I was surprised when I found this at Trader Joe's last week. I think it must be new to them, because I surely would have noticed it long ago if it had been a regular item.
My history with Black Diamond white cheddar goes back many years. It was, in fact, the first white cheddar I ever tasted--and I fell in love with it. For years it was basically the only cheese I bought, though I would occasionally substitute some other white cheddar when I couldn't find BD.
But times change, preferences shift, eating habits drift from one thing to another. Last week when I spotted this, I realized that it has been at least four years since I had any Black Diamond, because the last time I bought it was when I was still living in Las Vegas. I was interested to see if my taste for it had changed.
It has. I now find it unpleasantly sharp, bordering on harsh and bitter. It also doesn't slice neatly--too crumbly.
Even if I limit the field of options to just white cheddars from Trader Joe's, I'd rather have this one, or this one, or this one, or this one.
Will I buy it again?
No.
You're still missing the 2 best cheddars at Trader Joe's: Unexpected Cheddar and English Coastal Cheddar!
ReplyDeleteI do want to try the English Coastal. I didn't much care for the Unexpected: http://exploringtraderjoes.blogspot.com/2014/11/trader-joes-unexpected-cheddar-cheese.html
DeleteI looked and missed that review. The Coastal is generally similar to the Unexpected, so you may not like it either. I like a sharp cheddar on the dry side with a bit of mineral crunch. (I also like smoother/creamier cheddars too!)
DeleteEnglish Coastal is the best but it's crumbly so you probably won't like it. You should find a place in your heart for crumbly aged cheddars even if they don't slice well.
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