This week we’re celebrating Maryland cheeses.
Spring is here and time for March Madness! You’ll go mad over our cheese and gourmet items at Tastings Gourmet Market. This week we’re celebrating Maryland cheeses. Maryland cheesemakers are making some of the most delicious and innovative cheeses in America, and we’ve got three great ones for you to try.
Rev Reserve Coffee Cheddar
Winner of a bronze medal at the 2017 American Cheese Society awards, the Rev will rev you up! Using a blend coffee from local Rise Up Coffee, this cheese is robust and has a natural olive oil and coffee rind. Enjoy its notes of chocolate and the flavor of roasted coffee as they cover your palette and entice you to take another bite. We think it’s heavenly!
Origin: Grantsville, MD (Garrett County)
Producer: High Country Creamery
Milk: Pasteurized cow
Age: 2-3 months
Look: Light amber-colored cheese with a rind dotted with flecks of coffee
Feel: Firm
Smell: Coffee, anyone?
Taste: Notes of chocolate and coffee
Pairs well with: Try it with dulce de leche for the heavenly taste of coffee with cream.
Chapel’s Country Cutlass
Hand-crafted in small batches on a 45-acre farm in Easton from an award-winning herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, Cutlass is bold, beautiful, and buttery. The cheesemaker notes: “Good cows, receiving quality care, equals exceptional cheese.” The wheels are hand brushed with local Heavy Seas Cutlass Vienna lager and salt for 60 days resulting in a bright amber color that darkens as it ages. A truly unique cheese that is bold yet delectable and easy to eat.
Origin: Easton, MD (Talbot County)
Producer: Chapel’s Country Creamery
Milk: Pasteurized cow
Rennet Type: Microbial
Age: 2+ months
Look: Semi-soft, rustic amber colored washed rind
Feel: Smooth and fudgy
Smell: Funky
Taste: Fabulous combination of buttery and funky, resulting in different notes with each bite. Smooth and buttery with just the right amount of tang.
Pairs well with: Beautiful on a cheese board, incredible on a burger. Pair with Genoa salami and a light cracker or even honey roasted nuts.
Tastes good with: Light red wine or any variety of beer
Buzzed Bovine
True to its name, Buzzed Bovine is a Cheddar-style cheese infused with a blend of Toasted Goat Winery Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah. The result is a unique cheese that is both floral and fruity. It will leave your tastebuds dancing . . . and maybe even get you out on the dance floor!
Origin: Grantsville, MD (Garrett County)
Producer: High Country Creamery
Milk: Pasteurized cow
Age: 2-3 months
Look: Marbled with wine
Feel: Firm
Smell: Fruity
Taste: Floral and fruity notes
Pairs well with: Prosciutto — a delicious sweet and salty pairing!
Tastes good with: Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah go especially well with this cheese, but other reds would also be delightful.
4 comments on “Celebrate Maryland Cheeses”
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What is your favorite Maryland cheese?
Shepherds Manor Ewe Cream
Would love to see national award-winning sheep’s cheese — American Cheese Society Winner – 2017 — from Shepherds Manor Creamery highlighted in your article. They are the only sheep creamery in Maryland producing artisan cheese from sheep milk. http://shepherdsmanorcreamery.com/index.html
Hi, Pat. Thanks for this. I look forward to trying their cheese!