Goat's Milk Gouda Cheese (Holland)

Goat's Milk Gouda (matured for 6 months) is my favorite all the time. I believe it has a lot of fans. It is always in stock at "Trader Joe's" where I buy  cheese.
 I like it much more than any Gouda made from cow's milk. It has satiny, light texture, tangy flavor and bright white color. Very pleasant taste, not tart at all.  In the photo below you can also see the cheese with added potatoes and herbs. Nice variation but I haven't seen it for a year or more in the store.







I also enjoy Aged Goat's Milk Gouda, which has been aged for 16 months. Flavor is more savoury and characteristic, but still not so strong like aged cow's milk Gouda.

Dutch Gouda/Spring Gouda

I enjoy a young Gouda cheese much more than  those aged. It's firm, easy to cut, has silky and smooth consistency and has only a few small holes. Taste is mild and creamy, not sophisticated. It is sometimes good to eat a simple sandwich with a slice of Gouda topped with tomato for breakfast.
Double Cream Gouda has buttery flavor but  it's rubbery and not easy to slice.

Meadowkaas Spring Gouda – a gouda that’s only available in springtime. It’s cheese’s version of Beaujolais Nouveau. I didn’t expect much from it but the cheese is delicious: mild, creamy, nutty, and salty. It has nice small but visible holes, has natural yellow color and smells like fresh butter. The best Gouda I have ever eaten. If only spring could last at least for 6 months.

1,000 Day / Old Amsterdam Gouda ( Netherlands)

 Gouda has very good keeping qualities, and some are aged for even for 4 years. It's the Netherlands' specialty and represents over 60% of the entire Dutch cheese production. Gouda comes from  the small town situated between Rotterdam and Utrecht and was exported as far back as 13th century. 

Below, three aged Gouda  cheeses I have tasted so far.

Tagen Dagan Gouda must be the oldest cheese I have ever eaten. I'm not a  connoisseur of aged cheeses and I taste them once or twice a year. It's hard and but not so dry. It is coated in  orange wax. Caramel color , a uniquely crystalline texture and nutty smell make the cheese very tempting. The taste is sharp and intensive.  At the beginning, I thought that the color comes from natural process of aging. Then I noticed annatto at the list of ingredients.  When cheese is melted you can feel how salty and fat it is. I don't like it at all.

Recipe for warm sandwiches with mushrooms and cheese.

On or two years ago  I had tasted Old Amsterdam Gouda and it is said " to be ripened to perfection" and regularly checked for flavor. It's matured for only 18 months and its paste is pale yellow and coated with black wax.

Sheep's Milk  Aged Gouda has some caramel flavor, which I found very interesting.