisconsin 🐑 🧀 with added 🐄 cream and blue mold. Richer and fudge in texture than usual for blue sheep cheese, less crumbly. Mild blue flavor mostly in the finish. Frankly, I don't remember this one well.

I'm eating a cheese that tastes like bacon and oregano... somehow.