Mail-Order Parmigiano
While conducting our review of Supermarket Parmesan Cheese (see related tasting), we ordered Parmigiano-Reggiano from four gourmet website to test more-expensive waters. As we learned in that tasting, the making of Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy is highly codified. The process is laborious and time-consuming, which explains the high price tag for this cheese.
Parmigiano-Reggiano’s unique flavor comes from several factors other than manufacturing. What the cows eat affects the flavor of their milk and the resultant cheese. In Italy, the cows designated for Parmigiano-Reggiano are pastured, grazing outdoors rather than eating a concentrated feed. In addition to the cows' diet, there are different and unique microflora and yeasts in the milk. Since Italians use raw, not pasteurized milk to make Parmesan, these microorganisms add unique flavor components to the cheese (pasteurization kills microorganisms). However, using raw milk also leads to a less consistent product; you can get extreme highs and lows of flavor.
And it's not just the milk that's different between the two countries. American cheese makers often use nonanimal rennet to curdle the milk; Italians use animal rennet. And the starter cultures differ, with Italians using the whey left from the cheese-making of the day before, while Americans generally purchase starters from enzyme manufacturers.
One of our four cheeses included a type new to us, Vacche Rosse Parmigiano-Reggiano or "Red Cow" Parmesan. It comes from the red-colored Reggiana cows that were the earliest breed native to northern Italy. Due to their lower milk yield, these cows were edged out by modern high-yield cows just after World War II. A few traditionalists are bringing them back to make cheese the old-fashioned way. Their milk has a naturally higher fat content, and the cheese is usually aged at least 30 months.
Our Results? Two of our mail-order cheeses won by a landslide, ranked significantly higher than the other mail-order cheeses for complexity of flavor and appealing texture. They also easily won against our supermarket cheese.
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TASTE TEST
Supermarket Parmesan Cheese
| Product Tested | Origin | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | |||
|
Columela Extra Virgin Olive OilOur favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its “big olive aroma, big olive taste” with a “buttery” flavor that is “sweet” and “full,” with a “peppery finish.” One taster said: “It’s very green and fresh—like a squeezed olive.” Another simply wrote: “Fantastic.” |
Spain | $19 for 17 oz |
| Recommended | |||
|
Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive OilTasters noted this oil’s flavor was “much deeper than the other samples,” describing it as “fruity, with a slight peppery finish,” “buttery undertones,” and a “clean, green taste” that was “aromatic, with a good balance.” “It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have,” said one admiring taster. |
Italy | $19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter) |
|
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive OilVirtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed “round and buttery,” with a “light body” and flavor that was “briny and fruity,” “very fine and smooth,” and “almost herbal,” with “great balance.” “Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it,” approved one taster. In a word, “pleasant.” |
Italy | $17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter) |
| Recommended with Reservations | |||
|
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive OilA clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted “overall mild” flavor and “very little aroma,” with only a “hint of green olive” and a “hint of spiciness at the end.” In pasta, it was initially “not complex,” but gradually “bloomed in your mouth.” Overall, it was “worthy of a second bite.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter) |
|
Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive OilWhile some tasters found this oil “sweet” and “buttery” with “medium body” and “slight spice at the end,” others complained that it had “zero olive flavor” and was “so floral it’s almost like eating perfume”; still others noted a “bitter” aftertaste. In pasta, it was “extremely mild” to the point of being “boring.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter) |
|
Goya Extra Virgin Olive OilComments: The best comments tasters could muster were “mild” and “neutral.” Some liked it on pasta (though one called it “Snoozeville”), but complaints were myriad: “metallic,” “soapy,” “briny,” “hints of dirt.” Carped one taster, “I can’t imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.” |
Spain | $13.99 for 1 liter |
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