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.

04/25/2011- 6-Month Aged Provolone (continued)

The ICC met again today to continue what was started last night. Only without Richard. Sorry Richard.

Tonight we sampled the cheese again with some mini-toast, an apple, some bread, and prosciutto ham. Cagney, Brennan, and James joined us. Richard was absent (our fault).

Moobs- It was good the second time. The apple made it very sharp, kind of bitter, it was my least favorite. The best was the prosciutto, the spices and flavoring was very good. The toast didn't wow me like I thought it would.

Scott- I liked it best with prosciutto and bread, I made a bit of a sandwich with it. The apple was very good, it toned it down till the very end. The mini-toast was my least favorite.

Jesse- The best, I thought, was with the bread. The prosciutto was a bit too overpowering, the mini-toast was pretty good. That's all.

Tony- Sorry pigs, but I loved it best with the prosciutto. You can't beat it. This cheese is so awesome.

Brennan- I really liked the cheese by itself, the best was with the toast. I agree with James, I think this cheese works well on a sandwich, especially a ham sandwich.a

James- I love it, but it's not the first time I had it. I liked the strong, firm bite it had. The best was with the bread and apple. Anytime you use this cheese in a sandwich, you win.

Cagney- I thought that the prosciutto, toast combo was the best thing to do with it. I loved the cheese, how sharp it was. Had a real presence. Good contrast with our last cheese.

Susie the Cat- Still liked it.

04/24/2011- 6-Month Aged Provolone

The 14th meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on April 18, 2011. Present members were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat. New member inducted was Richard. This week we sampled a 6-month aged provolone from Philadelphia, PA. Due to lack of preparation it was sampled only cold and sliced.

Smell:

Moobs- A very strong smell. I didn't think it was bad, just very noticeable. Like provolone with a stronger aroma. Fragrant.

Scott- It smelled pretty rank to me. It smelled like a cheesy butt-crack to me.

Jesse- I having trouble smelling today. It smelled sharp.

Tony- Smells very strong, powerful. Sort of musky.

Richard- Smelled like provolone, I didn't notice anything too unique.

Taste:

Moobs- I liked it, it was a strong cheese, very sharp. Robust. It has a lingering taste to it, but it's not a bad aftertaste. I would have a hard time eating it by itself, but a little goes a long way.

Scott- Taste was okay. I can see it being really good with a cold cut sandwich or crumbled on a salad, but a little too sharp by itself.

Jesse- Off the bat a greasy, almost crumbly, sandy texture. There's that, but it hits you with the second stage. Probably best part of the flavor, a rich provolone, parmesan, Romano pizza taste. Into a third and final stage of the flavor, the aftertaste, a burning, sharp lingering aftertaste.

Tony- That classic, strong taste. Reminds me of South Philly. I love it. A little goes a very long way.

Richard- I'm not a fan of it cold, I'm sure it taste different cooked. It's all sharp and burn to me, no real flavor.

Final opinion:

Moobs- It's unfortunate we weren't as prepared for this with some fruits or sauces. I really wish we had some bread because it would probably be good toasted. I bet in the right setting it would be great.

Scott- By itself, I wouldn't eat it again, but I would like to try it accompanied by something.

Jesse- Good cheese, all the way from Jersey. Very nostalgic flavor for me, we used to eat it a lot with Italian sausage. Pleased to be able to eat it again and will. Kind of hurts my stomach by itself.

Tony- I love it, one of the best cheeses ever. It reminds me of family gatherings and delicious food. I swore off pork a while ago, but I would devour a pork sandwich with the cheese and some gravy on it.

Richard- Pretty much what Scott said, would love to try it cooked with something.

Susie the Cat- She liked it.

It was decided we will try this cheese again in some sort of sandwich form. Stay tuned around midweek for our follow-up blog.