There is a moment, familiar to anyone who has stood before a well-stocked cheesemonger, when the sheer breadth of the world's cheesemaking tradition becomes almost overwhelming. Dozens of rinds — bloomy, washed, natural, pressed — each one a record of the land, the milk, the hands, and the time that made it. BoxNCase was built for exactly this moment: the belief that great cheese should be accessible to everyone, not just those fortunate enough to live near a specialty shop in New York or San Francisco.
Recognized by cheese.com as the purveyor of the world's largest selection of cheese, BoxNCase brings together hundreds of varieties — imported and domestic, rare and beloved — and ships them directly to your door, hand-packed in temperature-controlled conditions to preserve every note of flavor the cheesemaker intended.
This guide is a tour through the traditions that define the cheeses we carry. Consider it a map for the curious — whether you're building a board, stocking a shelf, or simply trying to understand why a bite of properly aged cheese can stop you mid-sentence.
"The exclusivity once confined to specific locales or the privileged few is shattered."
Cheese.com on BoxNCaseFrance: The Art of the Washed Rind
If any single category defines the ambition of French cheesemaking, it is the washed-rind. These are cheeses bathed repeatedly in brine, beer, wine, or brandy as they age — a process that cultivates the orange-pink rind and the assertive, barnyard aromas that make them so polarizing and so beloved in equal measure.
Époisses Berthaut
The crown jewel of washed-rind tradition is Époisses Berthaut from Burgundy — a cheese so pungent it is, by legend, banned from the Paris Métro. Beneath that rust-colored rind, washed in marc de Bourgogne, lies a custard-soft interior of extraordinary depth: mushroom, cream, and a long, mineral finish. It is best served at room temperature, with a crusty baguette and a glass of Chablis, eaten slowly and without apology.
Époisses is a cheese that rewards patience. Buy it a day or two before you intend to serve it, let it come fully to room temperature, and resist the urge to refrigerate it after opening. The flavor will continue to develop and open up in a way that makes the effort worthwhile.
Italy: The Long Game of Aging
Italian cheesemaking is, at its finest, an exercise in patience. The great aged Italian cheeses — Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, Grana Padano — are measured not in weeks but in years, their flavor compounds deepening and concentrating as moisture slowly leaves the wheel and crystalline structures form throughout the paste.
Gorgonzola Piccante
Italy's contribution to the blue cheese canon is Gorgonzola Piccante by Ciresa — a firmer, longer-aged style that develops a bold, spicy character quite different from its milder cousin, Dolce. Where Dolce is creamy and approachable, Piccante is assertive and complex, with veins of blue-green mold threading through a crumbly, ivory paste. Crumble it over a pear and walnut salad, melt it into a risotto, or eat it in slivers alongside a robust Barolo.
Scandinavia: Mild, Nutty, and Endlessly Versatile
The Scandinavian cheesemaking tradition is built around accessibility — cheeses that melt beautifully, pair with almost anything, and earn their place on a board without demanding center stage. They are, in the best sense, the supporting cast that elevates every other player around them.
Castello Blue Crumbles
From Denmark comes Castello Blue Crumbles — a clean, approachable blue with a mild tang and a creamy, slightly buttery finish. Unlike the sharp intensity of a Roquefort or Stilton, Castello Blue is the gateway blue: a cheese that converts skeptics and pleases enthusiasts without demanding anything in return. Its pre-crumbled format makes it one of the most practical cheeses in any kitchen — tossed over a steak, folded into a warm flatbread, or scattered across a board with honey and walnuts.
Jarlsberg Lite
Jarlsberg Lite carries all the characteristic nuttiness and mild sweetness of classic Norwegian Jarlsberg — those recognizable large holes, that smooth semi-firm texture — in a lighter format without sacrificing the flavor that has made it one of the world's most recognized cheeses. Slice it thin for a sandwich, cube it for a board, or melt it over a croque monsieur.
The Plant-Based Frontier
The last decade has seen an extraordinary evolution in plant-based dairy — driven not by compromise but by genuine craft. The best vegan cheeses today are not pale imitations of their dairy counterparts; they are products with their own logic, their own textures, and increasingly, their own complex flavors.
Monty's Vegan Cream Cheese & Butter
Monty's Vegan Cream Cheese has become a benchmark in plant-based dairy — a cashew-based cream cheese with a clean tang and a genuinely spreadable texture that holds up on a bagel, in a dip, or as a base for a savory herb spread. Pair it with Monty's Vegan Salted Butter for a fully plant-based board that doesn't ask anyone to make concessions.
The Numu Vegan Shredded Mozzarella completes the picture — a coconut-oil-based shred that melts cleanly, pulls beautifully, and makes a genuinely convincing plant-based pizza or lasagna possible.
How to Build a Proper Cheese Board
A great board is not a collection of cheeses — it is a composition. The goal is contrast: textures, intensities, and milk types that play off one another and give each guest somewhere to start and somewhere to go.
A reliable framework: one soft (Époisses or a bloomy brie), one firm and nutty (Jarlsberg, Manchego), one blue (Castello or Gorgonzola), and one wildcard — the cheese that starts a conversation. Surround them with Honeycup mustard, sliced charcuterie, a handful of pistachios, and something acidic like cornichons or a sour cherry preserve to cut through the fat.
The cheeses should be pulled from the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before serving. Cold cheese is muted cheese. Room temperature is where the flavor lives.
For those looking to explore further, BoxNCase's full cheese collection spans hundreds of varieties from across the globe — from fresh chèvre to aged Comté, from smoked Gouda to raw-milk Camembert — all shipped with the same care-packing that preserves the integrity of every wheel from warehouse to table.
