Josh got the first three from Cowgirl Creamery in DC, Julie brought us the Cougar Gold. Melissa, Angela, and I enjoyed these with the last known bottle of real (i.e., Romanian) Vampire wine known to exist in the DC area.
California Crottin
Redwood Hill Dairy
Sebastopol, CA
milk: goat
Redwood Hill’s own version of the French Crottin Chavignol has a sharp and meaty flavor with a thick, pale yellow, corrugated rind. This cheese manages to be both dense and fluffy with an intense earthy aroma.
ms, at, wt: very good, but note to self: put goat cheese after cow and sheep, and before blue
Pierce Pt
Cowgirl Creamery
Point Reyes Station, CA
milk: organic whole milk
Pierce Pt is rolled in dried herbs from the Tomales Bay coastal region. The result is a delicious cheese, semi-firm, yet creamy, complex yet never overpowering, that you’ll recall longingly when it’s out-of-season. Pierce Pt received a 1st Place award at the 2006 American Cheese Society Conference.
ms, at, wt: very good
Bayley Hazen Blue
Jasper Hill Farm
Greensboro, VT
milk: Ayrshire cow (morning milk)
type: blue
Bayley Hazen Blue is a buttery, natural-rind cow milk blue cheese that is made with whole raw milk. The milk used is primarily from morning milk, which tends to be lower in fat. The milk is taken from their own herd of Ayrshire cows who graze from late spring to early fall. Bayley Hazen Blue is drier than most blues, and the penicillium roqueforti takes a back seat to an array of flavors that hint at nuts and grasses and sometimes licorice.
ms, at, wt: very good, buttery
Cougar Gold
Washington State Creamery
milk: pasteurized milk
type: cheddar
Very nice cheddar that has been already reviewed.
ms, at, wt: one of our favorite cheeses