I go to DiBruno’s in Philadelphia after my son’s piano lesson. We usually try three or four cheeses and take one or two home. You learn something new each time. There are so many semi soft cheeses from so many countries, and made from Sheep’s milk, goat milk, cow milk, buffalo milk and others, I guess.
There’s a difference between cheddars wrapped in a wheel, and cheddars that are cut off a large chunk. I like the ones cut off chunks, because they are less grassy and more sharp. There’s a four year aged Vermont cheese from Grafton Village that is amazing. Probably the best cheese I know. Hard to get, though.
There are some cheese makers in Pennsylvania—one somewhere in Amish country that has a cave I would love to visit, if possible. They make a cheddar like cheese that I forget the name of. Big help, I am, right? I think they call it Noble. Pretty sharp, but also very creamy and subtle. Not ammoniac at all. Best Pennsylvania cheese I know.
California seems to have a lot of great cheesemakers, but I don’t know them.
I wish I could remember the names of the good ones I got at DiBruno’s. But you can look and feast your eyes. Their selection is amazing. I would live there if I could.