i don't like 1146

Janet Bostwick

Musty seems wrong, it's not a flavor I would buttociate with it. Tangy is a good flavor to shoot for, it should have a warm, developed underflavor, something akin to say the undertone of a good cream cheese (but stronger, more developed). There should be bright upper notes, a tangy-ness, especially when you breathe out while you are tasting. It's definitely not a 'round' sort of flavor like you would get from a milder cow's milk cheese, it's more linear, it runs right across the top of your palate (have I confused you yet?).

I would highly recommend the Cypress Grove chevres to start with, they are fairly consistent and good. Get a plain one, put it on some warm toast and let it get a bit melty and soft.

The king of goat cheeses is the Humboldt Fog, any good cheese monger knows it. get a wedge of this and make sure it's been aged, a young humboldt is just a chevre. As humboldt ages it goo-i-fies from the outside in, the center will be the texture of a regular chevre but the outer layer will be softer, almost scoopable. This is goat cheese heaven for me (until we get to mountain raised goats from spain, but that's a whole different game). Humboldt Fog has a distinctive grey line that runs through it, that's a layer of ash, don't even worry, you won't notice it. You can match the Humboldt or chevre with just about any fruit, grapes, pears, apricots, but nothing too sweet or you'll overwhelm it. Just get some good crusty bread, a french or even a fruited wheat is good. Typically, if I am doing a cheese tasting or a cheese plate I don't use sourdough, it's too competetive and distracting.

Truth be told, for as much as I love goat cheese (and I do dearly love the goat cheeses) I can't drink goat milk. Part of it is just that all milk tastes gross to me, and part of it is that funked up goat smell. Reminds me of every boy i dated in high school.

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