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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Another Winner From Sartori! Their Citrus Ginger BellaVitano Cheese Is Incredible!

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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Parmesan Flavor With Mozzarella Workability: Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina Cheese Satisfies!

The Good: Melts well, Good flavor, Tastes delightful as a component ingredient, Easy to work with
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Not the most flavorful cheese on its own.
The Basics: Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina is a wonderful baseline cheese that is better as a replacement for any number of other cheeses than a cheese on its own.


As I near the end of the products that I picked up on my Midwestern vacation, I am happy to reach my final (for now!) Sartori cheese review. Sartori has become one of my favorite cheese brands, virtually overnight, and my hope is that they will continue to make amazing cheeses with incredible flavors for me to enjoy and review. When I stopped by one of their plants and picked up a whole load of their cheeses, I tried to get a cool variety of their flavors. In all honesty, I only picked up the Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina cheese for two reasons: 1. I had never had a Fontina, so I had no idea what to expect, and 2. With so many different flavors of Sartori cheeses, I wanted to review a flavor that was essentially unflavored in the hopes of having a Sartori cheese that I wasn’t just flat-out gushing for (which I usually do not do, but have been doing for most Sartori cheeses and “average” flavored cheeses seldom get from me). In the latter regard, I found myself defied by the quality of Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina and I found that I actually enjoy Fontina quite a bit.

That said, Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina is one of the best cheeses I have tried that enhances virtually all things it is paired with, but it is not a truly indispensible cheese on its own.

I love flavorful cheese and the Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina cheese certainly lives up to that! Sold at their Antigo production plant for $5 for the 8 oz. package, this is not an inexpensive cheese, but it is a good one, especially when it is used to replace mild cheddar, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses.

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 Extra-Aged Fontina is good, but it takes about five bites of it before it starts being delicious on its own, unlike many other cheeses. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina cheese.

The Extra-Aged Fontina cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with no additives. Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and the cheese is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina 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. While it has a slightly sharper flavor than mozzarella, it is about as easy to work with as that softer cheese. The Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina 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 an ideal ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in a grilled ham and cheese sandwich or a Parmesan cheese on pasta!

Taste

The Extra-Aged Fontina has a very mild scent to it. In fact, this is reminiscent of a mozzarella cheese in terms of its aroma.

On the tongue, however, the Extra-Aged Fontina is flavorful and mildly sharp. This has a robust flavor, like a Parmesan, without the sourness associated with an extra sharp cheddar or other hard cheese. The result is a cheese that accents flavors without overwhelming them, as opposed to one that one wants to have linger on their tongue on its own. The Extra-Aged Fontina cheese is not overly salty or sour.

Melted into or onto something like a grilled cheese sandwich or in an omelet, the Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina takes on a more bubbly taste, much like an extra sharp cheddar. In its melted form, it has a salty, sour flavor that it does not possess at room temperature.

Sartori Extra-Aged Fontina cheese has almost no aftertaste after it is consumed.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Extra-Aged Fontina 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, only 50 of which are from fat. This cheese has 30% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake and 6% of the RDA of sodium. On the plus side, it does have 22% of the RDA of calcium and has seven grams of protein.

Obviously, Extra-Aged Fontina 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 Extra-Aged Fontina 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 month! Our package bought just over a month ago had an expiration date of April 14, 2015.

Extra-Aged Fontina 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 Extra-Aged Fontina cheese is flavorful, but better as a supplement than a cheese on its own.

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

6/10

For other cheese and meat reviews, please visit my Meat And Cheese Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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That Undefinable Element . . . Sartori Chai BellaVitano Cheese Works!

The Good: Melts well, Good flavor, Tastes delicious as a component in recipes!
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Very difficult to work with.
The Basics: Sartori Chai BellaVitano is flavorful, though somewhat simplistic, making for a delicious cheese to enjoy, but a tough one to describe!


When it comes to spices, there are some that are so frequently paired with others that it becomes hard to distinguish what makes the spice unique or impressive. The truth is, I’m not exactly certain what makes a Chai seasoning. In every Chai tea I have drunk, there has been so much cinnamon flavoring that I associate the two flavors very strongly. I know what Chai smells like, but the truth is, virtually everything I have had that is supposed to be Chai-flavored tastes pretty much like it is cinnamon-infused, with a more clove-based scent to it. So, as excited as I was to get some of Sartori’s Chai BellaVitano cheese on my recent vacation with my wife, I was not truly sure what Chai was going to add to one of Sartori’s distinctive cheeses.

After consuming my whole block of Chai BellaVitano, I still have no idea what Chai is supposed to add to the cheese.

I love flavorful cheese and the Sartori Chai BellaVitano cheese certainly lives up to that! Sold at their Antigo production plant for $5 for the 8 oz. package, this is not an inexpensive cheese, but it is a delicious one.

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 Chai 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 Chai BellaVitano cheese.

The Chai BellaVitano cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with actual Chai tea herbs embedded into the outer surface of the cheese. There is no Chai tea mixed throughout the cheese block, but the cheese seems to carry more flavor than just on the outer edges. Sartori Chai BellaVitano cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Chai 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 Chai 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 one of the hardest to work with cheeses I have yet reviewed.

That said, after the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it an ideal ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

Taste

The Chai BellaVitano is one of the few BellaVitano cheeses from Sartori that smells like something other than a very very sharp cheddar. Instead, the Chai BellaVitano has a more pungent and Parmesan-like. The aroma from this cheese is strong, but smells only like cheese.

In the mouth, the Chai BellaVitano is flavorful and very sharp. This cheese actually does not have a very salty flavor to it; instead, it is fairly sour. Like so many Chai-flavored things, the chai does not alter the taste in a significant or distinctive way. Instead, this cheese somehow, indescribably, pops more with the cheese flavor with the chai as an added component. At best, the chai seems to add a texture from the herbs embedded in the bottom and side of the cheese than anything it adds in flavor. Even so, this slightly sour cheese is yummy!

Melted into or onto something like a grilled cheese sandwich or in an omelet, the Sartori Chai BellaVitano takes on a slightly more subtle taste, almost identical to a sharp Swiss cheese. Either way, the cheese is flavorful and it augments anything it is in!

On its own, the Sartori Chai BellaVitano cheese leaves a slightly sour flavor in the mouth for about three minutes after it is consumed.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Chai BellaVitano cheese is not overly healthy, though their cheeses have decent ingredients. The Chai 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, Chai 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 and Chai tea. That makes it all-natural.

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Chai 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 8 oz block was gone within three days after being opened! Our package bought just over three weeks ago had an expiration date of May 14, 2015.

Chai 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 Chai tea are aromatic and get on other things, so this is a chese that is especially important to clean up after!

Overall

Sartori Chai BellaVitano cheese is flavorful and delicious, but it is not one of the most distinctive flavors of BellaVitano cheese to be produced by the Wisconsin dairy. This cheese does not taste like cinnamon or cloves, as I usually associate with Chai. Without being familiar or flavorful in a delightful way, the Sartori Chai BellaVitano cheese is well worth picking up!

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

7/10

For other cheese and meat reviews, please visit my Meat And Cheese Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Limited Disappointment: Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano Cheese Does Not Live Up To Its Promise!

The Good: Melts well, Does not taste bad
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Does not taste like mint at all, Becomes harder to work with after it is unwrapped.
The Basics: Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano is a limited edition Sartori cheese that does not deliver a mint flavor to augment the delightful cheese flavor.


With my recent trip with my wife to Minnesota and Wisconsin done, I have been enjoying the many things we brought back with us. For me, one of the highlights of our travel was stopping at the Sartori plant in Antigo, Wisconsin, where we were able to get several cheeses we are not otherwise able to find. Easily the cheese I was most excited to pick up was the Sartori Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano. I absolutely love mint and chocolate mint things. The idea of a cheese augmented by peppermint was very appealing to me.

Unfortunately, this is one of the rare flavors of Sartori cheeses that does not actually embody the promised flavors. Sold at their Antigo production plant for $5 for the 8 oz. package, this is not an inexpensive cheese, but for a limited edition flavor it would have been very fairly priced . . . had it lived up to its flavor.

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 in fancier settings. Sartori specializes in intriguing cheeses that have different flavors infused into them, like merlot, espresso, chai and black pepper. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese. Unfortunately, of all the Sartori cheeses I have tried, the Peppermint BellaVitano is the only one that has not come even close to the flavors Sartori promised. I just wish there had been another flavor that had been the company’s first disappointment for me!

The Peppermint BellaVitano cheese is much more like a plain BellaVitano cheese than anything special. This is a solid white cheese with a pink outer edge that seems to be where the peppermint flavor is supposed to be. There seems to be no real difference between the flavor of the main block and the pink outer edge. Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Peppermint 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 has very variable workability. The first time I opened the packaged and sliced the Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese, it was very easy to work with, like a mild cheddar. My cheese plane easily sliced through the block repeatedly, including the outer edge. After the first day I used it, the Peppermint BellaVitano became very difficult to work with. The Peppermint BellaVitano fractured instead of slicing nicely, which made for a “use it or lose it” feel to the cheese, which (frankly) is not what one wants out of a premium cheese, especially a limited edition one.

When the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it easy to used as an ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese. While on its second day of being opened it had a grainy quality to it (as if it had tiny crystals in it) even when melted, it still melted fairly well and augmented dishes well.

Taste

The Peppermint BellaVitano smells exclusively like sharp cheddar cheese. Even as the Peppermint BellaVitano nears room temperature, there is no hint of mint in the scent. For those hoping for the blending of mint and cheese flavors, the scent that the Peppermint BellaVitano cheese does not hint at anything like a balance of those flavors.

In the mouth, the Peppermint BellaVitano tastes like an extra sharp cheddar cheese, crisp and slightly sour. This BellaVitano becomes surprisingly more muted after the initial bite. After the first bite or two, the Peppermint BellaVitano tastes less like a sharp shedder and more like a firm Mozzarella. The flavor is saltier and the cheese is more solid than a Mozzarella, but essentially the flavor is similar. This does not wow the taste buds the way other Sartori cheeses do. There is not even a hint of peppermint in the flavor of the Peppermint BellaVitano, no matter what temperature the cheese is at.

Melted into or onto something like an omelet or a burger, the Peppermint BellaVitano cheese melts well. Unfortunately, temperature does not bring out the peppermint flavor in the Peppermint BellaVitano. In fact, there seems to be no combination of heat or pairing that brings out anything resembling mint with this cheese. In omelets, on burgers, in grilled cheese, nothing seems to bring out anything but a sharp cheddar flavor. There is no mint in the flavor palate when the cheese is on its own or as a component ingredient.

On its own, the Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese leaves a sour flavor on the tongue for a minute or two after it is consumed. The aftertaste fades pretty quickly, though.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are good, but not enough to meet all of one’s nutritional needs. The Peppermint BellaVitano cheese is not incredibly healthy, though their cheeses have decent ingredients. A serving size of the Peppermint BellaVitano 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, Peppermint 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 and crushed peppermint candy, though for the life of me I could not find any evidence of peppermint candy in my block of cheese!

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Peppermint 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 8 oz block was gone within two days of being opened! So long as it is kept in an airtight, cold environment, it ought to remain fresh. Our package bought in mid-September had an expiration date of December 23, 2014.

Peppermint 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.

Overall

Sartori Peppermint BellaVitano cheese is only a failure because it promises flavors it does not deliver upon. As a BellaVitano cheese, it is fine, but because it is supposed to be infused with peppermint flavoring and does not carry that flavor, it is the first true, substandard Sartori product I’ve tried.

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

3.5/10

For other cheese and meat reviews, please visit my Meat And Cheese Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano Cheese Dazzles In Dishes!

The Good: Melts well, Great flavor, Tastes delicious as a component in recipes!
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Harder to use as an ingredient.
The Basics: Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano is one of the best premium cheeses to use in recipes to replace a sharp cheddar and on its own it has an intriguing flavor worth trying!


On my recent vacation with my wife to Minnesota, we passed through Wisconsin. For me, the Wisconsin leg of our trip was one I was looking forward to for a simple reason: Wisconsin is the home of Sartori, one of my new favorite cheese producers. I was psyched because after my review of the Sartori Merlot BellaVitano (that’s here, check it out!), because online representatives of Sartori had read the review and seemed pleased with it. I had hoped during my trip home through Wisconsin, I might be able to tour the Sartori plant. Two things prevented that from happening this time: 1. Not getting a response to my request when I requested a tour online and 2. Showing up at the Antigo Sartori production plant. As it turns out, the current Wisconsin cheese map only has the Antigo, WI Sartori facility (the headquarters for the company is in Plymouth, WI, not Antigo!) and so my hope to tour a Sartori dairy plant and shopping at a Sartori gift shop materialized instead as a somewhat brisk conversation with a Sartori employee and shopping for cheeses I did not have access to out of a small refrigerator unit at the front of the office space. One of the five cheeses I picked up from my in-person visit to Sartori was a block of Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese.

I love flavorful cheese and the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese certainly lives up to that! Sold at their Antigo production plant for $5 for the 8 oz. package, this is not an inexpensive cheese, but it is a delicious one.

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 in fancier settings. They specialize in intriguing cheeses that have different flavors infused into them, like merlot, espresso, chai and Black Pepper. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese.

The Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with actual black pepper embedded into the outer surface of the cheese. There is no pepper mixed throughout the cheese block, but the cheese seems to carry the black pepper flavor more than just on the outer edges. Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese in packaged in a simple plastic wrap and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Black Pepper 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 has very variable workability. The first time I opened the packaged and sliced the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese, it was very easy to work with, like a mild cheddar. My cheese plane easily sliced through the block repeatedly, including the black pepper-encrusted edge. However, the cheese had almost entirely different workability the very next day when I went to use it. Despite sealing up the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese last night, when I used the cheese this morning for an egg dish, it reacted much more like an exceptionally hard cheese, like a Parmesan or Asiago. The Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese was suddenly so hard that it fractured and fall apart with almost every pass of the cheese plane. It was not easy to work with on its own, at least after it was opened and refrigerated once.

When the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it an ideal ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese. It is delicious when melted into sandwiches, eggs or on hamburgers.

Taste

The Black Pepper BellaVitano smells quite a bit like an exceptionally sharp cheddar. Even as the Black Pepper BellaVitano nears room temperature, the aroma from the cheese itself dominates any hint of the black pepper that coats the outside of the cheese.

On its own, the Black Pepper BellaVitano is not as flavorful or sharp as the scent foreshadows. Instead, this is a mild flavor on the tongue until it turns slightly sour about three seconds after it hits the tongue. That sourness is cut by the black pepper on any and all pieces the pepper is on. On those slices or chunks, the cheese has a predictably robust and peppery flavor. The pepper flavor never develops into a sneeze-worthy level, as the BellaVitano cheese flavor seems to pull it back just as the pepper flavor’s dryness overwhelms the tongue. The combination of flavors transforms a potentially bland, slightly mild cheese into a full-flavored, energetic cheese that is bound to please.

Melted into or onto something like an omelet or a burger, the Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese melts incredibly well. When it is melted and hot it seems to lose almost all of its aroma. It does not, however, lose any of its flavor. In fact, when heated up, this cheese becomes the perfect complement to beef or sausage. Melted into an omelet with sausage, the Black Pepper BellaVitano draws out the flavor of the meat and accents it with a powerful, sharp cheese flavor analogous to a medium-sharp cheddar. In a similar way, I was impressed by how the Black Pepper BellaVitano was not overwhelmed by the flavor of a good hamburger I tried the cheese on. While the Black Pepper BellaVitano might have taken a little longer to melt than I would have preferred while working on a medium-rare burger, the cheese took a bland beef hamburger and made it into a flavorful main course that made the meat pop. Perhaps what was most impressive about the Black Pepper BellaVitano was that the cheese flavor overcame the usual muting flavor of the bread upon which the burger was placed; honestly, most cheeses get muted by bread or rolls – the Black Pepper BellaVitano did not. Instead, even with a seasoned burger on bread, the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano was so flavorful that it dominated the flavor of the bread and complemented well the meat it was paired with.

On its own, the Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese leaves a slightly sour, slightly dry flavor in the mouth for about five minutes after it is consumed.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese is not overly healthy, though their cheeses have decent ingredients. The black pepper 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, Black Pepper 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 and coarse black pepper. That makes it all-natural.

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Black Pepper 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 8 oz block was gone within twelve hours after being opened! So long as it is kept in an airtight, cold environment, it ought to remain fresh and supple. Our package bought just over a week ago had an expiration date of March 24, 2015.

Black Pepper 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 pepper are aromatic and get on other things, so this is a chese that is especially important to clean up after!

Overall

Sartori Black Pepper BellaVitano cheese is good, but it seems like one ought to be prepared to damn the serving size and find a way to use or consume the entire block when one first opens it! Otherwise, it becomes harder to work with, even if it is still entirely delicious!

For other cheese reviews, please check out my takes on:
North Country Cheese Garlic Dill Cheese Curds
Yancy’s Fancy Smoked Gouda With Bacon
Ostenborg Havarti Dill Cheese

6.5/10

For other cheese and meat reviews, please visit my Meat And Cheese Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Sartori Merlot BellaVitano Cheese: PERFECT!

The Good: Amazing taste, Melts great, Wonderful flavor, Good ingredients
The Bad: Somewhat pricy
The Basics: A perfect cheese, Sartori Merlot BellaVitano is one of the best cheeses to hunt down!


This year for my own little Oscars celebration, I splurged on a whole bunch of treats for the night. I scaled back on some of the meats and cheeses I was going to pick up for the event, but the first choice cheese I picked up was a block of Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese. That I purchased the Merlot BellaVitano was a bit of a surprise given how the Sartori Espresso BellaVitano (reviewed here!) completely underwhelmed me.

Even though I don’t drink wine, the Merlot BellaVitano is an incredible, flavorful, cheese that is amazing combination of fruit and cheese flavors. Right before the Oscars, I discovered Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese locally for $6.49 for the 5.3 oz. package. Despite the price making it seem like it would be expensive, the Merlot BellaVitano is a perfect cheese, worth every cent!

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 in fancier settings. They specialize in intriguing cheeses that have different flavors infused into them, like merlot and espresso coffee. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese.

The Merlot BellaVitano cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with a wine flavor. Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese features a burgundy colored coating and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Merlot 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! Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese is very easy to work with. My cheese plane easily sliced through the block repeatedly, though If the cheese dries out at all, it will fracture instead of slicing, like a sharp cheddar. It is exceptionally easy to work with on its own or as an ingredient in recipes.

When the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it an ideal ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese. It is delicious when melted into sandwiches, eggs or even a cream sauce (to make a cheese sauce). The first time I tried this cheese as a component ingredient, was in an omelet and it melted beautifully there.

Taste

The Merlot BellaVitano smells delightfully like red wine. The aroma is almost entirely that of the merlot and none of the cheese it is embedded in.

On the tongue, the story is very different; the Merlot BellaVitano is a very sharp cheese, very analogous to a Parmesan cheese, though the wine in the cheese gives it an even sharper tang. The cheese is flavorful and finishes with a strong wine, Merlot flavor that is delightful and insinuates the fruity flavor of wine more than it embodies it. The sharpness of the cheese compliments the dryness of the wine in the cheese and it makes for a very satisfying combination!

Melted into something like an omelet, the Merlot BellaVitano cheese, the cheese melts perfectly! In its hot, fluidic state, the Merlot BellaVitano tastes very much like an extra sharp cheddar cheese with a hint of sparkling wine flavor as an aftertaste. That makes it an exceptionally flavorful cheese on its own or as a component in dishes!

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Merlot BellaVitano cheese is not a terribly healthy choice. The wine 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, 10% of the RDA of cholesterol, 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. There is also 6% of the RDA of Vitamin A, though there is no alcohol in the cheese.

Obviously, Merlot 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 and merlot wine. That makes it mostly natural.

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Merlot 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 four days of being opened! So long as it is kept in an airtight, cold environment, it ought to remain fresh and supple. Our package bought before the Oscars had an expiration date of September 12, 2014 (and it got eaten up long before it ever could have expired!).

Merlot 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, however, are aromatic, so this is one that is especially important to clean up after!

Overall

Sartori Merlot BellaVitano cheese is perfect, plain and simple. The cheese and wine flavors are absolutely wonderful together and the cheese is amazing on its own or in dishes.

For other cheese reviews, please check out my takes on:
Yancy’s Fancy Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds
New Bridge Mediterranean Cheddar Cheese
Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar

10/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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All Sorts Of Excitement, Dampened: Sartori Espresso BellaVitano Cheese Is Average, Not Exceptional!

The Good: Melts well, Flavorful, Nothing truly bad in it
The Bad: Fairly expensive, Coffee flavor is not strong at all.
The Basics: Sartori Espresso BellaVitano is an unfortunately unimpressive blend of cheese flavor and coffee texture.


One of the nice things about being a reviewer is that it inspires me to try new things . . . a lot. When I discovered a cheese with coffee grounds in it at a local grocery store, I realized that I had never tried a BellaVitano cheese! So, my wife (who had been looking for gift ideas for me) was very generous in hooking me up with a block of Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese. The Espresso BellaVitano was disappointing for all the hopes I had for a cheese that would blend coffee and cheese flavors, but was a pretty delightful cheese on its own.

I love coffee and cheese, so this seemed like it would be a slam-dunk cheese for me. My wife and I found Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese at the grocery store on sale in a 5.3 oz. pack for $4.99. Despite the price, I was glad we tried it, but it was not the most exceptional cheese I’ve yet tried.

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 in fancier settings. They specialize in intriguing cheeses that have different flavors infused into them, like merlot and espresso. Sartori cheeses come in blocks that are premeasured, at least for the Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese.

The Espresso BellaVitano cheese is as its name implies. This is a solid white cheese with actual coffee grounds in it. Mixed throughout the cheese block are the fine ground up coffee beans. Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese in plastic and is hard enough to maintain its shape when cut open.

Ease Of Preparation

Sartori Espresso 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! More than most cheeses with other things embedded in them, Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese is very easy to work with. My cheese plane easily sliced through the block repeatedly, so the coffee grounds in no way impede the cheese plane. This cheese is not so hard to fracture or otherwise fall apart. It is exceptionally easy to work with on its own or as an ingredient.

When the cheese is sliced, it melts beautifully with wonderful evenness and liquidity, making it an ideal ingredient to make flavorful omelets or to replace cheddar cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese. It is delicious when melted into sandwiches, eggs or even a cream sauce (to make a cheese sauce). The first time I tried this cheese was in an omelet and it melted beautifully there.

Taste

The Espresso BellaVitano smells very much like a hard cheese, like a Parmesan. The smell is an odd combination of subtle and pungent and is almost entirely lacking in a coffee smell. The cheese is not aromatic, so its scent does not disperse into a room when it is opened. However, as it warms or one gets close to it, the Espresso BellaVitano smells powerfully like a hard, sharp, delightfully smelly cheese. From its aroma, one might expect something like Parmesan. The smell of espresso beans is present really only as the cheese nears room temperature.

On its own, the Espresso BellaVitano is a very sharp cheese, very analogous to a Parmesan. The cheese is flavorful and includes the espresso flavor not quite as an aftertaste, but translates more as a grainy texture and compliment to the cheese than a distinctly coffee flavor. The beautifully bitter Espresso BellaVitano has a dry aftertaste, probably from the coffee ground into it.

Melted into something like an omelet, the Espresso BellaVitano cheese, the cheese melts surprisingly well. Interestingly, when it is melted and hot it seems to lose almost all of its aroma. It also seems to lose most of its flavor. In a plain egg omelet, I was shocked to have many bites where the egg entirely overwhelmed the cheese flavor. Indeed, it was only in the parts of the omelet where the Espresso BellaVitano cheese was most prevalent, as the egg cooled, that the sharp, cheddar-like flavor of cheese asserted itself.

Nutrition

Sartori Cheeses are not intended to be all that one lives on. But for those who try, the Espresso BellaVitano cheese is not a terribly healthy choice. The coffee 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, Espresso 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 and roasted ground coffee. That makes it mostly natural.

Storage/Cleanup

As a cheese, Sartori Espresso 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 two days of being opened! So long as it is kept in an airtight, cold environment, it ought to remain fresh and supple. Our package bought two weeks ago had an expiration date of October 3, 2014.

Espresso 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, however, are aromatic, so this is one that is especially important to clean up after!

Overall

Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese is more average than at all impressive; the coffee flavor is not bold enough to truly sell the flavored cheese the way one would hope it would.

For other cheese reviews, please check out my takes on:
Yancy’s Fancy Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds
New Bridge Mediterranean Cheddar Cheese
Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar

5/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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