Jasper Hill Farm V5 Merquen Cheddar
- Pasteurized
- Microbial Rennet
- Age: 8-10 Months
- Cow Milk
- by Cabot Creamery
- United States
- ApproachableAdventurous
- SoftHard
For this spicy-sweet stunner, Jasper Hill starts with their excellent Vault 5 Cheddar, rubbing it with merquén for a subtle kick. Smokiness from paprika, mild heat from goat horn chile, and aromatic coriander mingle with the cheese’s toffee and brown butter notes. Expect a slightly more earthy, charred flavor at the natural rind, mellowing toward the supple interior. Just like regular Vault 5, it’ll melt beautifully, but it’s also a great snack with Charlito’s Cocina Campo Seco and Treat Spiced Pecans.
“The spice on this cheese is so different than other spiced cheeses I’ve tried. More depth, less heat. I use it in an updated ploughman's lunch—just add Murray's Bread & Butter Pickles, Treat Spiced Pecans, and crackers!”
Pasteurized Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Merken Spice: Smoked Paprika, Goat's Horn Chiles, Sea Salt, Coriander
- Jasper Hill works with their Vermont neighbors Cabot Creamery to select vats of young cheese from their line of cheddars that would be well-suited to cave aging.
- The cheesemakers add Alpine-style cultures to this cheddar, which gives it some unique characteristics—its texture is more pliable than a typically crumbly aged cheddar, its flavor a bit sweeter and nuttier, and its melting abilities enhanced.
- The Jasper Hill team brings the Cabot Creamery cheese to their cellars, which consist of seven aging vaults. This cheddar ages in its namesake room: vault 5.
- For the Merquén Cheddar, blocks are coated with lard and rubbed with merquén spice, a blend of goat horn chile, smoked paprika, and coriander. This blend is often used in Chilean cuisine for soups and rubs for meat.
- As the cheese ages for eight to ten months, it grows a natural rind around the spices, leaving it with a rustic look and muted red hue.
- It’s a bit younger than traditional Vault 5, which is aged for a year. The slightly milder flavors harmonize with the smoky spice of the merquén.
- The heat level of this cheese is fairly mild, closer to black pepper than to cayenne.
- Cabot Creamery was founded in 1919 when 94 farming families formed a cooperative. It now encompasses 800 co-op farms across New England and New York.
- Across these farms, Cabot Creamery uses milk from a variety of cows but most prominently from Holsteins and Jerseys.
- In 2012, Cabot became the first dairy co-op to receive B-Corp certification.
- Cabot Creamery has launched a variety of sustainability initiatives related to water, energy, and waste.
- Their highly decorated cheeses have won awards from the World Championship Cheese Contest, the National Milk Producers Federation, and the International Cheese & Dairy Awards.
Family Owned
Gluten Free, Vegetarian
