scharfe maxx and his alpine friends.
the daughter set us up with cheese A through E, a true blind tasting.
last time we did this contest, challerhocker was the winner. we have been unable to purchase that cheese here in austin. that sort of added to its legendary status for #1 son, always wanting more challerhocker and unable to attain it. we did find scharfe maxx locally, at spec's. but then spec's ran dry.
I'd read about scharfe maxx 365; scharfe maxx with a higher moisture content and aged for a full year (regular SM is aged 6 months). I'd been unable to find any. last week I bought the very last wedge at Scardello's (Dallas). I didn't even taste the Scharfe Maxx 365 at the store. my first sample was done blind, along with these other apline cheeses.
we let the kids taste first, and it was like a feeding frenzy. elbows were flying and hunks of cheese were vanishing.... I had to run them off so we could get back to serious tasting, note making and finally, a vote. we did not share opinions while we tasted. comments like "OH, I really like this one" or "I think this one is now my favorite", were discouraged.
votes were tallied and there was a clear winner!
#1 Scharfe Maxx 365
#2 Scharfe Maxx (regular)
#3 L'Etivaz (this cheese has a very distinct bluberry bouquet)
#4 Challerhocker
#5 Nidelchas (by unanimous decision, this cheese came in last on every score card)
the low score by nidechlas prompted much discussion. it was as if the tasters felt sorry for the cheese and needed to qualify their low ranking with comments like "it's a great cheese on its own", or "if it were being judged against another set of cheeses, it might be my favorite"