Field Trip to Longmont's Cheese Importers

The Cheese Importers in Longmont, Colorado.

My mom and I took a trip to Longmont where we visited the renowned cheese shop and bistro known as Cheese Importers. We decided to have lunch at the bistro before touring the extra large walk-in refrigerator where all the cheeses and pates are stored.

I felt let down when I discovered that the restaurant's online menu had changed, and they no longer offer a French cheese plate. Instead, all the cheese plates contain only Italian cheeses. I ended up putting my biases aside and tried what they had to offer, the Italian cheese plate, a salad and a glass of Pinot noir. My mom ordered the soup of the day and a pain au chocolate. We shared the basket of bread, the wine and the cheeses. My disappointment soon faded, not just because the wine gave me a rush of comfort and warmth. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how nice the cheeses were.

A pretty cheese plate served with fresh fruit.

Verde Capra
The first cheese I sampled was the Verde Capra. This one was calling my name right away. It had the air of a stinky cheese, but there were some nice blue veins running through it. This interesting cheese comes from the Lombardy region. It's classified as a blue cheese, but it's one of the few that's made entirely with pasteurized goat's milk. "Verde Capra" translates as "Green Goat". Reminiscent of Tallegio, it's tangy and pungent without being overwhelming. The texture is moist and creamy, perfect for any cheese plate. Slices of crusty baguette were the perfect accompaniment, and I loved how the Pino noir I ordered paired with it.

Verde Capra is a goat's milk blue cheese.

Castelrosso
This pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Piedmont region surprised me. It tastes almost like a very, very mild goat cheese without the intense tangy notes. The cheese is aged 4-6 months, giving it a flaky, dry texture that verges on gritty the more it ages, but there's enough moisture retained to keep a lovely creamy and milky consistency. The rind is intensely earthy, and the ivory interior is filled with notes of citrus and cream with just a tiny little nip of tang and salt. This cheese pairs wonderfully with berries and fruit. As mild as this cheese is, it lingered on my brain more than the others. I want to go back to this one and eat a large chunk while I imagine myself on a romantic picnic on a beautiful spring day.

Castelrosso is a lovely cow's milk cheese that's milk and milky.

Cacio de Roma
The last cheese on the plate was nothing extraordinary, but I say this only because I was so happy with the other two. Cacio de Roma is a nice cheese that pairs well with many foods and wines. This is a pasteurized sheep's milk cheese that has flavors and aromas similar to some alpine cheeses. It's smooth and even with a bit of a salty bite to it. I found it best paired with other foods rather than consumed by itself. On my salad, for example, it was very good, perfect, in fact. The flavors are light with some grass and straw notes shining through. Overall, it's a simple cheese that's not overly memorable, but it's one that will do well for snacking and in cooking, especially as a topping for pizza.

Cacio de Roma is a good snacking cheese that can be used in cooking.

Once my mom and I finished our meal, we went to explore the shop with its many imports and also spent time in the refrigerated section with its many cheeses. I could have spent days in the shop looking at all the imported goods from French soaps and perfumes to Italian pastas and vinegar to Swiss chocolates and candies. Of course, I couldn't pass up a chocolate almond bar sitting there waiting for me to pass by.

The cheeses were less exciting. I helped my mom put on one of the big coats for customers hanging by the door, and off we went into the cold to look at shelves full of cheeses, olives, pate, butter and cheese spreads. The French section looked a little bit sparse. There were no big stinky cheeses, no Roquefort, and I didn't see an abundance of the small, artisanal cheeses I love so much. I did, however, find another Italian treasure that I am looking forward to trying. As the goosebumps on my bare legs stood up hard, and I got to the point where I knew I needed to get to warmer places, I decided to make one more quick round. My mom and I had already spent quite a bit of time wandering around without finding any dairy products that looked outrageous, but right before we decided to head for the cashier with our array of goodies, an interesting little cheese stuffed into a plastic container caught my eye. I knew this was the one I had to try. Jackpot!

In the end we purchased some country pate, chocolates, a pastry, the Italian cheese and a container of green olives.

Keep checking back for the details and review on the Italian cheese. It might take me a few weeks, because I have a few other cheeses already lined up to review, but I will eventually get to it.