So Many Cheeses, So Little Time

There are hundreds of cheeses—and once you consider all of the variables that go into cheese making, it becomes clear why there are so many. Each element of the age-old process contributes to the unique character of the finished product.

It all begins with the milk, the flavor and quality of which impact every fine cheese. Milk is so much more than that familiar beverage we enjoy with cookies—it has depth and body, and depending on where it comes from, its own distinct flavor. The rich, buttery milk from a Jersey cow is quite different from that of a Brown Swiss or Ayrshire; the singular flavor of water buffalo milk stands apart from the thinner, less fatty milk of a goat or a sheep. And just as these differences exist in milk, so they appear later on down the line, in cheese.