Cheese of the week #4: Cypress Grove Chevre's Humboldt Fog

A little late on this (last) week's cheese, I know. I was busy with the Indian food over the weekend and getting ready to go to home to Key West tomorrow. Still, there was cheese over the weekend, and I did eat and photograph it.

I decided to go with another offering from Cypress Grove Chevre, this time their Humboldt Fog. I have to admit that I'm a little amused by their cheese names and how they reflect the company's location in the, ahem, 'economic hub' of California.

Texturally, this cheese was much more complex than the fresh chevre (Purple Haze) that I tried last time. I'm not exactly sure what factors are at play, but as you can see, the textures in this cheese vary dramatically. I would assume that the outer layers get greater exposure to aging elements such as air and moisture, and thus, age differently than the inner layers. I could be totally wrong about that though. If anyone has any insight, please share.

At any rate, these textural differences make for an interesting eating experience--the outer portion of this cheese has a buttery, runny, brie-like texture while the interior has a drier mouthfeel, more like what you would expect of a fresh goat cheese. It was harder for me to distinguish differences in flavor throughout the cheese, however. Overall, there was a tang that reminded me a bit of brie, and there were, of course, some of the goaty flavors you would expect. The fissure that you see down the center is a layer of ash. I wish I could tell you more about why that is, but alas, I'm still learning.

Overall, I'd say this one is another keeper. It was far less up front than the Purple Haze and more interesting as a whole.