I love aged cheddars, but haven't found my absolute favorite yet. I love 3 to 5 year aged Balderson Heritage Cheddars, but recently tried Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. It isn't as dry, and so is a younger cheese (not shown on the label, and has a very well ballanced flavor, no quite as salty as the Balderson cheese. Both are very good cheeses. I also recently tried Kaseberg brand Butterkase cheese. It is similar in texture and flavor to a good Havarti, but with a bit more robust flavor. I was quite pleased with it. I love a good Havarti for its rich, almost buttery flavor. It's a favorite as well. I like Manchego, but it's a bit mild for my tastes. A good American Colby is hard to beat. And in this case, I'll go with the Kraft brand. I love a great Swiss cheese, but find it difficult to locate a really well flavored brand around my part of the country. Gouda, Ementeller, Monterey Jack, Provolone, and Mozzarella all fall into the pretty tasty, but not great for snackin'. They are better with something like crackers, or on a sandwich. I love a good Asiago, Romano, or Parmesano with pasta, or grated onto a salad. I will occasionally slice paper-thin slices to much on as well. Farmers Cheese is pretty tasty for just snacking too. I'm also fond of large curd cottage cheese and prefer 4% milkfat as the lighter fat varieties can sometimes carry a bitter flavor componant. Muenster is an all time favorite as well. So, I guess if I had to pin down my favorites, this is the list I'd make, in order:
1. 5 year aged Balderson Heritage Cheddar
2. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
3. Havarti
4. Butterkase
5. Gruyere
6. Parmesano Regiano
7. Asiago
8. Pecorino Romano
9. Colby
10. Well aged, full-flavored Swiss
11. Ementellar
12. Cottage Cheese
There are so many other cheeses that I use and enjoy, but the above listed cheeses are standouts for me. I even use Velveeta.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North