Name: Constant Bliss
Producer: Jasper Hill
Milk: Raw Ayrshire Cows
Age: 60 days
Price: $8.99 - $10.99
In the universe of artisanal Vermont cheeses, few names stand out as much as Jasper Hill. Since purchasing their farm in 1998, the Kehler brothers, along with their wives, have been producing high quality farmstead cheeses.
Aged only 60 days, Constant Bliss is their youngest cheese. In fact, because of importing laws, it's often the youngest raw milk cheese you'll find in the States. At the shop, we've even held back on batches that were too young to be sold when they arrived.
As odd as it may sound, Constant Bliss reminds me of kettle corn: sweet, buttery and with a mild saltiness. Jasper Hill has said that this is the cheese to showcase their high quality milk and I have to agree.
The texture is one of my favorite aspects. It starts off with the rind, light and chewy with no bitterness, before moving on to a creamy, lush interior and finishing with the dense, clay-like mouth feel of the center.
It's also a my number one picnic cheese. A full wheel holds up well in travel, it is perfect spread on a baguette and served with fresh peaches or blueberries. Its mild, pleasant flavor is also sure to please anyone in your group's tastes.
As mentioned in a previous article, I have seen Constant Bliss at just about every good cheese shop in New York. Rather than list them all, your best bet is to check out their retailer list to find the one nearest to you. The examples I've seen around town are simply perfect, so now is the time to check it out.
When looking for a wheel of Constant Bliss, search for one with a supple texture and bounce when squeezed (think of the feel of a finished cake). Though this cheese, when kept in good storage, will maintain its quality, I enjoy it as fresh as possible.
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i'm visiting jasper hill farm this weekend and will certainly look for this beauty!
Awesome, have fun! If you get a chance to try their clothbound cheddar, go for it! We're sold out at the shop, but it's an amazing cheese. It's produced by dairy giants, Cabot, who then send it to Jasper Hill to be aged. Crunchy, caramely and grassy. It won the ACS 'Best in Show' this year. Worth picking up, if they have some left at the farm. Though I could say that about all their cheeses :)
Oh and, unrelated. Annaliese, if you're reading this, we just got some Willow HIll Brebis in at Murray's, GCT. Only a small amount, but if you want to grab some, let me know and I can hold you back a wheel. It's not cheap, at $24.99 a lb (a wheel weighs about .40lb), but if it's anything like Alderbrook, I am guessing it'll be worth it.
Help - I live in SF and need a good source for raw milk cheeses. The handful of places I've tried give me this song and dance about how washed rind pasteurized cheese are SO much better, blah blah, blah.
I'm having serious withdrawal from the stinky oozy Vermont cheeses I used to get a Formaggio Kitchen when I lived in Boston.
thanks cheesemonger! i'm hoping to visit several of the farms on the VT cheese trail and will definitely post photos of places i visit. that clothbound cheddar sounds amazing.
Dave, have you tried Cowgirl Creamery? They stock lots of local, California, and european raw milk cheeses.
That's weird they'd try to turn you on to pasteurized cheeses, wash-rind or not. Catherine is right, Cowgirl is the way to go. If I'm ever on the west-coast, I would make a beeline there.
California has a number of excellent dairies too: Bellwether Farms, Bravo Farms, Point Reyes, Vella...I am sure I'm forgetting alot, those are the ones I know off the top of my head.
Actually, Cowgirl Creamery was one of the places that gave me a hard time.
They did? Wow. Have you tried Cheese Plus, which someone mentioned in a AT review recently?
Haven't heard of Cheese Plus - I will check it out. Course, there is always the Berkeley Cheese Board which I have heard great things about. Need to keep off my kiester and get over there.