Foodie Monday: Kite Hill’s New Line of Vegan Cheeses

From my hair down to my toes . . . I am a cheese loving vegan. I have had some awful vegan cheeses. If it wasn’t for one vegan cheese company (whose name I won’t mention here), I don’t know how I would have survived. I discovered Kite Hill by accident in an advertisement on Facebook. I “liked” them and also started following them on Twitter. Less than two weeks later, I was shocked and delighted to discover that they were doing a limited release of their new cheeses at the only two Whole Foods I frequent! Monday, March 25, was also the day I was scheduled to leave town for a week . . . thankfully, I was taking a red-eye.

On the day of their retail début, I marched into Whole Foods, headed over to the cheese section, and oohed and ahhed over the cheese wheels of White Alder and Costanoa. I happily put them in my basket. Then, I picked them up again, turned them over and looked at the price. Ummmm . . . My mouth fell open and I frowned. White Adler was $14.99!. Costanoa was $13.99!! Ummmm. Since I couldn’t decide which one to put back, I thought to myself, “This had better be worth it!”

I understand the price point. They are a small unknown company making cheese from nuts. Nuts are expensive and cheese making is just as costly. I just hope as Kite Hill becomes more mainstream (Oh! They will.), that the cost will come down a little.

WHITE ADLER: The Almost Brie.

This was the first one I tried. There was a little piece of paper in the packaging with instructions about how it gets better as you get closer to the best by date. Blah, blah, blah. I opened it on March 25. The best by date was 4/30. If the cheese was any good, It wasn’t going to last more than a couple of days in my house!

White Adler has a rind on the wheel that I have missed so much on cheese! It was like biting into cheesy almost triple cream heaven. Although it was excellent by itself, crackers and toast overpowered the cheese.

COSTANOA: Here for the Spice Party in Your Mouth.

Kite Hill had me at “encrusted with a piquant crust of paprika and fennel pollen.” The consistency is similar to White Adler but without the rind. The flavors were so similar that I couldn’t figure out which one I liked more. Thanks to the paprika and fennel flavors that are still left on the palate after chewing, Costanoa beat out White Adler by a hair.

CASSUCIO: Goat Cheese Meets Fresh Mozzarella.

This. cheese. will. never. last. long. in. my. house. ever. Upon returning from vacation, I went to my secondary Whole Foods and stumbled upon this one. I wasn’t expecting much. “Third time is a charm.” Out of all three, this one was hands down my favorite.

Cassucio has this delightfully silky mouthfeel with just the right amount of tart and saltiness (115 mg!) on the finish. There is no rind. There are no colorful spices. It barely holds itself together when you transfer it to a plate for cutting. What it lacks in appearance, it makes up for with flavor. I almost singlehandedly ate the entire small wheel in two days. Costanoa and White Alder were left abandoned in my fridge. It was delicious in a salad and on my faux cheese and charcuterie plate. I returned to Whole Foods to replenish my supply of Cassucio. It is was good,

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, I liked all the cheeses. Even though I didn’t think they would, I still tried to see if they would melt. They didn’t. Costanoa and White Adler got so hot in my toaster oven that they bubbled a little on the edges. Unfortunately, I’ll have to reserve Kite Hill’s cheeses for non-melting gastronomic delights.

There was a great article by Mark Bittman in the New York Times yesterday. It talked out vegan fare being edible, accessible, and affordable for a fast food market. The last page of the article real summed up my sentiments about food costs. While it is amazing that there is a new line of delicious vegan cheeses, they aren’t affordable. I cannot afford to spend almost $15 on a small wheel of cheese that will be gone in days. I’ve heard far too many people say that they think being vegan is expensive. Being vegan is not expensive. If you are conscious about what you are putting into your mouth, you can get a well-balanced, affordable vegan diet. Yes, there are awful affordable vegan cheeses. There are also (a select few) good affordable vegan cheeses. Good vegan cheese should not be a financial splurge. As much as I want to support a new vegan cheese business, it is out of my price range. I can only hope that later in the year as they start to sell nationwide that the price of their cheeses will fall below $10 a wheel . . . a superdiva can dream, can’t she? 😉

Vegan “Charcuterie & Cheese” Plate:
Apricot-Plum Glazed “Ham,” Kite Hill’s Cassucio Cheese, Fruit, & Nuts