Just Two Weeks Left!

Holiday gift-buying season is around the corner! Get the perfect holiday gift today, and take advantage of our summer savings at the same time!

Cheese of the Month Club Summer Sale Ends Soon!

This offer ends August 31st!

Order three months of Cheese of the Month and get a FREE copy of Max McCalman's "The Cheese Plate".
Use promotion code 03SMCOM06 during checkout for this offer!

Order six months of Cheese of the Month and you'll receive FREE, Max's "The Cheese Plate" AND a $25 gift certificate good towards any future purchase!
Use promotion code 06SMCOM06 during checkout!

Order one year of Cheese of the Month and we'll include a FREE copy of "The Cheese Plate", a $50 gift certificate good towards any future purchase, AND we'll also add a FREE thirteenth month to your subscription!!!
Use promotion code 12SMCOM06 during checkout!

You must order by August 31st to receive your September cheese and this wild offer!
Join the Club! Sign on or renew today!

Take Advantage of These Other Great OFFERS

Take a Class at the Cheese Center

There are still some excellent classes to attend in August, and many more in September! See the featured classes below, and visit our Web site for more.

Bourbon, Whiskey, & Artisanal Cheese

With special guest LeNell Smothers from LeNell's Wine & Spirit Boutique

6:30pm-8:30pm; Thursday, August 24th

What is Bourbon, really? How is it made? How do you taste it? Most importantly - how do you pair it with cheese? Join Artisanal's Jon Lundbom and Bourbon expert LeNell Smothers from LeNell's Wine & Spirit Boutique in Red Hook (home to New York City's largest Bourbon selection) for the answers to these questions and more!

Reserve your spot today.

Italian Cheese & Wine

With Daphne Zepos

6:30pm-8:30pm; Thursday, September 7th

Celebrate the unique combinations of Italy's best vintners and cheesemakers. Join industry expert and acclaimed Affineur Daphne Zepos as she leads a discovery into Italy's wealth of luxurious cheeses.

Italian Cheese & Wine

Stinky Cheese

With Waldemar Albrecht

6:30pm-8:30pm; Thursday, September 21

For most foods, stinky smells tell you to stay away! But not with cheese -- in fact, the stronger the smell, the more delicious and delectable the flavor! Join Fromager Waldemar Albrecht as he demystifies the washed-rinds of stinky cheeses.

Sign up today.

Enroll in any of our many classes today!

Trivia from the Cheese Caves

Question: Many fine cheeses are produced and sold with a coating of ash. Is real ash used? What is the purpose of using ash in the production of cheese?

Find out in the next Artisanal e-newsletter! - Piave Jones, Artisanal

Last Time We Asked: Many cheeses are called cheddar, but what does "cheddar" mean, exactly? What is a "clothbound" cheddar, and why is it special?

Answer: Cheddar is the name of an English village in Somerset where cheddar cheese was originally made. Cheddar cheese is generally a firm, cow's milk, pale yellow cheese. However, cheddar is too widely produced to have a 'protected designated origin'. On the other hand, to combat commoditization of this venerable cheese, the European Union recognizes West Country Farmhouse Cheddar as a protected designation of origin. Only cheese made in the traditional manner using local ingredients in four designated counties of south-west England can earn that designation. At the same time, Neal's Yard Dairy has worked with the Slow Food Movement to establish a cheddar 'presidium', which recognizes only three cheeses that can truly be called Cheddar. Their standards exceed the West Country Farmhouse standard by far, and accept only cheese made in Somerset, using traditional methods, and in some cases, only cheese made with raw milk, using animal rennet, and cloth wrapping.

As with all cheeses, there are numerous steps involved in making cheddar. The production of Cheddar and cheddar-style cheeses includes an additional, unique step, referred to as Cheddaring, where, after heating and draining of the whey, the curd is cut into cubes then stacked and turned, sometimes several times over a couple of hours. This is done to drain off even more of the whey and to develop the acidity and the required texture.

Traditionally Cheddar was often packaged in black wax. But now, artisan cheesemakers in Europe and elsewhere more commonly use larded cloth, which is impermeable to contaminants yet allows the cheese to breathe.

Try one of these delicious cheddars today: Award-Winning Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar, Keen's Cheddar, or Montgomery's Cheddar.