Can’t agree more with these sentiments. For the very serious food hobbyists, we are living in the golden age of food, although the arrow probably started pointing downward a couple years ago. Not only will we lose many true cheesemakers soon, but so many similar craftsmen around the world, like kimchi makers. I see trends toward losing entire flavor profiles, like how chocolate is slowly replacing red bean, for example. So, yes: Enjoy while you still can!
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Got some brie de Nangis Rouzaire (pasteurized cow) and some Fontina Val D’aosta Mitica (raw cow). Brie was smooth and creamy. Though I preferred the funk of the Fontina.
An interesting article about the plight of American artisan sheep cheese makers:
Sheep’s Milk Cheeses in U.S. Earn Ribbons but Little Profit
Some cheese recommedations at the end of the article. Thoughts on these?
BELLWETHER FARMS SAN ANDREAS (Petaluma, Calif.)
BLEATING HEART CHEESE FAT BOTTOM GIRL (Tomales, Calif.)
CARR VALLEY CHEESE CAVE-AGED MARISA (La Valle, Wis., carrvalleycheese.com; 800-462-7258)
GRAFTON VILLAGE CHEESE BEAR HILL (Grafton, Vt.)
HIDDEN SPRINGS CREAMERY OCOOCH MOUNTAIN (Westby, Wis.)
LANDMARK CREAMERY ANABASQUE (Albany, Wis)
MEADOWOOD FARMS LEDYARD (Cazenovia, N.Y.)
SHEPHERD’S WAY FARMS BIG WOODS BLUE (Nerstrand, Minn.)
VERMONT SHEPHERD VERANO (Westminster, Vt., )
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I really love San Andreas. I also like Txiki which they say is not being made any more, but I got a ery expensive piece a month ago. I have had Fat Bottom Girl but I honestly don’t remember very much about it. The others I just haven’t run across. I look wherever I am at sheep’s milk cheeses but you really don’t see a lot of these. Eastern cheeses don’t always make it out here.
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Here’s the latest:
Love the goat cheese Rocamadour, it is delicious and melts, just the right time to eat.
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And we like sheep…
I just cut into a nice ripe Explorateur - still solid but very creamy in the center, oozy/runny around the rind.
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Naf, how was the blue cheese? Love all the unpasteurised milk cheeses you have access to.
I already at half of the Chaource alone. It oozes under the rind fast, the centre remains firmer. The wedge is “farmer’s cheese” with strong dark beer in it.
I eat a Crottin sometimes, preferably when it’s hard.
That one is not particularly good, very salty and not much other taste. It’s still in the fridge, nobody wants to finish it!
Do French blue cheeses tend to be salty? I’ve had a few like that.
Use it in cooking, that’s what I do. I add chucks of it to frittata, or mix with beetroots.
Plan to get a wedge of Mont D’or to melt for a fondue this week.
I love Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Reblochon… I think I ate Fourme d’Ambert before, it was better, it’s this particular piece that is 1 dimensional salty… You are right, I will use it for cooking 
Mont d’or is great! Fondue is great! It’s the season now!
Back to serious business, recently bought Comté 24 months and 36 months. Generally, in normal mood, I like 24 months for it’s lightness, flowery and nutty flavour… but then 36 months is intense, taste is much more complex, suits other occasions.
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Ewephoria Aged Sheep Gouda style cheese from Friesland, Netherlands, is a cheese made for American exports. The young kids at home is quite fond of cheese in general, so we are happy to get them started on various cheeses that we want to try.
Next up, a Camembert, as soon as I get that bread baked.
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Munster is pasteurised, the rest isn’t. Top left wedge is Camembert.
Never smelly enough for me
This one is smelly 
This Spanish blue cheese is very nice and not salty.
that camembert turned out to be a major dud unfortunately. No flavor whatsoever. Some Delice de France brand. Read the label a little closer, its made in USA.
Any recommendations for better camembert?
Do try Le Rustique if it’s available in the US:
I think it’s made in Normandy, rather than produce of Normandy, so not quite the real deal, but it’s very tasty and reliable. We get through one a week in our 4 person household and we’ve hardly ever had a dud or chalky one.
FWIW here in the UK we pay about $2.50 for a 250g (8 1/2 oz) cheese.
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And here’s Google’s slightly wonky translation of an interesting French page:
If you can find a non pasteurised “Au lait cru” camembert, the taste is stronger and better. But I doubt you can find that easily in US.
In the article below, Lebovitz found a certain English camembert as good as a French one.
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I think a big offense about my camembert is that its not even runny, I can slice a chunk and put it in my mouth.
If your cheese is not runny, either it’s not matured yet or too matured. I think for your case, it’s more like the latter, you need to take the cheese from the fridge to leave it out for several hours a day until it becomes runny. But if you buy from a good cheese shop, usually they are in the ozzy state.
