Monte Enebro

Outside of going to a cheese tasting or class, I've decided to start asking cheesemongers for their suggestions on a new kind of cheese to try along with old favorites I'm re-stocking on. A guy at the Garden of Eden told me this was his favorite cheese.

Cost: $30.99/lb.
Official description: Aged goat cheese. Sharp to strong taste. Imported from Spain.
Did I like this: eh.

I think I'll stop buying aged goat cheeses from now on, since I didn't much like the Cheese Store's Crottin either. I'll try new ones but typically I have cheese as a snack with apples or with a scrambled egg breakfast on the weekends and anything that's like a blue cheese for me is best with some honey and I have to be in the right mood for it. So if I'm going to have some at home, it should probably only be in really small quantities like leftovers from a tasting and not an independently purchased block.

Gouda

I did some intense Googling and discovered that gouda is at least one kind of cheese that often comes in a black wax rind. So I tasted a few samples from a very friendly cheesemonger at Garden of Eden and I think this was it, that mysterious cheese from June that I liked so much! And then I went a bit nuts and bought all kinds of gouda from him...

Boerenkass Gouda - 2 yrs. old

Cost: $14.99/lb.
Official description: Raw milk farmhouse gouda made from cow's milk and aged for 2 years. Prized by cheese experts. Try it and see why! Imported from Holland.
Did I like this: Yes! This is the one that looked most similar to the cheese I remembered, with a plain black wax rind.

Old Amsterdam aged gouda

Cost: $17.99/lb.

Official description: Old Amsterdam has a smooth, rich, and robust taste. It is a multi-award winning cheese. Perfect on a cheeseboard and in a variety of recipes. Bring to room temperature before serving. Aged gouda type cheese. Has a nice buttery aftertaste. Imported from Holland.

Did I like this: Yes! The description is right about this being better after it's been brought to room temperature. This is the one that the cheesemonger happened to be packaging up and gave me a sample that first hooked me on the idea that gouda was it.

Farmer's 4 yrs. old aged gouda

Cost: $15.99/lb.
Official description: Aged cow's milk cheese. Very complex flavor. This is a true Boerenkass. This cheese similar in texture to parmigiano reggiano. Very firm and flaky. Imported from Holland.
Did I like this: Yes! This cheese is amazing. Very, very hard and at times I had to gnaw on it a bit to soften it sufficiently, but amazing salty-complex flavor.

I might have to consider getting a hard cheese knife/slicer for this kind of cheese. Seems like generally I prefer the taste of really aged and hard cheeses.