Gustiamo has found a cheese so extraordinary that we refuse to live another year without having it in our lives every day here in the USA.
Yes, we are importing this cheese despite those pesky new import tariffs that you’ve been hearing about lately, because this cheese is that damn good.
The cheese is Vacche Rosse Cheese, aged 24 months; or as we like to call it, next level Parmigiano.
This cheese is made in Emilia Romagna, using milk exclusively from Vacche Rosse, or red cows, a heritage breed.
Actually, this breed of cow was the first ever used in the production of Parmigiano Reggiano in history. While nowadays most producers have switched to using more high yield breeds, chefs and cheese mongers agree: there’s no substitute for the original.
As soon as you put a wedge of this Vacche Rosse Cheese in your mouth, the creamy flavor of milk will completely coat your palate. This Vacche Rosse Cheese has an incomparably rich and complex flavor, with nutty notes of walnuts and hazelnuts.
The consistency of this cheese is incredible. It melts in your mouth, yet has a crumbly texture. Throughout each bite, you will find little crunchy protein crystals (that’s tyrosine for you cheese nerds), which is a sign of extremely high quality milk and long patient aging.
This Vacche Rosse Cheese is made by Luciano, a passionate and very knowledgeable third generation cheese maker. The first time we met Luciano, we immediately knew that he was a Gusti producer. Back in the 90s, Luciano declared it his life’s mission to protect his region’s native red cows from extinction. He’s been upholding his mission ever since. Talk about tenacious!
Luciano’s cows are the happiest cows we’ve ever seen. During the warmer months, Luciano’s 150 cows eat his very own homegrown grass and in the winter they eat Luciano’s hay and flax seeds. That means the milk is full of omega-3/6 and also beta carotene, which gives the cheese its signature yellow tint and distinctive flowery aromatic profile.
