Final cheese class tonight! I did a tasting of several soft French cheeses on the weekend that I'll post soon, but for now, here's tonight's lineup from Greece and Italy. A very diverse mix, and including both some new faves and some serious misses. Shall we?

We begin with this baseball from Greece. It's a salt-rubbed whey cheese called Mizithra. My cheesemonger tried to talk me out of buying it so, uh... yeah. To be fair, it's more of a "grate it on a salad" cheese than an "eat it for its own sake" cheese, but I wanted to try!

It's kinda grey, and so dense it's almost uncuttable. Smells like lemon pound cake. Tastes like salty chalk. Some celery and lemon notes. Powdery enough to make me cough. I could see it working as an ingredient in something moist, but on its own, it's a nope. Well, now I know!

It's Italy from here on in. Let's move on to the polar opposite: La Tur, a washed-rind puddle so oozy you could eat it with a spoon. Smells mouthwatering. A little barny but not intensely so; baking bread, butter, gentle mushrooms, mashed potatoes. Get in my mouth, puddle cheese!

Rich oozy salty buttery farmy golden melty, WOW. Tastes like creamy pasta with mushrooms, with an animal note throughout, like a fatty crispy roast chicken skin. There's a teensy bit of grit from the rind. This is beyond delicious. Had to hold back from eating the whole thing.

Taleggio next. Nose of cheesy pasta, clean sweat, a little earth. Gentle fruitiness on the tongue, like ripe pear. Opens into cooked butter, mushroom, chicken broth, a "pure cheese" Havarti-like note; cooked cauliflower and cheese sauce on the finish. Bit of grit. Fantastic.

Provolone! Smells fermented, like Chardonnay, sweat... and baby vomit? Tastes like mild fruit, vomit; it's got a peppery piquancy, some nutty notes... but really mostly vomit. This cheese is vile. I had to spit it out. It might give me nightmares. Straight in the compost!

Next up, Fontina! Apparently there's an Italian version that has a rind, and a Danish version that doesn't? The internet is giving me mixed messages. Anyway I got a rindless version that didn't taste anything like how my classmates were describing theirs, so bear this in mind.

It smells a bit perfumed, with a touch of that baby vomit note; sweet like cake, apples, anise. Super mild in the mouth, sugary on the exhale; starchy and salty on the tongue. That floral-anise character persists, maybe even notes of bubblegum? It's not offensive but it is weird.

Moving on to the hard cheeses. First, Piave. Smells mild and sweet, like fresh-baked Montreal bagels, old books, and a faint note of roses - very gentle and elegant. It's sweet on the tongue, hard and crumbly; hints of cheddar, but not sharp. Tart sourdough, mild pineapple...

Nutty on the exhale, like raw almonds. Honestly this cheese is such a cascade of lovely restrained notes, it's practically musical. So nice, I am really glad I tried this one! I rarely fall for hard cheeses in a big way, but Piave is exceptional.

Lastly, we have Pecorino Toscano. It smells sweet, fermented, pineapple-y, nutty. Again that note of baby vomit, ugh. Floral notes and sweet white bread. In the mouth it's mild to start, then yogurt-tart before moving into starchy-salty with a vinegar note.

It's hard but crumbles under tooth. Not much flavour persistence, just a pleasant starchy sourness. I would (and probably will) grate this on pasta.

Some major highs and lows tonight, but I am delighted to have found three new loves I'd never tried before! I call it a win!