The pros: Trader Joe's Sriracha English Cheddar Cheese has the taste of traditional cheddar with a kick.
The cons:Â The texture may be less than appealing to some.
The verdict: Â
I love a good cheddar cheese. It seems to be my go to cheese of choice. It works well melted, on a salad, sliced, or with a nice Mexican dinner. I saw this and was intrigued. I like sriracha and I like cheddar, but would the two work well together in a harmonious union?
As a taste, yes, they worked together as good as hoped for. The texture was the only thing that was starkly different from any other cheddar I've ever had. It was as crumbly as can be. It's not going to be the same orange hued cheese brick that you are used to buying. This item struggled to keep itself together with each knife cut. But cheese is cheese in my household and it did not matter that this was as crumbly as a Feta cheese.
There was a mild but pleasant heat. The balance of sriracha to cheese was appealing, but a spice junkie would be disappointed. The cheddar was speckled in orange and yellow hues. Clearly these curds didn't want to mix. They seemed more pressed together in a marginally successful way so that they could be sliced and sent to the consumer. Regardless, in your mouth there did not seem to be a difference in the flavor of the curds. It was cheddar goodness and a mild heat with the pleasant flavor of a mild sriracha. It all worked for me. My husband took a liking to this as well.
For $5.12 or $8.99 per pound there is a premium for this product compared to mild cheddar which sells for $3.99 per pound. For us, the flavor was worth it and if you like a bit of kick with your cheese then this is a worthy item to try. As for other purposes of this cheddar; it did not even last long enough to try is for anything more than slicing. I'd repurchase this item to see if it lasts long enough to find out.
Here is the visual breakdown of what you are getting when you buy this product:
The package of Trader Joe's Sriracha English Cheddar Cheese:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes. In the end the taste of Trader Joe's Sriracha English Cheddar Cheese was good and the crumbly texture didn't bother my hubby or I.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
steveo says
Me too. Mine was a little less crumbly. So far the TJ cheddar cheese mixtures are 3 for 3.
Ian Abbott says
Love this cheese, where can I order it from? UK supplier if possible? Regards, Ian
becomebetty says
Hey Ian! Your best chance of getting this outside the US is probably on Amazon.