Frederic Melton
Cheese tasting is a fun activity that can help you develop a deeper appreciation for cheese and its nuances. By understanding the basic principles of cheese tasting, you can improve your ability to identify and describe different cheeses confidently. The process involves examining the cheese's appearance, texture, aroma, and flavour. When tasting, it is important to savour the cheese slowly, allowing your senses of taste and smell to work together to identify simple and complex flavours. To get started, you can select a theme or focus on different varieties, such as soft, hard, and blue cheeses. It is recommended to choose around three to five cheeses to avoid overwhelming your palate. With preparation and intention, anyone can develop their palate and become a cheese-tasting enthusiast.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of cheeses | 3-5 |
| Type of cheese | Soft, hard, blue, flavoured |
| Source of cheese | Freshly sliced from the cheesemonger |
| Accompaniments | Neutral crackers, bread, salami, cornichons, sun-dried tomatoes, IPA, amaro, olives, nuts, dried fruit, honey, apple slices |
| Temperature | Room temperature |
| Technique | Look, touch, smell, taste |
| Smell | Dairy, fruit, floral, vegetable, leafy, mineral, chemical |
| Taste | Bitter, sweet, acid, salty, savoury |
| Mouthfeel | Fudgey, smooth, crunchy, crispy |
| Progression | From mildest to strongest |
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What You'll Learn
Understanding the basics of cheese tasting
Cheese tasting is a fun activity that can help you develop a deeper appreciation for cheese and the art of cheesemaking. It can also help you discover your palate and understand your preferences. Here are some basic tips to get you started on your cheese-tasting journey:
Planning your cheese selection:
Before you begin tasting, it's important to plan your cheese selection. Decide on the intention behind your tasting. Do you want to focus on a single type of cheese or explore a variety of cheeses? If you're just starting, it's recommended to stick to three to five cheeses to avoid overwhelming your palate. You can choose a theme to help narrow down your options, such as selecting cheeses from the same region, made with the same type of milk, or using the same technique.
Shopping for cheese:
When shopping for cheese, consider choosing a soft cheese, a hard cheese, and a blue cheese. If you want to add more variety, you can include a flavoured cheese with ingredients like spices, herbs, or flowers. Try to get your cheeses freshly sliced from a cheesemonger, as they are stored at the perfect temperature and have the ideal level of air exposure.
Preparing for the tasting:
Bring your cheese to room temperature before tasting. This will enhance the flavours and texture. Set the cheese out about an hour before tasting. You can also pre-cut at least one piece of each cheese to encourage your guests to start tasting.
Examining the cheese:
Before tasting, use your senses to examine the cheese. Look at the rind, colour, and texture of the cheese. Touch and squeeze the cheese to get a sense of its texture, and the aroma will be enhanced by the heat from your fingers. Smelling the cheese before tasting provides useful information as smell and taste are linked. Break off a piece of cheese to release the aromas and assess its intensity.
Tasting the cheese:
Take a bite of the cheese and let it sit in your mouth, savouring the experience. Focus on the simple flavours first, such as salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami, and then move on to more complex notes. Use your tongue to push the cheese against the roof of your mouth to experience different textures and flavours.
Pairing with accompaniments:
Serve your cheese with neutral crackers or bread to add a crunch without overwhelming the cheese's flavour. You can also offer accompaniments like salami, sun-dried tomatoes, cornichons, olives, nuts, and dried or fresh fruit to enhance the tasting experience.
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Selecting the right cheeses
If you would like to explore a variety of cheeses, a good starting point is to select a soft cheese, a hard cheese, and a blue cheese. If you are choosing four cheeses, you could add a flavoured cheese, such as one seasoned with spices, herbs, or flowers. For example, The Big John's Cajun from Beehive Cheese is seasoned with garlic, celery seed, and cayenne. When selecting your cheeses, it is recommended to limit your choices to around five different types, as any more can become overwhelming.
Once you have decided on your cheeses, you should look for any accouterments that will complement them. Choose neutral crackers that will not compete with the cheeses but will add a crunchy texture. You can also add accompaniments that align with the five basic tastes to add variety to the flavours on the board. For instance, you could include sweet fruit jam, sour pickled cornichons, salty salami, umami sun-dried tomatoes, and a bitter IPA or amaro.
It is important to ensure that your cheeses are served at the correct temperature. Bring your cheeses to room temperature before tasting, as eating cheese straight from the fridge can dull the flavours and affect the texture. Pre-wrapped cheeses from the dairy aisle are usually stored at the perfect temperature, but if you can, get your cheeses freshly sliced from the cheesemonger behind the counter.
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Preparing the cheese
Once you've decided on the cheeses, it's time to purchase them. Try to get them freshly sliced from a cheesemonger, as these will be stored at the perfect temperature and have the ideal level of air exposure. If there is no cheesemonger, pre-wrapped cheeses are also a good option. Remember to buy your cheese in advance, as you'll need to bring it to room temperature before tasting. Take it out about an hour before the tasting, as this will enhance its flavour and texture.
In addition to the cheese, you'll also need some accouterments to complement the tasting. Look for neutral crackers that won't overpower the cheese but will add a crunchy texture. You can also add ingredients that align with the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Some examples include fruit jam, pickled cornichons, salami, sun-dried tomatoes, and a hoppy IPA or bitter amaro.
Before the tasting, you can perform a pre-taste assessment by examining the cheese's visual and aromatic indications, as well as its texture. Note the cheese's outer covering and whether it's inorganic (wax, plasticoat, or cloth) or organic (charcoal, leaves, or grape must). Use your sense of touch to inspect the interior, which could range from soft like fresh goat's curd to hard like aged gouda. The consistency could be crystalline, like Parmesan, or crumbly like Wensleydale.
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Examining the cheese
Before tasting, it's important to examine the cheese using your senses of sight, touch and smell. These initial observations will give you a lot of information about the cheese and help you to identify its more subtle characteristics when you begin to taste it.
Sight
Look at the cheese and note the colour of the rind and the interior, or 'paste'. Are these colours uniform or varied?
Touch
Pick up the cheese and give it a poke or a squeeze to get a sense of its texture. The heat from your fingers will also help to bring out the cheese's natural aroma.
Smell
Smelling a cheese before tasting it is an important step as our sense of smell is closely linked to our sense of taste. Start by cutting into or breaking off a piece of cheese to release the aromas in the paste. Then, hold the cheese at arm's length and move it towards your nose. Observe the intensity of the aroma and try to identify specific notes. It's normal for certain types of cheese, such as brie or camembert, to give off a hint of ammonia, especially around the rind.
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Tasting the cheese
Before tasting, you should use your other senses to examine the cheese. Look at the rind and the colour of the cheese, is it uniform or varied? Give the cheese a poke or a squeeze to get a sense of its texture. The heat from your fingers will also help to bring out the aroma. Speaking of which, smelling the cheese before tasting is an important step as it will give you a lot of information. Our sense of smell and taste are linked, and you can identify a lot about a cheese from its aroma. Try to identify the intensity of the aroma, and any specific notes.
Now it is time to taste. Take a bite and let the cheese sit in your mouth. Focus on the initial simple flavours, which can be categorised as bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami. Then, you can move on to the more complex flavours. Try to identify any textural components by pushing the cheese against the roof of your mouth with your tongue.
To enhance your tasting experience, you can add some accompaniments. A neutral cracker can add a crunch, or you could try bread or baguette. Pickled cornichons, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, and dried or fresh fruit can all add a different flavour dimension.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese tasting is a fun way to learn about your palate and figure out what you like. Before you get started, define the intention behind the tasting. Are you hoping to learn about a single type of cheese or taste a variety? When you're ready to taste, remember to look, touch, and smell the cheese before you take a bite.
Mastering the art of tasting cheese in a structured way will give you a deeper appreciation of the cheese. Make sure the cheese is at room temperature before you start tasting. When tasting, use your tongue to push the cheese against the roof of your mouth to get all sorts of textures and flavours. Focus on the simple flavours first (salty, sweet, bitter, sour, umami) and then move on to more complex notes.
It's best to stick to three to five cheeses at once. Any more could overwhelm your palate and any fewer won't be as much fun.
