Milk: Goat, Pasteurized
Country: USA, CA
Texture: Soft
Accompaniment: Dry whites or fruity red
This cheese is if not the, then it is certainly amongst the best goat cheeses made in this country. The cheese has a striking appearance with the ash layer in the centre and the ash covering on the outside. The ash layer also gives the cheese its name Humboldt Fog. As Mary Keehn once told us, there are many rumors about what may have caused the fog that gave the cheese part of its name, but reality is that when the cheese ripens the ash layer starts to pop through the bloomy rind, just like tufts of grass and boulders pop through the fog that is so prevalent in Humboldt County CA early in the morning when the goats are gathered for milking.
The cheese ripens from the outside in so you will see a softer area right below the rind. The flavor pattern in this part of the cheese is complex and can be strong. The inside of the cheese remains firmer and crumbly and has a tangy character. The combination of the two on a cracker is absolutely wonderful.