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Kitchen & Cooking

This cheese subscription is the perfect gift for everyone on your list

We tried out the Jasper Hill Farm cheese club—here’s what happened.

Jasper Hill Farm's Cheese Club delivers artisan wedges to your door. Credit: Jasper Hill Farm

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Holiday-obsessed and ever the planner (big Aries energy, sorry not sorry), I’ve usually finished shopping for gifts by Halloween. But, true to form, 2020 threw a few curveballs our way—including some of the best Black Friday deals we’ve ever seen—so not only have I failed to buy any gifts (save one hypebeast moka pot for my husband), but I’m also certain many of my loved ones will succumb to the unreal discounts next week is sure to bring. So what does one get their online-shopping proficient family and friends? Cheese, that’s what.

Jasper Hill Farm is one of many domestic cheesemakers whose pandemic pivot involved direct-to-consumer sales, and I am very here for it. While it’s equally important to support local cheese shops if possible, buying direct from cheesemakers like Jasper Hill puts the money directly in their hands and gets you super fresh fromage.

I tried the Jasper Hill Farm cheese club subscription to see if this monthly delivery was worth the $100 price tag.

What is Jasper Hill Farm?

Jasper Hill cheeses range from classic cheddar to luscious spoonable bloomy rind wheels.
Credit: Jasper Hill Farm

Jasper Hill cheeses range from classic cheddar to luscious spoonable bloomy rind wheels.

Based in Greensboro, Vermont, Jasper Hill Farm is part dairy farm (the animals that produce the milk), part creamery (the folks who make the cheese), part affineur (the folks who age the cheese), and all around artisan cheese institution. Its underground ageing facility houses cheeses from Jasper Hill Creamery as well as neighboring producers.

Jasper Hill is committed to making “the highest possible quality products in a way that supports Vermont's working landscape,” which includes green initiatives like The Green Machine, a nutrient recovery system that turns animal waste into value-added compost.

How does a cheese club work?

The Jasper Hill Cheese Club is a curd-filled box delivered monthly to your door. Each box contains at least three cheeses along with pairings, cheese tools, and cheese-themed merch. And whether you’re gifting the cheese club or ordering one for yourself, you can skip a month or cancel your subscription at any time (though we doubt you’ll want to stop).

In order to receive one of these cheesy boxes, you must be a member of the cheese club—box contents are revealed to non-club members only if spaces remain after club members have called dibs, and they tend to sell out fast. However, if you’re looking for a singular box of cheesy goodness to gift this holiday season, Jasper Hill has plenty of options for you. I recommend The Vermonter box if it’s your first time trying Jasper Hill Farm cheeses, or the meat-lovers box, Wurst Kase Scenario (currently on sale!) if you’re gifting to a hardcore carnivore.

What’s in the box?

November's cheese club box included three cheeses, a book, a handy pocket knife, and my favorite crackers.
Credit: Reviewed / Madison Trapkin

November's cheese club box included three cheeses, a book, a handy pocket knife, and my favorite crackers.

The curd experts over at Jasper Hill curate a different box each month. Here’s what was in the now-sold-out November box:

  • Cabot Clothbound (1 lb. wedge), a cheddar they produce in collaboration with Cabot Creamery
  • Willoughby (8 oz. round), a washed rind cheese
  • Sherry Grey (7 oz. round), a new double-cream ash-ripened cheese
  • Brewer’s Crackers
  • Opinel Folding Pocket Knife
  • The New Rules of Cheese by Anne Saxelby, of Saxelby Cheese in New York

We’re told the December box will include a special edition of their fan-favorite Harbison (a creamy, dreamy bark-wrapped cheese), cultured butter, and other goodies selected with holiday baking in mind.

How much does it cost?

Jasper Hill’s cheese subscription box is $100 a month. To folks who like their cheese flat, orange, and plastic-wrapped, this might seem like a premium for dairy. But, when you consider that these cheeses are made by hand using milk from well-loved animals raised in the picturesque Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. When you buy cheeses from places like Jasper Hill Farm, you’re paying for a true taste of place.

Is it worth it?

I packed a cooler bag with my cheese club goodies for a mid-hike picnic.
Credit: Reviewed / Madison Trapkin

I packed a cooler bag with my cheese club goodies for a mid-hike picnic.

This cheese subscription box is worth it if you love cheese, want to support artisan producers, and miss ordering the ubiquitous restaurant cheese plate. If you’re looking for a food-centric gift to give this holiday season, the Jasper Hill Cheese Club could be right for you.

Get the Jasper Hill Farm cheese club for $100 a month

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