LaClare Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese

I don't know if this is a seasonal item or not, but it certainly could be! It's also the kind of item that makes my nut allergy radar go "ALERT! ALERT!", but the ingredos are safe and I've actually emailed LaClare before and they said there's no nuts in their stuff. So, OK. OK. (I'm also on high alert lately because of work stress: every faculty meeting has a huge open tub of mixed nuts and even with a mask on I feel like I'm dying, it's like a baseball game in there except INSIDE; also my bosses constantly cater events I'm told to be at and the catering is never remotely safe, and I've mentioned my Severe Allergy (just nuts, I don't even get into the restrictions that would allow me to actually Eat Things) so many times that it's clear they just don't care!!!) All that to say, eating this made me feel like I'm dying but it's probably just anxiety. Hard to evaluate the taste through all that, but I think it was: good. Very similar to their apple cinnamon one. Like mildly sweet cream cheese with a bit less tang. Very spready. Cute. I wish I were amongst the cows and not the humans. You get it, right blog fans? 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10 

La Clare Goat Mozzarella

My cheese education continues! I've had a lot of goat cheeses (mostly LaClare ones), and a lot of cow-milk mozzarella cheeses (mostly on pizza), but never a goat mozz. My (foolish) assumption was that this would be more mozz-like than goat-like. But it is not. It tastes exactly like the sharp, tangy sour notes I have come to expect from a non-mozz goat variety. That's not a bad thing, but it's not really mozz, is it? Well, maybe it is. The texture is absolutely right -- firm, smooth, shiny. Not smooshy or dry like your non-mozz-goat cheese. So the name is accurate, but my priors were not. I'm not sure I have a good use for this stuff, as it's far from neutral, but I'm gonna think on it. Thanks, goats!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Homestead Meadows Garlic & Herb Goat Cheese

This cheese is super mysterious -- I can't find info about "Homestead Meadows" cheese anywhere online. I THINK it's just a different packaging for LaClare's goat cheese, but I'm not sure. I don't like food mysteries. Ignoring this: the cheese is good. It's very herby, to the point where I was getting bleu cheese vibes partially on color alone (I think). But the taste is like goat cheese with some basil/garlic/rosemary/??? mixed in. It's good especially when it softens/warms up a bit, then you can spread it on a bagel. Goes well with red wine. Solid cheeser, but maybe a little intense for me (although better than a flavorless cheeser!).

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

LaClare Chipotle Honey Goat Cheese

Combos of spicy and sweet rarely work for me. So, this wasn't my ideal cheese flavor. I'm not really sure how I felt about it, though. At times it was kind of gross, but at other times it was "OK". The chipotle peppers in it are good, just like pepper jack cheese peppers, and the honey flavoring would be nice on its own, but I don't think I like the combo. It reduces the goodness of two otherwise good things.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

LaClare Goat Cheese - Honey

Baa! I've gotten pretty into these goat cheesers. They're in a nice single-serving size (for hungry nights). I thought this flavor was pretty good -- it was like a sweeter version of the plain goat cheese, or otherwise a version of the cinnamon apple one without any apple. Not quite as tasty as that one was, but still a pleasant sweet cheese spread.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

LaClare Goat Cheese - Original

Ah, the OG flavor! I knew what to expect texture-wise, but flavorwise I wasn't sure what it'd be like (I'm a cheese noob I guess). Anyway, it turns out goat cheese is basically like cream cheese that's very thick. I'd peg it as more sweet than savory. Would be really good on a bagel, but alas, I have no such products. It was OK with crackers though, got melty with time and warm air. I prefer the unambiguously sweet apple flavor to this one, but this is still good for a filling and classy snack.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

LaClare Apple Cinnamon Goat Cheese

Unlike the ranch flavor of LaClare goat cheese, I can say I wholeheartedly enjoyed this one! I was worried about a sweet cheese, but this was a really pleasant fruity spread, basically like a fruity cream cheese you'd put on a bagel or something. I put it on plain crackers (english wafers from PepFarm) and that was good. It was a little more "together" than the flaky ranch one, but still not super creamy per se. Still, stuck together, I ate it all at once (cut into pieces) and it was nice. Chunks of apple in there, cinnamon vibes, creamy tastes. Would definitely buy again if available!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

LaClare Zesty Ranch Goat Cheese

Ooh la la -- look at me, year 2 of coronatine and I'm eating goat cheeses. This was exciting to try, because I emailed the company and they said they don't use nuts in their cheese at all. So I had a cucumber with no ranch and I thought I'd pair it with this....ranch goat cheese. It wasn't terrible, even though the texture wasn't what I expected! This is super super crumbly, and the log of cheese itself was quite firm (maybe too cold). The whole thing is about ~500 cals, so it's not unreasonable to eat in one sitting. It does smell like a ranch cream cheese ball -- a little too blue cheese/feta/goat?-y for me to really love, but it worked for the situation. I would try the other flavors for sure, but I don't know if I'd buy this again unless I had something good to pair with it. Crackers maybe! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (4$)
Taste: 6/10