Mild, But Not At All Bad, Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago Cheese Is All Right.

The Good: Melts well, Good as an ingredient, Does not taste bad
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Not the most flavorful cheese.
The Basics: Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago is a surprisingly mediocre Sartori cheese, though it is in no way bad.


When it comes to brands of cheeses - especially Artisan cheeses - one of the brands that has surprised me most pleasantly is Sartori. Only a few years ago, I had never heard of Sartori. Now, I've visited one of their factories and tried so many flavors of their cheeses and loved them. So, it is a very rare thing for me to encounter one that I have a much more neutral reaction to than one that I sing the praises of. And yet, that is where I fell on the Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese.

Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese is a fairly neutral cheese, save for the pieces of it that contain the rind and the actual spices embedded in it.

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 to consumers directly. Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago is good, but it does not pop the way most Sartori cheeses do. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese. The 5.3 oz. block of cheese is found locally at about $5.

The Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with Rosemary embedded into the rind. Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and the cheese is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open. As one might expect, olive oil does not add a great deal of flavor to the cheese.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago 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! This cheese is very easy to work with, even after it has been open for a while. This is, in many ways, a similar cheese to a Parmesan. The Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese does not fracture or fall apart when one uses a grater or cheese plane. It was very easy to work with on its own.

After the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it a good ingredient to use in omeletes and sandwiches.

Taste

The Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago smells entirely like Asiago cheese, which is similar to Parmesan. The cheese does not smell much like any of the spices it possesses at all.

On the flavor front, the Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago has a flavor that is remarkably difficult to describe. Instead of having a deep flavor palate, the flavor starts as dry, like one expects from an Asiago cheese, but the flavor is cut with a buttery, somewhat oily texture to the cheese. The flavor is more subtle than many of Sartori's other cheeses. Interestingly, the only place the Asiago tastes spiced is when one cuts cheese from the rind. The rind has the spices and in combination with the Asiago flavoring, the Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago tastes like a cream with Italian Seasoning in it. The net flavor is more like oregano than Rosemary, but it is still delicious!

Melted, the Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago tastes like a salty, fully-flavored Mozarella.

Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese has no real aftertaste after it is consumed.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese is not overly healthy, though their cheeses have wonderful, natural ingredients. A serving size is considered a one inch block (1 oz.). In that, there are 110 calories, 80 of which are from fat. This cheese has 25% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake and 8% of the RDA of sodium. On the plus side, it does have 20% of the RDA of calcium and has seven grams of protein.

Obviously, Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese is a dairy product, so those who are lactose intolerant will have problems with it. This cheese is made of Pasteurized cow’s milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes. That makes it all-natural.

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese should be kept refrigerated. So long as that happens, it ought to stay fresh for several weeks. Even after being opened, this cheese remains pliable and enjoyable for a couple of weeks! Our package bought just over a month ago had an expiration date of November 12, 2016.

Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago 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.

Overall

Sartori Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese is a very average cheese, as opposed to one that is truly superlative.

For other Sartori cheese reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Chai BellaVitano
Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano
Black Pepper BellaVitano
Merlot BellaVitano
Espresso BellaVitano

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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