Cheese products are found in nearly all food cultures. There may be as many as 1,800 cheese varieties in production worldwide. While the basic rule of thumb links cheese flavor strength with age, this is not always true. Some young cheeses can give off a strong flavor, while other older cheeses can be surprisingly mild.
Despite this nearly boundless diversity, cheeses can be classified into seven flavor profiles. Cheesemakers use these profiles to describe their products and make recommendations for food and wine pairings.
Fresh Flavor Profile
Fresh cheeses stand out for their creamy textures and mild flavors, though they may also have a slight tang. Fresh cheeses maintain their milky consistency because they haven’t had the chance to age. Instead, they are packaged and sold relatively early in the production cycle. Their consistency can range from spreadable to crumbly.
Popular examples of fresh cheeses include Italian ricotta and Indian paneer. Since fresh cheeses can melt easily, they often add flavor and soft texture to hot dishes.
Neutral Flavor Profile
Neutral cheeses get their mild flavor from pasteurized milk. They tend to have weak aromas and lack a strong flavor profile. For this reason, neutral cheeses are not overpowering in food and wine pairings. Neutral cheeses like mascarpone are often used in desserts, like tiramisu.
These cheeses are also useful for thickening a dish without adding a distracting flavor. Cream cheese creates a neutral base for cheesecake, while many pasta dishes use mascarpone as a sauce base.
Mild Flavor Profile
Cheese flavors are sometimes described by their strength. Mild cheeses offer more taste than neutral cheeses but are not overly pungent or aromatic like stronger cheeses. Many American cheeses, such as Colby and Monterey Jack, are mild.
The subtle taste of mild cheeses pairs well with salty snacks, such as crackers and nuts. Mild cheese varieties are also popular additions to charcuterie boards. Some mild cheese varieties, such as cheddar, become sharper and stronger with age.
Understated Flavor Profile
Cheeses develop an understated flavor when the aging process is prematurely terminated, normally after the cheese has aged at least 90 days. Understated cheeses often have a hard texture but can come in soft varieties.
Examples of soft understated cheeses include Brie and Raclette. Havarti is a popular hard understated cheese with a mild, nutty flavor. Understated cheeses can overwhelm very delicate flavors, so they may be incorporated in small doses. However, cheeses like Havarti are good substitutes for stronger cheeses in more robust dishes.
Strong Flavor Profile
Strong flavor cheeses get their intense taste from their aromatic compounds. These cheeses have normally undergone a lengthy fermentation process. Unlike understated cheeses, strong-flavor cheeses have spent at least 6 months in the aging process.
Strong cheeses may also have veins. This develops when cheesemakers create tunnels within the cheese wheel to encourage mold growth. Famous strong cheeses include Blue cheese, which has a distinctive smell and blue coloring from Penicillium mold.
Strong cheeses are often described as tangy, pungent, and sharp. They come in a variety of textures, including hard, crumbly, and soft.
Very Strong Flavor Profile
The most intense cheeses fall under the very strong flavor profile. One of the most well-known varieties, Limburger, develops its strong smell over its two- to three-month aging process. Very strong cheeses are used to lend salty and tangy flavors to rich dishes, but they can also be appreciated on their own. Other examples include Stilton, Taleggio, and Cabrales.
Although very strong cheeses may taste slightly milder than they smell, the intense aroma can be difficult for some people to get past.
Pronounced Flavor Profile
Pronounced cheeses are more mature than neutral and understated cheeses, but their flavor is less intense than strong cheeses. They are often firm, but not hard.
Camembert cheese, made from cow’s milk, is a typical pronounced cheese. Its aging process lasts about a month. During this period, microbes within the cheese start to process from the rind towards the interior. The longer this process lasts, the stronger the taste and aroma.
Other popular pronounced cheeses, such as parmesan, are rich in glutamate, the amino acid responsible for umami flavor. The glutamate crystallizes during the aging process, which gives parmesan its distinctive texture.
Other Cheese Flavors
In addition to the seven major flavor profiles, there are hundreds of ways to classify and describe cheeses. For example, cheeses can be classified by their texture, age, acidity, and lactose content. The presence of microbes, the milk source, and any other ingredients—like herbs, fungi, or fruits—all impact the cheese’s ultimate taste and aroma.
Cheeses are also defined by sharpness. This dimension of flavor is reflective of the aging process. As cheeses mature, the lactose in the milk product degrades into lactic acid. This acidity encourages the cheese to harden and creates salty crystals. Older, harder cheeses are considered sharper than soft, younger ones.
To learn more about different aspects of cheese flavor, visit your local cheese shop or well-stocked supermarket and assemble a cheese tasting board. Read labels and ask questions, then try to select a wide variety of cheese types, flavors, and textures. This is a fun (and delicious) way to delve deeper into the fascinating world of cheese.