Best American cheese I have tasted.

[Jay_Selman]

Jasper Hill Farms - Harbison

Drops mic…walks off stage

Agree on Jasper Hill. However, I adore the cheese from Andante Dairy.

[Craig_G]

Great topic. American cheese makers have really been coming on strong the last couple of decades or so. I’ll give you three that I especially like: Humboldt Fog (oldie but goodie), Uplands Farms Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and almost anything from Vermont Creamery (Bijou, Cremont at the top). Looking forward to hearing about other’s favorites.

Vermont Creamery is my favorite, but I think their best cheeses are Coupole and St. Albans. The latter is a St. Marcellin clone but it’s better than any St. Marcellin I’ve found in the US. Their Bonne Bouche (ashed goat) is very good as well. So is the butter.

Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk is a very good washed rind cheese too.

[Alan_Rath]

Jasper Hill Farms - Harbison

Drops mic…walks off stage

Lot of people rave about this, but too salty for me.

[Jay_Selman]

Jasper Hill Farms - Harbison

Drops mic…walks off stage

Lot of people rave about this, but too salty for me.

Have you tried Moses Sleeper?

[M.Kaplan]

Too many to choose only one. Parish Hill Creamery’s Cornerstone is among the best American cheeses and hasn’t been mentioned so far.

[Jay_Selman]

Maybe not the very best but very good: Consider Bardwell Farm The Dorset and Pawlet are tasty

[Alan_Rath]

Jasper Hill Farms - Harbison

Drops mic…walks off stage

Lot of people rave about this, but too salty for me.

Have you tried Moses Sleeper?

Jay, no I haven’t, will keep an eye out. We eat a lot of Mt Tam, because it’s relatively mild and goes with most everything. If I could afford the calories, I’d eat a lot more Epoisses, which is the holy grail of cheese for me.

[Jay_Selman]

Lot of people rave about this, but too salty for me.

Have you tried Moses Sleeper?

Jay, no I haven’t, will keep an eye out. We eat a lot of Mt Tam, because it’s relatively mild and goes with most everything. If I could afford the calories, I’d eat a lot more Epoisses, which is the holy grail of cheese for me.

I find it very hard to resist Epoisses. I prefer the Mt Tam over the Red Hawk but like them both. The Mt Tam with Chablis is sublime.

[geoffpm]

Agree on Jasper Hill ! MY go to decadent cheese is always a Mt. Tam from Cowgirl.

[James_Cross]

Another vote for Cowgirl…plus Cougar Gold from Washington State University.

[Jay_Miller]

Lots of favorites on this thread but some new ones as well. I’ve never tried anything from Arethusa but will remedy that soon.

One that hasn’t been mentioned yet is Landaff, delicious and one of the very few cheeses I’ve had which matches well with red wines.

[Christine_Huang]

Rogue Creamery in Central Point, OR is mighty fine.

It seems a lot of people agree with your assessment.

U.S. cheese wins World's Best Cheese honor

[Jim_Stewart]

Lots of favorites on this thread but some new ones as well. I’ve never tried anything from Arethusa but will remedy that soon.

One that hasn’t been mentioned yet is Landaff, delicious and one of the very few cheeses I’ve had which matches well with red wines.

I will try to find the Landaff, but your comment about cheese and red wines rings true with me. It often seems that the red wine and the cheese are fighting each other. I think that a red wine with cheese requires a bit of planning, but with a white wine there seems to be a wider margin of error for at least an acceptable pairing.

[Todd_Hamina]

Rogue Creamery in Central Point, OR is mighty fine.

It seems a lot of people agree with your assessment.
U.S. Rogue River Blue wins World's Best Cheese

So I slowed played the hype a bit.

[Christine_Huang]

Just a wee bit.

[Anton_D]

This summer I was in Wisconsin for a five-week trial. I ate my weight in Hook’s aged cheddar–up and down the range–which is flat-out phenomenal and gets my vote.

Yay!

I love their cheese, baby!

[Brian_Tuite]

Teleme is tops, for me.

Hook’s Cheese Company 15 year cheddar, from Wisconsin.

If you like Taleggio, Red hawk from Cowgirl Creamery is great for a side by side!

That Red Hawk is some pungent shiite!

[Brian_Tuite]

Another vote for Cowgirl…plus Cougar Gold from Washington State University.

?

[Jay_Miller]

Lots of favorites on this thread but some new ones as well. I’ve never tried anything from Arethusa but will remedy that soon.

One that hasn’t been mentioned yet is Landaff, delicious and one of the very few cheeses I’ve had which matches well with red wines.

I will try to find the Landaff, but your comment about cheese and red wines rings true with me. It often seems that the red wine and the cheese are fighting each other. I think that a red wine with cheese requires a bit of planning, but with a white wine there seems to be a wider margin of error for at least an acceptable pairing.

I agree wholeheartedly. Lots of good white or sparkling pairings but for my palate most cheeses mess with red wines.

Though IIRC someone once hit me with Red Hawk and Bordeaux and I was shocked that it worked so well. I might be misremembering the cheese though as it was at least 15 years ago. It was something from Jasper Hill.

[Anton_D]

Teleme is tops, for me.

Hook’s Cheese Company 15 year cheddar, from Wisconsin.

If you like Taleggio, Red hawk from Cowgirl Creamery is great for a side by side!

That Red Hawk is some pungent shiite!

Mmmmmmmm. Mash it onto a piece of brilliant sourdough bread…ecstacy.

It has the power to make even the most AFWE red wine seem fruity!