Each week we taste a sampling of cheeses in our Cambridge office and discuss their flavors, textures, and our general impressions of them. Yum!
Hubbardston Blue
Goat’s Milk – Massachusetts
Becca – Smells musky yet dry, like fresh hay in the barn. The taste is milder than I anticipated, light cream with a touch of blue. The texture of both the rind and the paste was evocative of a washed-rind cheese!
Katie – This cheese has a very mild flavor, not as in-your-face and tangy as I’d expected from a blue. Its texture is slightly chewy yet creamy. It tastes a bit chalky near the rind.
Jackie – This cheese is very mild and creamy. It has a slight ashiness to it, that I like, but it’s not overwhelming. I was surprised by the texture, as it’s not similar to any other goat cheese I’ve had before. It was creamy and a little gooey rather than chalky.
Natalie – The ash is a nice touch on this cheese, but for me the rind is a little strong for the mellow inside of the cheese.
Amy – I was surprised by this cheese. It’s a blue goat cheese and yet it was so mild that I would never had known it was either by the flavor and smell. It has a mild ocean-y smell, no goat at all. The interior is very creamy, with a slightly powdery mouthfeel.
Final thought by Becca:
The taste is milder than I anticipated, light cream with a touch of blue.
Classic Blue Log
Goat’s Milk – Massachusetts
Becca – Smells like a typical aged goat cheese: goaty and grass. The rind tasted musty in a pleasant way, and the paste was lusciously mouth-coating. The funky, chevre flavors of this cheese lingered for a long time on the palate.
Katie – The soft rind holds a creamy, velvety interior with a saltier flavor than the Hubbardston. I’m not sure what I’d eat this with, but it holds its own without accompaniments.
Jackie – This tastes like a classic, relatively mild, blue cheese. The texture is light and crumbly in the center and a little creamier closer to the rind.
Natalie – This cheese has a creamy layered effect, and a strong tangy taste.
– Just looking at this cheese got me excited. It has a distinct and thick cream line, making for a luscious and creamy texture. There is definite goat flavor here, although not as much as a fresh chèvre. The flavors are bright, tangy, citrusy, and almost peppery. It’s delicious.
Final thought by Amy:
The goat is nicely balanced by the blue.
Blue Bonnet
Goat’s Milk – Massachusetts
Becca – This adorable little cheese smells like yogurt, mold, and hay. It’s fudgy texture is phenomenal, and it has an earthy, barnyard, goaty taste.
Katie – These small forest-green discs don’t look anything like typical blues! The cheese has a much tangier, more acidic flavor than the previous two. The consistency reminds me a bit of cream cheese. The mold on the exterior rubs off on your fingers (and the cutting board).
Jackie – It smells a little bit molded as well as “goaty”. I think my favorite thing about this cheese is that it is tiny in comparison to traditional goat cheese logs.
Natalie – The Blue Bonnet is a small and cute little wheel, with a tangy and goat-y flavor.
Amy – Adorable! These teensy blue cheeses are about the size and shape of a Rollos candy and a deep bluish emerald. The sheer volume of the blue mold gives this cheese a strong, classic blue flavor.
Final thought by Jackie:
This cheese is funky — in a good way.
Chocolate Capri
Goat’s Milk – Massachusetts
Becca – Upon first whiff, I had to make sure this wasn’t a tootsie roll. It even looks like one! As I smelled some more, scents of creamy hot chocolate emerged. Flavor notes of cocoa, raspberries, and cream all came through strongly.
Katie – This would be nice on a dessert plate; I enjoyed pairing this with a raspberry jam. It has a really great balance between the tanginess of the goat cheese and the deep, slightly sweet flavor of the cocoa. Despite sounding like it would be a heavy cheese, it actually tastes quite light.
Jackie – This cheese is a little bit tangy and just sweet enough. I think it would be great as a “not too sweet” dessert, maybe paired with raspberries or strawberries or spread on some shortbread. It looks kind of like an oversized tootsie roll.
Natalie – This tasted like chocolate cheesecake, but more cheesy and sour at the end.
Amy – This would be a great cheese for someone who isn’t a fan of dessert after dinner. I was surprised that the chocolate color goes all the way through the cheese and isn’t just an exterior rub. The texture is smooth and the flavor is both tangy and chocolaty, reminding me a little of tart Mexican-style chocolate. I immediately started coming up with ideas for how to cook with this cheese.
Final thought by Katie:
Wow – what an aroma! It smells like rich, delicious cocoa.
Smoked Capri
Goat’s Milk – Massachusetts
Becca – This smelled exactly like sweet, smoky, sticky, barbecue ribs! The smoke is much more prevalent in the taste, encircling the palate quickly. The texture of this cheese is so light and fluffy, it melts in your mouth like snow.
Katie – This cheese is super-soft, with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The smoky aroma and flavor are very strong and almost seem to build in the mouth as you taste the cheese and swallow; a charcoal-grill-like flavor lingers. This tastes like summer to me.
Jackie – The first bite tastes to me what it might be like to lick something off of a charcoal grill. After a couple more tastes, the smokiness becomes more mild and enjoyable. I think that this cheese specifically benefits from the addition of a pairing like a spicy-sweet jam.
Amy – This cheese is deceptive. There’s no color that would let you know it’s been smoked, but the smoky smell is so strong that it got me even before the wrapper was off. I loved the fluffy texture and intense hickory flavor. I’d love to pair this with caramelized onions for a sweet and savory combo.
Final thought by Natalie:
This cheese has a very strong, meaty, smoked taste throughout and a clean, creamy texture.
Amy Scheuerman
Amy Scheuerman—culture's former web director—spent eight years in North Carolina where she developed a love of barbecue and biscuits before moving up north to get a degree in nutrition. She now works at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
