Product Review: Mitica Juni Cheese

This cheese is actually a Toma Brusca [1] from the northern part of Italy.[2] However, during the cheese making process, they added juniper berries (which is the inspiration for the name Juni). Some comments I read online said this cheese reminded them of a gin and tonic.[3] I presume this is because juniper berries are the main flavoring agent in gin, but I wouldn't know for sure since I've never tasted gin or any other alcoholic drink.[4]

When I opened up this cheese it was definitely stinky, but I couldn't detect the juniper berries in the odor. It wasn't until I took a bite that I was able to detect it. And it was strong. Very strong, though not overwhelming. It was very crumbly and had a rind which I removed before eating the cheese. Even though this cheese didn't have any blue veins in it, I thought it tasted rather like a blue cheese [5], though considerably milder. I did some investigating and determined that this cheese has a yellow mold instead of a blue one.[6] I wasn't really thrilled with it, though.

---

Notes:

[1] Toma Brusca is often referred to as Castelrosso, in honor of Luigi Rosso, the man who first produced it.

[2] See http://forevercheese.com/products/juni®/.

[3] e.g .here.

[4] For those who are unsure why Latter-day Saints (Mormons) abstain from alcohol (as well as tea, coffee, tobacco, and illegal drugs), I recommend you visit here and here, where you can learn more about LDS beliefs concerning dietary restrictions. If you have more questions, ask and maybe I'll do a full post on the topic.

[5] e.g. Shropshire Blue, which you can read about here.

[6] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelrosso (cheese).