I heartily echo the recommendation for Brie; a lot of people seem to set aside the rind and just eat the soft bit in the middle, but I think the rind is by far the best bit.
The thing to realise about stinky cheeses (including, but not limited to, blue cheese) is that the aroma is only one component of the flavour and often not particularly similar to the overall taste; with most of these cheeses, if you can get it past your nose, it will be delicious. They may smell like decayed footwear or garbage cans in August, but they will still taste really, really great.
My god… One of my threads is being used for reference. ::beams::
csharpmajor, try to get your hands on some Manchego, a Spanish sheeps(?) milk cheese that has a lovely, buttery texture and a bit of a bite. I’m sure you all are totally sick of me squawking on about Manchego… Can’t help it-- it’s my new favorite- favorite! Make sure it has an irregular black rind (not wax).
Also explore the world of different cheddars. The Kraft stuff is so generic that it just barely gives you an inkling of what a great cheddar is like. But do be careful-- the flavor of a properly aged cheddar can vastly change with just a couple years of aging. I’ve discovered I love a 2-year cheddar, but can’t handle a 4-year.
I just tried another Spanish cheese called Mahon and it’s great! It’s noteworthy that the edge of the cheese tastes so much different from the center. Like two cheeses in one!
Someone in a different thread posted this wikipedia link to Casu marzu. [Insert the most stringent disgust warning of your choice here] At the most, I’d…um…save this one for your postdoc cheese eating research. wretch
The list of cheeses certainly looks bookmark-worthy, though.
I love goat/sheep cheese. this sounds good but don’t know when I’ll get a chance to enjoy it…
Just came in to brag that one of the best cheeses’ I’ve ever had in my life was Tibetan goat cheese made by monks who’s monastary was inside a cave on a mountain peak. The cheese was devine and very nicely complemented the buckwheat bread.