Oh! How lovely. From left to right: Testun Al Barolo, Barely Buzzed, Majorero Pimentón, and Vervacious Cinque Terre Apricot Mostarda. (not pictured: a small package of artisan crackers.)
Well, you can just imagine how excited I was. I was very impressed with the packaging and attention to presentation shown by Artisan Cheese. They also included a pamphlet with detailed descriptions of all of my cheeses, and suggested wine pairings. I definitely got my money's worth, and I'll be ordering from them again in the future. Now, on to the first cheese:
Majorero Pimentón
This is a raw milk goat cheese made in Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands. Its rind is liberally coated in pimentón pepper, which is also known as smoked paprika - but the Spanish version seems both smokier and spicier.
Majorero is a hard, dry cheese with a mildly buttery aroma (once you cut past the smoky, spicy rind). The taste is really out of this world. I couldn't get enough. It's salty and vibrantly milky-tasting, but the peppered rind imbues it with a warm, smoky fullness as well. You can really get in touch with the goat's milk used to make it. It's very "natural" tasting. It also looks great, as you can sort-of see in the photo above (phone camera + bad lighting).
Majorero Pimentón is a truly impressive and exotic cheese that is still accessible to anyone's palate. I can't recommend it enough. Serve it with Spanish accompaniments like ham, almonds, fig jam, and such. It'll blow your mind.
RATING: 5 Stars
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