I finally went and revisited a cheese I really like before I made my own: Dutch Style Smoked Gouda.
It's a Wisconsin cheese sold at Sam's Club. I used to love it... now I just ate a bit. It tastes like chlorine and chemicals.
WTF. Has a strange texture as well. I can tell there's something funny about how they make it, compared to the unadulterated home cheese.
Anyone ever notice that after eating home made for a while?
Maybe not with high-quality cheeses, but I have noticed that the cheap versions of cheddar, mozzarella, and monterey jack in the grocery store all have the same taste and texture. It's worrying.
I just picked up a bunch of cheeses in Wisconsin and they all taste great to me.
The package for this stuff says it has Gouda AND Cheddar.... @__@; It's an odd cheese. I suspect it's blended and then repacked. It also has a list of strange chemicals to preserve everything for the ages. It just wasn't as pleasant as my own goudas without the funny stuff added.
Must be one of those huge commercial plants.