Sorry about last week, folks.  I did try to make up for things today, and partially succeeded.

The first cheese is from our formerly unGoogleable friends Country Connection.  Unfortunately, it is an abomination.  Since everything else that they make has been stellar, I figured that I’d try bringing in their Tex Mex Jack today.  It is atrocious.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  If you buy this, Aristaeus, the Greek god of Cheese will make you lactose intolerant out of spite.  For those of you on the other side of the Atlantic and unfamiliar with the term, Tex Mex is supposed to be a unique fusion of American and Mexican cuisine.  The way that it is most often encountered is at Taco Bell.  A bland, vaguely Mexican spiced mush that has as much in common with real Mexican food as French Fries have with Coq au Vin.  This cheese tastes like they just poured in a whole bunch of Old El Paso™ Taco Seasoning into it.  Slightly chili flavored and super salty.  Completely nasty.

Well, now that is out of the way, let’s move on to much tastier fare.

Next on the plate is Dofino Edam.  This is my favorite for the day.  It is incredibly buttery and smooth, with a healthy dose of nuttiness thrown in for good measure.  It is like a buttery Emmentaler and is simply a joy to eat.

Thirdly is Red Apple’s Applewood Smoked Cheddar.  This one was enjoyed by quite a few people, but in my opinion the smoke is a bit over done.  This one is very smoky.  The underlying cheddar is quite good, but it gets lost in the taste of charred wood.  It is still good, but tastes and smells more like a cured meat than a cheese.

Lastly, we had quite a surprise.  Castello’s Saga Classic is a Blue Brie, or Bavarian Blue.  Given the fact that my dislike of Brie is not easy to hide, I figured that this one would just make me hate my taste buds for while.  It is surprisingly delicious!  The Brie flavor hits you up front, but is surprisingly mellow.  The Blue comes in on the back end and is also not too intense.  The first thing that came to mind when eating it was that it was like a slightly moldy Camembert.  That may sound like a back-handed complement, but it is actually a whole hearted endorsement.

Stay cheesy, and we’ll see what next week has in store!