I first tried Treeline cheese in San Francisco almost exactly a year ago, I even blogged about it during Vegan MoFo 2013 here. Their creamy soft French style cheese wasn't my favourite of the three cheeses we ate that day in Golden Gate Park but I remembered it fondly enough to buy it again on this trip.
I picked the Herb & Garlic Flavor over the Scallion again and whilst the soft spreadable cheese hit the spot it's not my favourite ever.
It was enjoyable for sure but it was a wee but too tangy for me, it would be pretty perfect if it had a little less lemon. I did discover I prefered it slathered onto a cracker that was already covered in Earth Balance rather than straight up so perhaps it just needed a little more salt. I would definitely buy it again but probably not if I had a knife & it was next to the Classic Hard Cheese on the shelf. The Classic Hard Cheese is freaking perfection.
It's subtly smokey, sliceable and creamy and I ate that whole block in a day. No, an evening. No shame. If I'm honest it's exactly what my fancy-cheese loving self has been searching for since going vegan.
I love the cheeses I have available to me for many different reasons but this is the perfect cheeseboard cheese, the one to wow your friends with. I took it to an amazing cheese and wine party last night and every single one of the guests enjoyed it. We couldn't say that about any of the other cheeses because vegan cheese totally divides opinion everywhere you go. At $9 (about £5.75) this is a special occasion cheese for sure but I pay around that for Vegusto and I think when companies are using expensive ingredients like nuts or culturing things (which I for one cannot be bothered to do) then I think that's a totally fair price.
I have a block of the hard cheese in my fridge and I'll be waiting for the perfect special occasion / cheese craving / celebration before I crack it open. I suspect I'll find a suitable cheese worthy event in the not too distant future!
That sounds so good! I love nut cheeses (though I've only tried homemade ones) and I used to like smoky cheese but I don't think I've had anything like that since going vegan. I like the packaging too!
ReplyDeleteLoving these cheese reviews. I have a question, not sure if I've asked it already... Which cheese would you recommend to someone who is new to the world of vegan cheeses? My current thinking is that the taste of dairy cheese is too fresh in my memory so maybe I should wait til I've been vegan for longer before embarking on the world of vegan cheeses... Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteTreeline's cheese are fantastic. I haven't tried one I didn't like. The soft herbed one is perfection in some hot carrot or sweet potato soup, but the hard block is AMAZING on crackers.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to trying a lot of fancy vegan cheese next year.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to trying a lot of fancy vegan cheese next year.
ReplyDeleteWow, that hard cheese looks bomb!! I love the soft tangy herb one, but used to be a sucker for a slice of cheese.
ReplyDeletegreat review! I haven't seen this in Santa Cruz, but maybe when I go to Portland next month (woo hoo!), I can track some down. I'd love to try it.
ReplyDeleteSounds YUM! I am not a huge fan of vegan cheeses so I'd love to give this one a go. Gonna bring some of this back for the hubby when I go to Boston next February :D
ReplyDeleteOoh, I hope we can get this or something like it in the UK soon. I don't mind paying a bit extra for a treat if it's this good.
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