As much as I love my cheese, there are so many types I have never tried.
I suppose brie and gruyere are can’t-miss, no? Aside from those I need a couple more options to go with some fancy-ish crackers.
So, go on now, cheese me.
mmm
If my little head [NPI] game of Concentration - SDMB Edition - is going to plan …
Paging @Qadgop_the_Mercotan
In my little humble opinion, a good blue cheese and a sharp cheddar are a must.
Goat cheese!
But what type? There are so many!! Goat cheddar, chevre, feta, and more!
Anyway, if able, I’d serve up some epoisse du Bourgogne, some gjetost, some 6+ year old cheddar, some caraway cheddar, some smoked aged gouda, a nice roquefort, and for the kids, string cheese!
If more choices are desired, one could do a raclette with some potatoes for dipping, a nice cheshire, a double gloucester, aged jarlsberg, and maybe some liederkrantz.
I’m not a cheese expert, but a soft cheese like brie or camembert is a good start, and for harder cheeses, Norwegian Jarlsberg and Danish Fontina are great semi-soft cheeses, and then sharp aged white and yellow cheddars for contrast, at least two or three years old. A smoked cheese is always nice – there are all kinds. For those who like a nice soft spread, consider Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs, which is like a fine cream cheese only way better. I routinely have it on toasted bagels in the morning, but it works fine on crackers. Half an olive on top is a nice touch.
Aldi’s cheese and meat section is amazing - you can fill an enormous charcuterie board very quickly, and there aren’t a lot of wrong answers.
I like my blues. I would definitely have at least something like a Stilton, a Maytag blue, gorgonzola, or Roquefort represented. I also quite like Roaring 40s blue from Australia. Saint Agur is one of my favorites: a very creamy blue cheese, and I’ve discovered it to be a bit of a crowd pleaser. It spreads really well, is not as crumbly as other blue cheeses, due to its extra butterfat content. It’s like if you took a blue and crossed it with a double crème cheese.
If you’re serving gjetost, tart apple slices are a nice accompaniment. Slice the gjetost very thinly–a vegetable parer is a useful tool.
Checks thread:
Aged Jarlsberg? Already mentioned.
Smoked cheese options? Already mentioned.
Dammit.
Okay, I also want to mention sweeter fruit imbued cheese options, such as a lemon or orange stilton. Normally they’ll be moderately candied citrus zest in a white stilton. Not challenging for most people, tasty, and a break from the more usually travelled routes.
A port-infused cheese is also always a winner in the house, but please, none of the port wine “cheese balls”. You can do better at home!
And in addition to the whole thread, either as part of the tray, or for afterwards, I always suggest Alton Brown’s cheese spread:
5-Ingredient Cheese Spread with Parsley Recipe | Alton Brown.
I have made the above and stirred in a shot or two of port at the end, so much better than those store balls I mentioned earlier. 
Cheese ‘n’ rice, is Swiss too pedestrian?
I’m a sucker for Port wine cheez balls!
Recipes for baked feta with honey are all over the place now. They look delicious.
Is this going to be a cheese tray that is the focal point in any way or just something sitting in the corner amongst a bunch of different options? If the latter, I’d argue not to go too fancy or esoteric and to just go with the classics. IMO, more important is the other stuff you put to pair with the cheeses. Most of the fun with a cheese tray is the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of pairing a cheese with a bunch of different accompaniments and what you want out of a cheese in that scenario is a totally expected flavor that plays well with others.
Wensleydale
Seriously-- it’s a real cheese, and you can get it (imported) around here with both blueberries and cranberries infused. Really good.
And then, my favorite cheese is creamy Havarti. Have to specifically look for “creamy.” Bought some without the qualifier once, and not only was the taste wrong, but so was the texture. Tasted “off,” and seemed dried out. I complained, and that’s how I learned of the difference. Also, don’t get it with dill. I don’t know who thought that was a good idea.
Kind of hard for me to answer that. I guess it will be a semi-focal point.
I think I mostly want just the basics, perhaps with one out of the ordinary selection.
What are the basics, by the way? Am I correct that brie and Gruyere belong in there? Gouda?
mmm
Aged Gouda is amazing. It becomes totally transformed from the mild, ordinary character of new Gouda. Delicious complex notes of caramel and funkiness. Has to be at least two years old.
Yeah, those are very good. I don’t like bleu cheese, but it’s a pretty standard category to check off - there seem to be some suggestions in-thread. I also really like having a goat cheese on there - something spreadable is nice. If there are multiple options when you get to the store, just get whatever you think you will like, defaulting to a no-frills/no-added flavors option.
But Shalmanese is right - a good cheese tray stands out by all the other fun stuff you put on it. Stuffed olives, roasted garlic cloves, pickles (cornichones, pickled onions, spicy pickles, pickled beets, pickled asparagus, etc.), assorted grapes and other fruits, mustards, honey, etc. make it really fun.
Yes! I actually meant to include Gouda and forgot to get back to the thread. My sweet spot is around d 5-7 years; more than that it’s a bit too dry and aged for me, but it definitely takes a turn from the mild young stuff. It may be my favorite of the hard cheeses.
Manchego is good.
I bought a 5 year old wedge of Gouda online once, and though it was better than 1000 day Gouda I had been routinely getting from a local store, it wasn’t a huge difference. More than 5 years does seem like it would result in diminishing returns.