We have several new cheeses from acclaimed American producer Jasper Hill Farm in the showcase this week. They are an artisan cheesemaker in Greensboro, Vermont.
In February 2014, Bayley Hazen Blue was served at the White House state dinner for visiting French President Francois Hollande. At the 2014 World Cheese Awards, Bayley Hazen Blue won Super Gold and placed in the Top 16 out of over 2,600 entries from 33 countries, and was named “World’s Best Unpasteurized Cheese”. Their other cheeses have too many awards to list. You can view them here.
ALPHA TOLMAN
MILK TYPE: Raw Cow Milk
STYLE: Alpine
MILK SOURCE: Jasper Hill Farm’s Andersonville Herd
ALPHA TOLMAN is named for a philanthropic dairy farmer who built the Greensboro library in 1900. Alpha's grandfather, Enoch, was one of their town's original settlers. His namesake cheese is made at their renovated Jasper Hill Creamery in Greensboro, Vermont. Alpha Tolman is now being made with our “Sax Rennet”—a traditional rennet made using cultures from previous makes and calf vells
Alpine cheeses like Appenzeller inspire the recipe for this Jasper Hill Creamery original. Alpha Tolman has a buttery, fruit & nut flavor when young, developing bold meaty, caramelized onion flavors as it matures. The texture is dense and pliant, easily portioned, and ideal for melting.
BAYLEY HAZEN BLUE
MILK TYPE: Raw Cow Milk
STYLE: Natural Rind Blue
MILK SOURCE: Jasper Hill Farm’s Andersonville Herd
FORMAT: 7 lb Wheel
AFFINAGE: 3-4 Months
TYPICAL PROFILE: Peppery, Anise, Grassy, With An Umami Roast Beef Backbone.
Bayley Hazen Blue is a Jasper Hill Farm original, and is made from their high-quality whole raw milk. It is named for an old military road commissioned by George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Though no major battle ever took place, the road brought Greensboro its first settlers and continues to be used today.
Bayley has developed a loyal following because of its fudge-like texture, toasted-nut sweetness, and anise spice character. The paste is dense and creamy, with well-distributed blue veins. The usual peppery character of blue cheese is subdued, giving way to the grassy, nutty flavors in the milk.
CABOT CLOTHBOUND
MILK TYPE: Pasteurized Cow Milk
STYLE: Clothbound Cheddar
MILK SOURCE: Cabot Cooperative’s Family Farms
FORMAT: 35 lb Wheel
AFFINAGE: 9-14 Months
TYPICAL PROFILE: Medium Acidity With Caramel Sweetness And Savory Notes Of Chicken Broth And Toasted Nut
In 2003, Cabot Creamery asked Jasper Hill Farm to age a special batch of cheddar, sparking a revolutionary collaboration. After more than a decade the cheese has developed into the cornerstone of their collection. After it comes to the Cellars, they coat the young cheese in lard and add an additional layer of cloth. The cheeses ripen in a specially calibrated vault in their Cellars, where they are constantly brushed, turned, and monitored for quality.
Clothbound is an approachable but complex natural-rind, bandaged cheddar with a crumbly texture and nutty aroma. The flavor is deeply savory and slightly tangy with caramel sweetness to the finish.
HARBISON
MILK TYPE: Pasteurized Cow Milk
STYLE: Bark-Wrapped, Bloomy Rind
MILK SOURCE: Local Pastured Herds
FORMAT: 9 oz Wheel
AFFINAGE: 6-13 Weeks
TYPICAL PROFILE: Sweet Cream, Button Mushroom, Woodsy, Raspberry, Mustard
HARBISON is named for Anne Harbison, affectionately known as the grandmother of Greensboro. Along with breathtaking views, traditions and people are part of what makes Vermont's working landscape special; Jasper Hill is proud to honor Ms. Harbison's contribution with this cheese.
Harbison is a soft-ripened cheese with a rustic, bloomy rind. Young cheeses are wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, the tree's inner bark layer, harvested from the woodlands of Jasper Hill. The spoonable texture begins to develop in their vaults, though the paste continues to soften on the way to market. Harbison is woodsy and sweet, balanced with lemon, mustard, and vegetal flavors.
LITTLE HOSMER
MILK TYPE: Pasteurized Cow Milk
STYLE: Bloomy Rind
MILK SOURCE: Local Pastured Herds
FORMAT: 4 oz Wheel
AFFINAGE: 7-9 Weeks
TYPICAL PROFILE: Cauliflower, Crème Fraîche, Toasted Nuts, And A Hint Of White Mushroom.
LITTLE HOSMER is a Jasper Hill Creamery original, their mini version of a new world-style brie. This cheese is named for a small pond in nearby Craftsbury, Vermont. Little Hosmer Pond is adjacent to Great Hosmer Pond, both favorite destinations for rowing, swimming, fishing and cross-country skiing after a long day of cheesemaking. Naming this little cheese after a Northeast Kingdom gem ties out their quest for meaningful work in a place that they love.
Little Hosmer is an approachable and nuanced soft ripened cheese. Beneath its thin, bloomy-rind lies a gooey, milky core showing a complex array of flavors at peak ripeness: cauliflower, crème fraiche, and toasted nuts. A bright, clean finish with a hint of white mushroom aroma follows the rich flavors of the paste.