A Flowery Song

Background: Zingerman’s does a great line of cheeses, including some excellent goat cheeses. The “Little Ypsi” is one of their newer offerings, and is a small (approximately two inches in diameter and one inch high) cylindrical cheese is akin to a French crottin. It’s made from local goats’ milk with animal rennet, then aged for a bit.

Beautiful butter-yellow rind, snow-white inside. Smells goaty and cheesy, just like goat cheese ought. Dense, creamy, and soft, with just a hint of flaking. While there’s some smooth barnyard in the background, this specimen is fairly fresh with a less goaty flavour than it will develop with more aging.

Overall: A little nugget of goaty goodness. Mmm, goat.

Background: Produced by Zingerman's Creamery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this soft cheese is handmade from goat's milk and flavoured with cracked green peppercorns.

Appearance: Brick-shaped; white and tan rind, snow white interior speckled with peppercorns. The cheese right next to the rind is slightly gooey; the rest of the interior is soft and flaky.

Taste: Beautifully creamy, soft and tangy with a smooth pepperiness. The rind is edible and adds some nuttiness.

Verdict: Thumbs up.

Background: Soft cow's milk cheese from the village of St. Antoine at the foothill of the Pyrenees.

Appearance: White cheese with a soft, bright orange rind.

Taste: Rich and creamy, some nuttiness and mildly salty. Hints of yeast.

Verdict: Thumbs up.

Background: Handmade cows milk cheese, produced in Oregon using sustainable dairy and agricultural practises. It claims to be the first ever smoked blue cheese.

Appearance: Firm white cheese with coarse blue veins. Crumbly, no visible voids.

Taste: Medium sharpness, tangy and slightly fruity blue cheese character with a hint of salt. The mildly earthy finish is where the smoke influence really starts to shine through, lending a nice depth to the flavour. Very smooth and balanced.

Verdict: Thumbs way up.

Background: Soft, ripened Italian cheese made from a blend of cow, goat, and sheep's milk. No designation of origin on this specimen.

Appearance: Off-white rind with white bloom. Interior is a light cream.

Taste: Mild and earthy, with a slight tanginess. Rind is edible and adds some mushroom notes.

Verdict: Thumbs up. A nice alternative to Brie.

Background: Semi-hard cheese from France. Made from raw skim cow's milk and matured for several months.

Appearance: Thick greyish-brown rind. Body is off-white shading to tan, with small (1-2mm) voids visible.

Taste: Nutty, with some grassy undertones.

Verdict: Thumbs up.