Taste cheese like an expert
Charlie Turnbull, founding director of the Academy of Cheese, shares his scientific approach to choosing cheese, and explains how to create a perfectly balanced board
‘At the Academy of Cheese (academyofcheese. org), we operate a certification programme, which starts at Level One and progresses through to the Level Four certificate – Master of Cheese. Level One is positioned for all cheese lovers. On successful completion, you’ll have improved your cheese knowledge, have an increased appreciation, and learned the full spectrum of variety through critically assessing 25 iconic cheeses. Here, I’ve selected six cheeses to introduce the Academy’s Structured Approach to Tasting, which requires a pre-taste and taste assessment of the cheese. By following these simple steps, you will be able to better identify different styles of cheese, while also building a common language of tasting. Try it for yourself with friends – it’s a great conversation starter!’
TASTING TERMINOLOGY
Paste The inside portion of the cheese, below the rind. Rind The hard outer part of the cheese. Outer The wrapping or covering that encases the cheese.
PRE-TASTE ASSESSMENT
Inspect the rind Is there an inorganic outer, such as wax or cloth, or an organic outer, for instance charcoal, leaves or grape must?
Inspect the interior The paste will have a certain consistency and texture – it could be soft, like brie de meaux, or very hard, like aged gouda. Parmesan might be crystalline, while camembert could be dual textured or even. Note the colour and presence of blueing. Smell the cheese to identify its level of intensity. You might also pick up some specific aromas – spice, mushroom, smoky etc.
TASTE ASSESSMENT
Chew the cheese slowly and breathe through your nose. There are two main stages to tasting. Initially, we’re aiming to pick up the five simple flavours on the tongue – bitter, sweet, acid, salty and savoury. These give way to more complex flavours, which are registered through the nose and tongue. Complex flavours vary enormously, from meaty and nutty to fruity via the allotment, farmyard or hedgerow! There are levels of subtlety that you’ll be able to identify as you become more practised. At the Academy of Cheese, we have created five flavour categories: 1 Dairy 2
Fruity and floral 3 Vegetable and herbaceous 4 Mineral and chemical 5 Animal, fungal and fermented As you taste more, it will become easier to build up your vocabulary to benchmark cheeses. However, everyone’s palate is different, so taste with others to gauge the flavours that you are, or are not, sensitive to.