How Professional Cheese Tasters Sample 100 Cheeses Per Day
Team of cheese graders testing different cheeses
Given that The Takeout is a Midwest-based food publication, no one can ever accuse us of insufficient cheese coverage. We think about cheese ceaselessly, obsessively, and lovingly. Yet despite the depths of our dedication, it pales in comparison to that of Craig Gile, whose career in cheese spans more than two decades.
Gile is a longtime employee of Vermont-based Cabot Creamery Co-operative, whose cheeses are available at grocery stores nationwide. Though he has held many roles within the company, Gile was a longtime Cabot cheese taster, a position that no doubt inspires a mix of fascination and envy in all who hear about it—even more so when you consider that tasters must sample between 100 and 200 cheeses in a single day.
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How professional cheese tasting works
Tasting is part of the process known as cheese grading, and for Cabot’s team of professional cheese graders, there are many technical elements to consider while sampling. From the structure to the flavor to the smell, graders must carefully inspect the product to determine how it’s aging and what its best uses might be. Though this sounds like it might require a preternaturally refined palate, Gile says it’s more about staying aware throughout the tasting process.
“My palate’s probably not much better than a lot of other folks out there,” he told The Takeout. “One of things I have to do is actively think about what I’m tasting. That’s something that anyone can do.”
So how do the professionals evaluate all this cheese? They start with a visual check.
“The first thing you do is look at the exterior of the cheese block,” Gile said. “You’re looking for crystallization, discoloration, and the shape. That starts to give you your first idea of what that cheese might taste like.”
Next, tasters use a small knife with a half-moon-shaped blade to “plug” the cheese, or pull a core sample from the block. This cylindrical selection…
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