The Good: Melts well, Wonderful flavor, Tastes delicious as a component in recipes!
The Bad: Difficult to work with, Expensive
The Basics: Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano is a delightful cheese that has a delightful flavor palate that makes for an intriguing tasting cheese!
My reviewing this year has been a bit slower than usual, largely because I have been working on my memory and playing games, at my wife's request. Sadly, I have to write some reviews suddenly to break up my tributes to recently-deceased celebrities. I didn't want to have my tributes to David Bowie (his final album, Blackstar is reviewed here!) and Alan Rickman adjacent to one another. So, I figured it was time to finally review a magnificent cheese I recently tried. It is the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese and it is part of my new year's reconnect with my wife; we like to share new cheese experiences and that is something we are doing again!
We have now consumed a whole block of Citrus Ginger BellaVitano and it is flavorful and delightful. I love flavorful cheese and the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is an intriguing and wonderful cheese that is an incredible replacement for extra sharp cheddars in dishes or as a snacking cheese!
Basics
Sartori is a manufacturer of premium cheeses in Wisconsin. The intent of most Sartori cheeses is that they will be cheeses that hold their own as snacks that may be served on their own. Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano certainly is a premium cheese and it lives up to having an intriguing flavor. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese, in this case 5.3 oz.
The Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with herbs embedded into the outer surface of the cheese. There are no herbs mixed throughout the cheese block, but the cheese seems to carry more flavor than just on the outer edges. Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.
Ease Of Preparation
Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is a cheese, so more often than not, it is used on its own or as an ingredient in a recipe. Preparation of the cheese is pretty simple; cut the plastic away and slice the cheese! Unfortunately, this is a cheese that is very difficult to work with. Even the first time I opened the cheese and sliced the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese, it fractured and fall apart with almost every pass of the cheese plane. It was not easy to work with on its own. The cheese is not only hard to work with at the outer edge; it fractures all along the cheese plane and is tough to lift off whatever surface one cuts the cheese on without it cracking apart. This is a fairly hard cheese to get to conform to one's wishes.
That said, after the cheese is sliced, it melts well with evenness and liquidity, making it a good ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.
Taste
The Citrus Ginger BellaVitano is a very robustly scented cheese. The garlic and spices make the cheese smell like a cheesy garlic bread. The dominant scents of garlic and oregano give this cheese a familiar Italian seasoning scent.
On the tongue, the Citrus Ginger BellaVitano is very sharp. The cheese is sour from the lemony flavor that blends with a cheese that is very tangy. The cheese itself tastes like an extra sharp cheddar and the sour and citrus blend accents the sharpness of the dry cheese. The sweet, salty flavors are quickly overcome on the tongue by the sharp, sour flavor of the citrus and cheese.
Melted into or onto something like an omelet, the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano becomes more sour and the ginger flavor comes out. More specifically the bitter aftertaste that ginger sometimes possesses is accented and accents the cheese flavor.
On its own, the Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese leaves a sour flavor in the mouth for about two minutes after it is consumed.
Nutrition
Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is not incredibly healthy, though their cheeses have decent ingredients. The Citrus Ginger does not seem to add anything of note to the cheese of nutritional value. A serving size is considered a one inch block (1 oz.). In that, there are 120 calories, 90 of which are from fat. This cheese has 25% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake and 7% of the RDA of sodium. On the plus side, it does have 18% of the RDA of calcium and has seven grams of protein.
Obviously, Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is a dairy product, so those who are lactose intolerant will have problems with it. This cheese is made primarily of BellaVitano cheese, a seasoning blend, and dehydrated onion and garlic. That makes it all-natural.
Storage/Cleanup
As a cheese, Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese should be kept refrigerated. So long as that happens, it ought to stay fresh for several weeks. I am utterly unable to write about shelf-life as our 5.3 oz block was gone within a week of being opened! Our package bought for New Year's had an expiration date of May 2016.
Citrus Ginger BellaVitano is a cheese, so it is not going to stain or ruin anything unless it is ground into a fabric. Baring that, cleanup of nonporous surfaces is as easy as wiping them with a damp cloth. Even the crumbs of cheese and Citrus Ginger are aromatic and get on other things, so this is easy to clean up after!
Overall
Sartori Citrus Ginger BellaVitano cheese is tangy and easy to enjoy! It has a diverse level of flavors that makes it a cheese worth trying over and over on its own and in dishes. It is one of Sartori's best cheeses!
For other Sartori cheese reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Extra-Aged Fontina
Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano
Merlot BellaVitano
Espresso BellaVitano
8.5/10
For other cheese and meat reviews, please visit my Meat And Cheese Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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