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Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review – May 2015

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseMay 26, 2015 | 10 comments

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Box

The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club sends artisan cheese from around the world. Each handcrafted cheese is professionally chosen and purchased directly from its place of origin. Shipments include three kinds of cheese (including at least one international variety per shipment) totaling approximately 1.5 pounds.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Inside

The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club is one of the many subscriptions available through MonthlyClubs.com. They also offer monthly clubs for beer, wine, chocolate, cigars, and flowers. If more than one club appeals, subscribers are welcome to design their own club.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Cheese

The Subscription: The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club

The Products: Three ½ pound blocks of hand-cut cheese.

The Cost: $34.95 + $13 shipping.

Ships to: All US states EXCEPT AK and HI.

Check out the Food Subscription Box Directory for more food subscription boxes!

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Flyer

The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club includes a flyer that provides information about the month’s cheeses. The flyer also includes tasting notes and recommended wine and beer pairings.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Cooler

The cheese was packed very carefully in a Styrofoam cooler with an ice packet. There were also quite a few stickers on the box informing the delivery driver that the contents were perishable and that the box should never be left in direct sunlight.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Goat

Drunken Goat (approximately .5 lb)- value $11

Drunken Goat is a semi-firm cheese from Murcia, Spain. It’s cured for about 72 hours in red wine, which causes the rind to form a purple hue and the cheese to take on a delicate grape flavor. I love the creaminess of the Drunken Goat, and I think the understated wine flavor is really interesting.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Cheddar

Grafton Village Maple Smoked Cheddar (approximately .5 lb)- value $10

To create this Maple Smoked Cheddar, Vermont’s Grafton Village cold-smokes their cheddar over smoldering Maplewood chips for up to four hours. This cheese lacks the bitterness often associated with aged cheddars and is instead sweet, smoky, and smooth.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Fontina

Fontina Val D'Aosta (approximately .5 lb)- value $11

According to the flyer, Fontina is an often-imitated cheese. Fontal, Fontinella, and Fontella are all brand name Fontina look-alikes that lack the consistent flavors found in authentic Italian Fontina. True Fontina has a nutty, earthy flavor and works well as a desert cheese. It is also frequently used in cooking. A famous Fontina dish is Fonduta, an Italian version of fondue made with butter, eggs, and truffles. Personally, I love using Fontina in homemade macaroni and cheese. The creaminess and complex flavor add a sophisticated twist to the classic dish, I think.

Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club Subscription Box Review - May 2015 - Board

Here’s a photo of all three cheeses together on my cheese board (taken right before we started the tasting).

Verdict: I really like the cheeses selected by The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club. It’s very clear that they were thoughtfully selected, and I appreciate that they were so carefully packed. I also love that the club provides thorough information about where the cheeses are from and why they were selected. The price of the cheese pretty much breaks even with the cost of the box (pre-shipping), but I think the real value of this subscription comes from the expert selection of rare cheeses and the convenience of having them shipped directly to your door. I enjoyed sampling this box, and I would recommend it for cheese lovers who want to try artisan cheeses from around the world.

Do you love discovering new cheeses? Are you going to try The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club?

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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10 comments

LizH

My sister gave me a year’s subscription (one box every 2 months) to this last year and while I’m a cheese addict and thus thoroughly enjoyed it , I did feel she had greatly overspent. Although all of the cheeses were good, all but one of the 18 varieties ultimately sent were also available in just as good quality – and cheaper! – at two local supermarkets in my not so big city. Also, I felt the information sent was very basic and made it seem like the curator had done nothing more than a Wiki search. I would commend their packing, though! My first shipments were in foil covered bubblewrap packages with dry ice, but they improved it to the styrofoam coolers in the last two shipments. And I STILL use those little styrofoam coolers so they’re as green as a styrofoam cooler could be…) But yeah…skip this one unless you live in an isolated area or are sending it to someone who does.

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Joy

It’s a fair price but not a deal. The cheeses are good cheeses with mass appeal but nothing amazing. If you have a specialty shop near you you’re better off going that route but if you need to send a gift to a cheese lover who does not have access then this isn’t a bad route.

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Cindy

I love cheese but I cannot ever see myself participating in this box. The price is high for what you get and the shipping (though justified) is steep. I wish them luck but I don’t think this will succeed.

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PA Anna

Yummy. I love cheese.

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Jessvii

Seems too expensive. I wish I lived closer to a Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, etc. :-p.

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jenny

The newly built Kroger I shop at has a gigantic cheese & antipasto assortment. And my local Bed Bath & Beyond has a specialty food section now too, including interesting cheeses & whatnot.

This sub just isn’t special enough or give enough bang for buck to subscribe :/

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Ryan

Whoa, $50 for cheese? You need a new cheese guy. Kraft sells cheese for a lot less.

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Shanna

My local Kroger sells fontina and Drunken Goat. Cheddar–small batch as it may be–just isn’t that special either. I was so excited to see there was a box like this, but until they send cheese that justifies $13 shipping, I’m out.

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S

Your comment reminded me of Shark Tank, lol. “I’m out” thanks for the chuckle. 🙂

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Kate

I really want to like this box, but Drunken Goat is pretty far from “rare”. It’s so popular now that I had it on a cheese board in an airport bar last week. Even real Fontina, and not the imitators mentioned in the review, is available at most Whole Foods. So that brings me to almost $50 for only 1 cheese that I couldn’t get on a stop by WF on the way home from work.

With regrets, I will pass.

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