Rarely do we find cheeses named for popular pool playtime activites, but here is one such cheese. To be perfectly frank I can't decide if their naming method makes the most sense to me. Their website credits the great explorer for bringing spices and peppercorn back to the Old World, but we don't call all fur products Lewis and Clarks, or all... all... there's a Christopher Coloumbus joke to make here but I feel like it'd be in bad taste.
Fortunately, what's in good taste is this cheese. Beecher's Marco Polo is a rare exception to my rule of no shenanigans in my cheddar. By shenanigans, of course, I mean things that aren't milk, rennet, salt, or starters. This would usually include black peppercorns and most certainly includes peppers, garlic, horseradish, and, heaven help us, maple smokiness of questionable origin. In the case of Beecher's, though, the cheese is already so good that they get away with it.
Origin: Seattle, Washington, USA
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 4-6 months
Notes: Milled green and black peppercorns from Madagascar. Perhaps not the most locavore of choices, but true enough to its name. So.... check that one off the bucket list.... eat Madagascar peppercorns. Yup.
Thoughts: Sweet and nutty are immediately met with the dark and spicy notes from the peppercorn, but no one flavor ever overpowers the other. The rich and almost chocolatey nature of the cheddar is the perfect match for the spice of the peppercorn, and the already delectable texture of their cheddar is only highlighted by the occasional crunch. The aftertaste is one of a slight heat, peppery of course but deliciously so, and overall the cheese proves that flavors can be added without making the entire experience dull, heavy, and boring.
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