How a tasting works
- Jacob presents itHe tells the room who made the cheese and what is special or different about it, as people try it.
- The room scores itEveryone tastes and gives it a score out of 5. Every cheese is cut and brought to room temperature before the room tastes it, and every page prints its age.
- It gets its own pageThe score goes up here with photos and a link to the cheesemaker, win or lose.
The next tasting
The next date is not set. Ask to join and you will hear when it is.
What we tend to like
Well made cheese from small makers, the kind that keeps and travels.
- We lean toward small makers who care how the animals are kept.
- Hard and long-aged cheeses are a favorite, because they travel well and they're easy to share.
- Mostly we want a cheese a person would keep buying, or give to a friend.
The score sheet
From the journal
Enzymes take the protein and fat apart while the wheel slowly loses water. Here is what that does to flavor, texture and those crunchy specks.
Three names you will meet at a good cheese counter, and each one mostly describes how the cheese was made. Here is what separates them and what each tends to taste like.
Warmth lets a cheese's aromas reach your nose and takes the waxy firmness out of the bite. Here is the reasoning, how long it takes, and when cold is the better choice.
Who runs it
Jacob runs Cheese Club. About a hundred people are on our invite list. Write to him at jacob@cheeseclub.org.
Questions
What is Cheese Club?
A free aged cheese tasting club. Jacob presents each cheese, who made it and what is special or different about it. The room scores it out of 5, and every cheese gets its own page here, win or lose.
What does it cost to join?
Nothing. Joining is free, and nothing is for sale at a tasting.
When is the next tasting?
The next date is not set. Ask to join and you will hear when it is.
Is Cheese Club a shop?
No. It is a tasting club and not a retailer, and it does not sell anything.
Where do the cheeses come from?
Cheesemakers send them to the club free. Every page that covers one says who sent it, and they do not see the page before it runs.
What does the club like to taste?
Well made cheese from small makers, the kind that keeps and travels. That is a guide and not a rule.
How big is it?
About a hundred people are on our invite list.
Want a seat at a tasting?
Joining is free. Tell us who you are and what you have been enjoying lately.
Ask to join