New York, NY – Forever Cheese, importers of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Croatian cheese and specialty foods, is pleased to announce that the El Trigal® brand of Manchego cheese they import has been granted a Superior Taste Award of three stars. Products submitted for these awards are evaluated based on their overall taste, texture, aroma, and appearance and given a score up to 100%. Those scoring 90% and above are given three stars for exceptional taste, the highest honor. Judges called the El Trigal® aged Manchego “truly delicious and genuine,” and “well-textured with a stunning flavor profile.”
The International Taste & Quality Institute gives out the Superior Taste Awards once a year in Europe. The jury is made up of 135 Michelin-starred chefs and Sommeliers, all experts in their field. This group is unique, as iTQi partners exclusively with prestigious culinary organizations, such as l’Academie Culinaire de France and the Academy of Culinary Arts, from which they select their jury. The members participate in rigorous sensory analysis of each product. The tastings are completely blind and products are not compared to each other; each is evaluated on its own merit.
El Trigal® Manchego is made outside of Toledo, Spain, by the Corcuera family. They have been making Manchego for over 70 years and were instrumental in establishing the protected designation of origin for the cheese. They make 3 Month, 6 Month, Raw 8 Month, 1 Year, and Reserva (15 month) Manchego, which are sold under the El Trigal® brand in the U.S. Michele Buster, of Forever Cheese, first connected with the Corcuera family in 1996. A fateful meeting in a Madrid parking garage included sampling their Manchego atop a car, which Ms. Buster described as love at first taste, despite the lingering scent of exhaust in the air. From that point on, she worked to import their cheese to the U.S., aware that it was something very special. “I’m very proud of our close relationship and all that we have accomplished together,” she said. “This award is well deserved and an indication of the consistent high quality of their cheese.”
Queso Manchego DOP is a Spanish pressed sheep’s milk cheese aged a maximum of two years. It must be made from Manchega sheep’s milk in the province of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, or Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha. The cheese is firm and compact with lots of butterfat and a savory flavor that grows more intense over time. El Trigal® aged Manchego is complex and full flavored with aromas of buttered popcorn. It can be found at many cheese and specialty shops throughout the U.S.
About Forever Cheese:
Forever Cheese debuted in 1998 in order to meet the increasing demand for Mediterranean products. Today it imports from Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia. Forever Cheese focuses primarily on cheese and is constantly evolving to include more specialty foods to better serve the American market. Founders Michele Buster and Pierluigi Sini personally hand select each item directly from our producers to provide customers with many products that are exclusive to Forever Cheese.
Website: www.forevercheese.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/forevercheeseco
Instagram: @forevercheeseco
For more information on the iTQi Superior Taste Award, visit www.itqi.com
Source: Forever Cheese
