22 culturecheesemag.com B E S T C H E E S E S 202 2
TOMATRUFFLE
Point Reyes Farmstead
Cheese Company
Point Reyes Station,
Calif.
Dubbed one of the World's
Top 20 cheeses at the WCCC,
this flavored riff on Point
Reyes Farmstead Cheese
Company's endlessly riff-able
Toma is one of their best.
Dried Umbrian black truffles
create an earthy underbelly in
this lactic cow's milk cheese,
which has surprisingly sweet
notes of creamy cocoa and
wild strawberries.
GORWYDD CAERPHILLY
Trethowan's Dairy Ltd.
Weston-super-Mare, UK
Maugan and Todd Trethowan learned the Caerphilly ropes
from the last in a long line of Somerset makers, but that didn't
stop them from innovating on the theme. To coax flavors
of lemon rind and wild mushroom out of their WCA and
ICDA trophy-bearing wheels, they use raw organic cow's milk
and push the age weeks (sometimes even months) beyond
standard. The resulting paste crumbles to a knife and melts on
your tongue.
QUEEN BEE PORCINI
Beehive Cheese Company
Uintah, Utah
Like all of Beehive's cheeses, this WCA Super Gold winner
begins with their Irish-style cheddar, Promontory, made
with pasteurized Jersey cow's milk. For Queen Bee Porcini,
foraged fungi are ground to a powder and rubbed onto the
wheels. After two to three months of age, the creamy base
takes on an earthy umami finish that's perfect for a winter
grilled cheese.
