There are quite a few under appreciated cheeses coming out of Spain, such as my personal favorite Cabra Romero, and though I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite cheese-country I can safely say I would be loath to do without Spain's offerings. Here again we see a powerful goat cheese, also known as Queso do Murcia Curado, in which a play on the raw nature of the milk used gives us The Naked Goat.
Milk: Goat, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 6 months
Notes: I'm not sure why there is a blushing goat on the Naked Goat labels, I'm pretty sure organisms that only border on self-awareness aren't particularly self-conscious. In any case this cheese makes for some great display possibilities, as it is firm enough to hold its shape and, well, uniformly delicious.
Thoughts: This cheese is a perfect example of regional differences among cheeses and the glories of Spanish cheese in general. It has all of the oily goodness of a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese and all of the assosciated grassy flavor. Add on top of that the full tangy sweetness of goat's milk and suddenly you have a very complex and bold flavor; mixing the best of goat's milk with a powerfully rich earthiness from the fat. Although it is a drier cheese, it manages to be exceptionally creamy and the savoryness is accented perfectly at the end of the taste with a hint of salt. This cheese is truly incredible, and given it's rather firm, dry appearance the extent to which this cheese develops and satisfies is a lovely surprise. Whenever it's sampled at the Cheese Importers it always disappears, with some greedy souls going back for 4th and 5th helpings. Really though it is that good, and with roasted salted Spanish almonds it's to die for.
Caution
If you're paying any attention to the labels feature you might notice I've reviewed quite a few more cow cheeses than goat or sheep cheeses, and a good deal more . Do not think, however, that this is a sign of favoritism. That's what the "Favorite" label is for.
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