How to Taste Cheese
Tasting cheese properly is like tasting wine — there's a technique that helps you notice things you'd otherwise miss. The difference between eating cheese and tasting cheese is the difference between hearing music and listening to it.
The Tasting Method
1. Look
Examine the cheese before you taste it. Note the rind colour and texture, the colour a of the paste, any veining or mottling, and whether the cheese appears moist or dry. A well-made cheese is beautiful.
2. Touch
Gently press the surface. Is it firm, springy, or yielding? Does it feel waxy, granular, or silky? The texture tells you about moisture content and aging.
3. Smell
Bring the cheese to your nose. Aromas to look for include:
- Lactic — fresh milk, yoghurt, butter
- Fruity — apple, pear, citrus, tropical
- Vegetal — grass, hay, cellar, mushroom
- Animal — barn, leather, wool (not unpleasant in context)
- Nutty — hazelnut, almond, walnut
- Caramel — toffee, butterscotch, browned butter
- Pungent — ammonia, feet (characteristic of washed rinds)
4. Taste
Place a small piece on your tongue and let it warm. Chew slowly. Notice:
- Initial impact — What hits you first? Sweet? Salt? Sour?
- Mid-palate — Flavours that develop as you chew
- Finish — What lingers after swallowing? How long?
- Complexity — Does the flavour change and evolve or stay constant?
5. Texture
Pay attention to how the cheese feels in your mouth:
- Crumbly — breaks into pieces (Cheshire, Lancashire)
- Creamy — smooth and unctuous (Brie, Camembert-styles)
- Elastic — springs back when chewed (young Gouda-styles)
- Crystalline — crunchy amino acid crystals (aged Cheddar, Parmesan-styles)
- Chalky — dry and powdery (under-ripe soft cheese)
- Oozy — flows when cut (ripe soft cheese)
Flavour Profiles by Style
Fresh Cheeses
Examples: Crowdie, fresh goat's log, cream cheese
- Aroma: Clean, lactic, milky
- Taste: Bright acidity, gentle sweetness, fresh cream
- Texture: Soft, spreadable, sometimes mousse-like
- Best pairings: Herbs, honey, ripe figs, Sauvignon Blanc, light ales
Soft Bloomy Rind
Examples: Tunworth, Baron Bigod, Brie-styles
- Aroma: Mushroom, cultured cream, earth
- Taste: Rich butter, wild mushroom, garlic, umami
- Texture: Silky to liquid interior, edible white rind
- Best pairings: Champagne, English sparkling wine, sourdough, walnuts
Semi-Soft Washed Rind
Examples: Stinking Bishop, Epoisses-styles, Milleens
- Aroma: Pungent, barnyard, meaty (don't panic — it's meant to smell strong)
- Taste: Surprisingly mild and meaty, with a savoury depth
- Texture: Oozy, sticky, sometimes runny
- Best pairings: Gewurztraminer, Belgian ales, dark rye bread, cornichons
Semi-Hard
Examples: Cornish Yarg, Caerphilly, Tomme-styles
- Aroma: Buttermilk, grass, gentle earthiness
- Taste: Balanced — tangy, milky, sometimes lemony
- Texture: Dense but supple, can develop creamy breakdown layers
- Best pairings: Pinot Noir, crisp cider, apple chutney, crusty bread
Hard (Young to Medium)
Examples: Young Cheddar, Single Gloucester, Dunlop
- Aroma: Fresh butter, mild tang, clean
- Taste: Mild, approachable, milky sweetness
- Texture: Firm, smooth, sliceable
- Best pairings: Chutney, crackers, Cheddar-suitable ales, Merlot
Hard (Aged)
Examples: Montgomery's Cheddar, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Aged Gouda-styles
- Aroma: Deep, complex — broth, caramel, roasted nuts
- Taste: Intense savoury, umami, butterscotch, long finish with crystalline crunch
- Texture: Dense, sometimes granular, with amino acid crystals
- Best pairings: Vintage port, robust reds, dark bread, quince paste
Blue
Examples: Stilton, Stichelton, Roquefort, Beenleigh Blue
- Aroma: Mineral, damp cave, butter, slight sharpness
- Taste: Salt, cream, spice, metallic tang from veining
- Texture: Ranges from crumbly (Stilton) to creamy (soft blues) to fudgy (sheep blues)
- Best pairings: Port, Sauternes, sweet wines, celery, walnuts, pear
Wine Pairing Guide
- Sparkling — Bloomy rind soft cheeses (the acidity cuts through richness)
- White Burgundy / Chardonnay — Comté-style hard cheeses
- Sauvignon Blanc — Fresh and goat's cheeses
- Riesling — Washed rinds, semi-soft
- Pinot Noir — Semi-hard, young hard
- Cabernet / Merlot — Aged hard cheeses
- Port — Blue cheeses (the classic British pairing)
- Sweet wines — Any blue or intensely flavoured cheese
Beer Pairing Guide
British cheese and British beer are natural companions:
- Pale Ale / IPA — Aged Cheddar (hoppy bitterness meets savoury depth)
- Bitter — Lancashire, Cheshire (traditional pub combination)
- Porter / Stout — Blue cheeses, washed rinds (dark roast meets pungency)
- Wheat Beer — Soft, fresh cheeses (light and refreshing)
- Barley Wine — Aged hard cheeses (intensity matches intensity)
- Cider — Almost any British cheese (the original pairing)
The Cheese Board
Building a proper cheese board is an art. Aim for variety across these dimensions:
- Milk types — Mix cow, sheep, and goat if possible
- Textures — One soft, one semi-hard, one hard minimum
- Flavours — Mild to strong, with a blue as the anchor
- Accompaniments — Crusty bread, oatcakes, quince paste, grapes, celery, walnuts
- Temperature — Remove from fridge 60 minutes before serving
A classic British cheese board: Tunworth (soft), Cornish Yarg (semi-hard), Montgomery's Cheddar (hard), Stichelton (blue), accompanied by oatcakes, membrillo, and a bunch of grapes.
Taste is subjective — these are starting points, not rules. The best pairing is the one you enjoy most.