This week I grabbed another cheese at the Farmer’s Market from Brunkow Cheese. This selection was called Pendarvis: A Miner’s Cheese. I’m not up on my Wisconsin history, but a little research shows that Pendarvis was a Cornish zinc and lead mining colony established in the 1800s. Apparently many of the buildings have been renovated and even some of the original prairie has been restored. The Wisconsin Historical Society has more info.

Unfortunately, as a cheese, Pendarvis needs to spend a little more time in the mine… or perhaps get the lead out. I’m not sure which. I don’t know if this cheese is historically accurate to the time or not, but I know it’s time is not now.

It has the potential to be a nice sharp cheese, reminiscent of a sharp, aged cheddar, but it’s just not there. The texture is similar to a cheddar, but the taste has this strange, very astringent tang that is not pleasant at all. And when I say astringent, I mean astringent. Have you ever smelled “Sea Breeze” makeup remover? Well, take a hunk of decent cheddar, and place it on your tongue. Now, dab a little “Sea Breeze” (or some other astringent make-up remover) on your tongue. Yum! Pendarvis!

No, don’t really do that… but you get the idea.

I’ve been so happy with all of the other selections from Brunkow that I’m pretty sad to be let down on this one, I’m going to ask about it next week, maybe I just got a bad slice. Dunno. But I was really looking forward to having some Argyleshire–which they had samples of, but none to buy. I hope the have it in next week!