Hi, I'm John from Maryland.

Was it a premature birth? I was really pleased to find out that I was selected as one of the cheese tasters for Jasper Hill's new cheese. Received the cheese this past weekend and first impression upon opening the box was WOW, three large wedges and such nice color and unusual rind, but each
piece looked pretty much the same except maybe for wedge size.

My wife and I thought, well maybe they are aged differently.

My first impression upon unwrapping the cheese was the tacky rind and the golden color of the paste and unusual aroma. Was annatto used or is the color strictly derived from the milk? My initial thought from appearance and taste was that of a port salute. A young gouda also came to mind. I enjoyed the taste and texture but something is unique to my tastebuds, which was a pleasant surprise. A good microbrew English style dark ale or nub brown ale would go great with this cheese. Food wise, I think it would go great grilled on some garlic toast points of crusty bread.

It was enjoyable trying to distinguish any subtle differences and fill out the form which is to be mailed today. Today we had a second tasting with soup at lunch. We enjoyed them more at the first tasting as they were at room temp., as this time at lunch they came
directly from the fridge.

--John