While my son and my husband enjoy playing with retro Masters of the Universe toys, I enjoy my favorite hobby—cheese tasting!

As soon as I unwrapped the final version of the Mystery Cheese, I was greeted by the familiar clean, milky, nutty smells that I remember from the last installment. The appearance was similar, although this version had less veining and wasn’t quite as shiny.

I took my first bites of the cheese, and I was very impressed. The texture was much more smooth and creamy than the previous batch, with just a few small crystals dispersed throughout. I loved the flavor—it had the milky, salty, nutty, taste that I remember from the first version, but it seemed a little richer and almost meaty in flavor. Last time, I did not taste any sharp tanginess that is reminiscent of a traditional blue cheese. However, this version did have a subtle sharpness that I really enjoyed. As I worked toward the rind, there was a slight ammonia flavor, but it was not overpowering. The cheese seems to have gotten more salty over the past few days, but I find that pairing it with something sweet, but not too sweet, like grapes or semi-sweet chocolate, masks some of the saltiness and helps bring out the cheese’s deliciousness. The taste of the salt, combined with the fresh smells and flavors, makes me think that Ocean Blue would be a fitting name for the cheese.

Thanks to everyone at Culture and the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company for this great experience. Any time you need a cheese taster, give me a call!
--Emily