01/13/2013 - Societe Roquefort sheep's cheese

The 21st meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on January 13, 2013.  Present members were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat.. The cheese sampled was Societe Roquefort sheep's cheese. It was served room temperature with mini-toast.

Moobs:  The texture was stick to the touch, definitely a soft cheese without much of an odor.  It's a moldy cheese and had a kind of metallic taste to it.  A a nasty, strong biting taste that kind of lingers that I didn't enjoy.  The mini toast helps, but tastes very much like metal.  I wouldn't buy it.

Scott: I was fine with the sticky, creamy texture and the pungent cheese smell.  However, upon tasting it I realized it had a moldy cheese taste that I'm not a fan of.  Sort of like bleu cheese or Gorgonzola.  Mini toast mellowed the flavor, so I preferred it served that way.  I would not eat this cheese again.

Jesse:  The consistency was bad, very strong rich smell to it.  Being that it was from France, I knew we were in for a treat.  It was extremely salty and green stuff wasn't spinich, but was actually mold.  The mini toast made it better with the contrasting textures.  I would not eat this again, cheap ass Wal Mart cheese.

Tony:  This was an extremely off putting cheese right out of the package.  The scent was terrible and the texture was sticky, which I think the room temperature might be responsible for.  The cheese was very salty and had crystallized at a certain point.  Very hard to savor.  The mini toast was a welcome compliment to the horribleness of the cheese, which is a testament to the power of mini-toast.  I wouldn't eat it again.

Susie:  Didn't like it.

12/19/2012- Dutch Smoked Goudam

The 20th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on December 19, 2012. Present members were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat.. The cheese sampled was Dutch Garden Smoked Goudam cheese product. It was served cold with mini-toast, pepperoni, grapes, and grilled on wheat bread.

Thoughts:

Moobs- I enjoyed it a lot, more than I thought I would.  You can really appreciate the smoky flavor of the cheese, I thought it would be subdued, but it was quite strong.  Almost like a smoky American cheese.  The grilled cheese was my favorite way, but it was especially good with the pepperoni.  The grape and cheese combo wasn't exciting, it didn't add anything to the flavor of the cheese.  I would absolutely eat this again.

Jesse- If you've ever tasted Lance Smoky Cheddar Cheese crackers, that's what it taste like, I didn't say that was a bad thing.  I liked all the ways it was prepared and would eat this again.  When you put the cheese, pepperoni, and mini-toast together, it's quite a premium snack.  Judging from the price tag, that says a lot about it's quality.  (note- the price for the mini-wheel was 4 dollars)

Tony- It has a scrumptious, smoky flavor that was quite heady.  The cheese was soft, but not too it's detriment.  I loved it on the mini-toast, but all the other preparations weren't bad either.  I would eat this again many times over.

Scott- It was delicious.  Thy smoky aroma and taste combined with the creamy texture was very appealing.  The grilled version was the best way to eat it.  The grape and cheese combo was my least favorite, but it was still good.  I would buy this cheese again.

Susie the Cat-  Liked it.

02/03/11- Ashe County 5-Year Aged Cheedar

The 19th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on July 03, 2011. Present members were Moob, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. Special guests Mary Jo and James were also present. The cheese sampled was a 5 year old Ashe County cheddar. It was served cold with mini-toast and grilled on wheat bread.

Thoughts:

Moobs- I liked the cheese, it's one of the best cheddar's I've had...if not THE best. It's really sharp, but it's not too sharp. It doesn't have a lingering bite to it, after the initial bite it smooths out. The grilled cheese was my favorite application. I would eat it again, but I did not like it on mini-toast.

Scott- Very good cheddar cheese, probably the best I've ever had. It was extremely sharp, but not overpowering. I would have to agree with Moobs, the taste didn't linger too long and that's what made it so good. I liked it best on the mini-toast, but liked it slightly melted too. I would definitely eat this again.

Jesse- It was very good. A lovely cheddar cheese. The sharpness of the cheddar complimented the genuine taste of the cheese. I'm talking about when you put cheddar in it's own category. Taste really good melted, but the best application was yet to be tasted because I think it would go good with nachos. Yes I would eat this again, not the best cheddar I ever had.

Tony- It was a pretty good cheddar, but I like Cabot's cheddar better. The sharpness was pretty good, probably better in a smaller quantity. I liked it best by itself, but it would kill shredded over some nachos.

James- It was a very good sharp cheddar, one of the best. It was the best by itself, maybe with some fruit it would be good. The grilled cheese and toast kind of drowned out all the flavor the cheese had. I would eat it every day of my life, it's great.

Mary Jo- It was good, really sharp, almost overpowering at times. I liked it with the mini-toast best. I would eat it again.

Susie the Cat- Liked it.

06/19/2011- Havarti

The 18th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on June 19, 2011. Present members were Moob, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. The cheese sampled was Havarti. It was served cold with plums, almonds and mini-toast. Also it was grilled on wheat bread.

Thoughts:

Moobs- I liked it. I wouldn't say it's anything special, but I would buy it again. I didn't like it with the plums, it was very gross. Kind of a middle of the road cheese, not a very distinctive cheese for me.

Scott- It was really good cheese, like a very mild Swiss. I liked it best either by itself or with the plum. The plum brought out the flavor, but by itself it was a good mild cheese. I would eat it again.

Jesse- A squeaky texture and taste like a soft cheddar-mozzarella. It tasted good by itself mostly. Such a mild cheese it was hidden by all the other things you're eating. Personally I'll skip it because it's so subtle, but I do like it.

Tony- I like Havarti. It went well with the mini-toast and the almonds, but the grilled cheese was prepared improperly and therefore didn't get the fair shot it deserved. I know from experience that this cheese is good on a grilled cheese. I would probably eat it again, I enjoyed it.

Susie the Cat- Liked it.

06/05/11- Apple Cinnamon Jack Cheese

The 17th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on June 05, 2011. Present members were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. The cheese sampled was an apple cinnamon jack cheese. It was sampled room temp with focaccia bread.

Thoughts:

Moobs- I was shocked when you brought in the cheese. I think it's an abomination, the apple cinnamon with a hint of cheese. That being said, I would eat it again. It was surprising.

Scott- The cheese itself was pretty good, a creamy jack cheese. Didn't care much for the contrast between the flavors. I would eat it again though if someone provided it.

Jesse- I kind of seemed like a dessert cheese with the sweet apple cinnamon flavor. I didn't really like it with the bread, kind of lost all texture with the bread. The gummy bear was even grosser, it was a sickening texture. Probably would go good with apples. I would eat it again.

Tony- It smelled faintly of cinnamon and strongly of jack cheese. The taste was surprisingly good because I don't like cinnamon. I enjoyed the contrast of sweet and salty with the cheese. The bread was good with it too. The thing I liked best was that the apple cinnamon wasn't overpowering. Would eat it again, possibly in a grilled sandwich form.

Susie the Cat- Liked it.

05/18/2011- Hoop Cheddar Cheese

The 16th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on May 18th, 2011. Members present were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. The cheese sampled was a hoop cheddar cheese. It was served grilled on Italian bread and cold with mini-toast and apples.

Reactions

Smell:

Moobs- Smelled like cheddar cheese.

Scott- It was a nice cheddar smell.

Jesse- It smelled like cheese. Not much of a smell at all.

Tony- I forgot to smell it.


Taste:

Moobs- A very good cheddar cheese, not as sharp as some I'm used too, but still a very good robust flavor. It seemed like a high quality cheddar. Almost the idealistic cheddar cheese.

Scott- It's a good cheddar cheese taste. I like it better than the blocks of Kraft.

Jesse- By itself a canned chicken or cat-food taste. Tasted like the smell of tuna fish.

Tony- It had a kind of rubbery bite to it, but an excellent cheddar flavor. Very good cheese.


Best Application:

Moobs- My favorite was the cheese by itself. I felt like the applications got in the way of the flavor of the cheese.

Scott- I liked it on the grilled cheese the best. The butter used in making it brought out and balanced the flavors pretty nicely. A damn good grilled cheese.

Jesse- The grilled cheese had the best application, but the mini-toast was good. The texture of the cheese once melted was good, not too creamy and a lot of flavor. The grilled butter toast matched the canned preservative taste, overriding the weird after taste.

Tony- I liked the grilled cheese a lot. The bread was good and went well with this cheese. The mini toast was kind of gross, might have gone bad.


Final Thoughts:

Moobs- I liked it, interesting to try a different type of cheddar cheese.

Scott- It was a very good cheese, now that I've tried it I would probably choose it over other blocks of cheddar.

Jesse- I had some initial thoughts that this was government cheese, using Google I still stand by it and have a bias against it. In the end turned out to be a good cheddar cheese. Not much flavor though, you'd get more from a Kraft sharp cheddar.

Tony- An excellent cheese. Good substitute for Kraft cheddar. Everyone should try this cheese.

Susie the Cat: Liked it.

05/02/2011- Velveeta Cheese

The 15th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on May 2nd, 2011. Members present were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. The cheese sampled was Velveeta. It was served cold, with mini-toast, warmed over nachos, and apples.

Reactions

Smell:
Moobs- It smelled a lot like American singles, a pleasant smell.

Scott- It smells like processed cheese, a nostalgic smell. Brings back good memories of sandwiches from when I was younger.

Jesse- It's a smell of processed, cheap cheese. A sour smell.

Tony- It smells like a plastic bag that cheese has been in.


Taste:
Moobs- Delicious. Takes me back to grade school digging cheese out with a red stick and smearing it on crackers. Like a creamy American single.

Scott- It's very good. Reminds me of a saltier Kraft single.

Jesse- I don't think so. Very creamy, processed, and cheap. Poor artificial flavoring.

Tony- It taste like crap. Salt and milk. The most uncheeselike cheese taste you can find. Cheez-Its taste more like cheese than this.


Best application:
Moobs- The best was the nacho chips. The saltiness of the chips went well with the cheese. My least favorite was the apple. The cheese brought out a sourness in the apple. A strange taste I didn't care for.

Scott- The nachos. Having it warm and melted on the nachos makes it better. The apple was my least favorite. Not bad, but out of the choices my least favorite.

Jesse- The mini-toast. A pleasant experience. Throwback to Handi-Snacks. My least favorite was the apple, it brought out the sourness of the cheese. Tasted too healthy for such a salty cheese.

Tony- Nothing. I'm not sure why anyone would do anything with this cheese besides throw it out.


Final Thoughts:
Moobs- I would eat it again, especially for the price. It's a lot of cheese. I think a grilled cheese with this might be particularly delicious.

Scott- Very good cheese. Makes me want to make cheese dip and binge on it till I'm sick.

Jesse- I generally don't seek out cheese that's a molecule away from being plastic. Probably not going for it again, but cheese club is opening me up to creamier cheeses. I would go for cheese dip with it though.

Tony- Spend another dollar and get real cheese. Life is too short for awful fake cheese.

Susie the Cat- Liked it.