the cheese blog

Smoke Signal

I picked up Calkin’s Creamery Smoke Signal the last time I was in the Fair Food Farmstand stall at Reading Terminal. Smoke Signal is Calkin’s Gouda that is cold smoked using Pocono & Catskill Applewood.

It has a thin, orange natural rind, which is not wax coated. The interior is semi-soft with an off-white color. The cheese has a slightly smokey aroma. It tastes like a very fresh smoked Gouda. Usually, smoked Gouda conjures up images of store-bought, brown rind cheese that tastes odd. This cheese is nothing like that. It is lightly smoked, which gives it complexity. The cold smoking complements the cheese rather than defining or overpowering the taste.

Finally, this is a cheese with a purpose. According to Calkin’s Fall Newsletter, “[e]ffective January 1, 2008, 10% of Smoke Signal’s profits, at the end of the year, will be sent to the Michael J. Bryant Memorial Fund, within the Wayne County Community Foundation.   Once the fund is fully endowed, the Bryant family will award grants to people with physical or mental disabilities or local organizations with community projects.”