Saturday, October 27, 2012

Day 919 : New Jasper Hill Farm Cheese!

Jasper Hill is one of my favorite farms and cellars in Vermont, see post 671 for Fromagical's visit there. Their cave aging facility is by far one of the most advanced of its kind -- completely state of the art. The Cellars at Jasper Hill are the home aging facilities for a number of Vermont creameries apart from their own cheeses including Landaff Creamery and Von Trapp Farmstead along with Cabot and more.

Jasper Hill's cheese line is constantly expanding, changing and developing. Up until now, the cornerstones of their line were : Bayley Hazen Blue, Harbison, Moses Sleeper and Winnimere. But this Fall, they have come out with a new addition - Alpha Tolman. Inspired by the Alpine style greats, this aged raw cow's milk cheese is named after a turn of the 20th century Vermont philanthropist, Mr. Alpha Tolman. A dairy farmer by profession, Mr. Tolman was instrumental in building the  Greensboro, Vermont library along with stimulating the socio-economic growth of the town. But back to the cheese for the moment -- crafted in the traditional Alpine style, Alpha Tolman is cooked and pressed and then each twenty pound wheel is washed in a cultured brine solution.

Image courtesy of www.cellarsatjasperhill.com


Alpha Tolman embodies those fabulous Alpine style textural qualities but is truly its own Vermont beauty. Younger morsels are full of bright fruity notes and rustic nutty nuances with a round sensuously smooth milky feel and finish. As Alpha Tolman ages, the cheese flavor profile deepens becoming bigger, bolder, and more dynamic -- the rustic, farmsteady, roasty, toasty notes are dialed up with caramelly, butterscotchy, buttery nuances and that fantastic aged cheese crystallized texture on the tongue.

An exciting new release from an outstanding Vermont creamery just in time for wintertime and fondue season!

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