Hello Cheese Enthusiasts!

 I must say, I was slightly disappointed with the first shipment of cheese, but I told myself that the whole point of me getting free cheese was to help improve it, not to give useless critique.

 Well, after reading Anne's post on the much anticipated new cheese, I was completely disheartened. I was hoping for a better cheese the second time around. So, I put the "failure" out of mind and went on with my daily life of tiring school, even more tiring homework, and brief, yet wonderful, sleep.

 After one particularly grueling day, I came home and saw that beautiful little package in my refrigerator. I had to try. I could not leave it sitting there any longer!

 I believe John adequately described the appearance of the two slices, so I'll elaborate on the texture, aroma, and flavor.

 Aroma: The first cheese, 120109, is similar to the original cheese shipment. Not the best smell, but, i mean, it could have been worse. 120125 was completely unexpected! It smelled of dried cranberries and the autumn leaves. Ok, although I live in Southern California, they STILL spoke of autumn trees to me. A complete 360 (or should I say 180?) from the first batch.

Texture: 120109: It melted in my mouth! I could feel the bite of cheese almost dissolve in my mouth, leaving just the very center. 120125 was much more substantial. When I took a bite, it broke perfectly, but didn't melt in such an incredibly unique way.

Flavor: 120109 was fairly bland, but widely marketable. It was a bit too salty for me, but there was a lot of potential. Seemed to be the perfect canvas for something... more. 120125 was quite sweet, but there was a bad note in there, a bit of a rotten spot. Still, I liked the salt level more in this one than the other one.

I must say, the progress made was quite impressive! I actually ate both cheeses within the first hour of tasting. Still, the name is a tiny bit of a disaster. I am a musical lover, so maybe a name from The Sound of Music? Still, that may be a bit over the top. But, as a cheese, it seems highly marketable, especially after the good reviews from my mother and younger brother (the pickiest eater ever to walk on the face of the earth)

Can't wait for my next shipment! -Emily