As a globe trotting vegetarian, I recall attending many cheese and wine parties all over the world. I’ve eaten Brie atop the Eiffel Tower, Feigenbergkäse in the caves of the Black Forest, Gouda on a barge in Amsterdam and Formaggio Branzi while listening to the Pope recite Easter mass in The Vatican. For me, a combination of cheese, crackers, fruit and good wine or beer is the epitome of cosmopolitan Hors d’œuvre the world over. As vegans, though, we can’t eat the cheese, and the crackers are usually full of whey, butter and cheese so they are off limits too.
Given the lack of any vegan cheese and wine party invites, we decided to host our own, with ourselves as guests. We visited Whole Foods beforehand to stock up on vegan organic wine, my favorite bottled beer (Chimay) and some organic, vegan crackers, assorted fruits and a smidgen of vegan chocolate, all to be enjoyed with the incredible Dr. Cow vegan cheese.
We’re not talking about Daiya-style melty cheese that you’d put on a pizza or in a toasted sandwich, but a direct replacement for those expensive, tasty and pungent cheeses that go so well on a cracker with a bite of fruit, washed down with fine wine or beer.
Yes, Dr. Cow has taken raw, vegan ingredients and basically perfected the texture and taste of the world’s greatest hand-made artisan cheeses in an entirely cruelty-free way. We tasted the following cheeses:
This cheese tasted very similar to an aged, dense French cheese. Not that pungent, but smooth with a very seedy finish and slightly tangy palette.
Aged Cashew and Blue/Green Algae
Taking things up a notch or two, this cheese was much more intense in flavor an texture – tasting just like moldy, effervescent cellar-aged cheeses from the cellars of Bavarian artisans. The color is also striking – I mean, how many times have you eaten something that’s topaz in color? I think this is a first for me!
Eating this, you just have to say “Aloha” to the Macadamia harvest in Hawaii. We’re talking creamy, spicy and just a little bit edgy with a smooooth finish that washes away so perfectly with some ice cold pinot grigio.
This was the first Dr. Cow cheese I tried, and I was absolutely stunned. My tongue was on fire with an intense flavor I’ve not experienced in many years, and the back of my throat tingled as it hugged the flavors deep down inside. This is the real deal of gourmet, cruelty-free RAW VEGAN cheese.
Aged Cashew and Brazil Nuts
Imagine the flavors of the Aged Cashew, above, with a subtle Brazil nut finish that neutralizes the pangs of flavor and rests your palette just enough so you’re ready for the next bite. Yeah, this cheese delivers that, and more.
Our cheese and wine party was an absolute success! We thoroughly enjoyed every bite, and look forward to tasting Dr. Cow again in the near future. Of course, a grand don’t come for free and neither does this amazing cheese. You’ll pay upwards of $75 for the five cheeses we ate tonight, after include shipping, cold packs etc. Unless, that is, you’re within driving distance of Brooklyn, NY where the “dairy” is located that makes these amazing cheeses.
In these tough economic times, though, we’re all entitled to a little luxury as we watch our debts rise and/or net worth sink. Dr. Cow cheese is a superb way to indulge. Order some. Take a bite or two and hold my hand tight as we walk into some dark caves in southern Germany or feel the wind in our hair as we ascend the Eiffel tower to look down on all the old world has to give.
Right now, I think the only place you can find Dr. Cow’s in Los Angeles is at Erewhon, but you can find it at these two online vegan stores. Trust me, it’s worth the shipping costs etc. to taste vegan cheese this fine.
Finally, thanks to LA’s vegan-friendly grocer Locali for supplying us with these amazing cheeses – we’d never have thought to try them, or splurged for them if left up to us. THANKS!
Check out the new quarrygirl.com FORUMS!
6:59 am on August 26th, 2009
i never thought this would EVER be possible. i just accepted my relationship with cheese was over…this is amazing news!!!!! thx!!!
7:36 am on August 26th, 2009
Actually head on over to Native Foods, they sell it there. When I went there a month ago, I saw it in the fridge of their takeout area, right next to their sit down restaurant. I saw it, but because it was expensive and I didn’t want to risk eating something that was bland, I passed on it. But after your review, I think I will head on over and get some! Thanks for the review.
7:54 am on August 26th, 2009
If Locali starts selling it, I’ll try it. Okay, the blue algae SOUNDS good, but the color sort of freaks me out! And as I’m a vegan cheese newbie, I really don’t want to pay that much for shipping, etc. So… someday.
7:56 am on August 26th, 2009
msmerymac: you should hit up erewhon or native foods and see if they have it. this stuff is AMAZING.
8:03 am on August 26th, 2009
i think i’d have to be pretty drunk to eat that algae cheese. you are a braver blogger than i!
8:27 am on August 26th, 2009
I’m ready for a raise so I can try these out. What a fabulous idea, I didn’t even know this level of vegan cheese existed! Thanks.
8:47 am on August 26th, 2009
msmerymac: Locali sells it. I was going to buy some, but they were like $9 each and I wasn’t that curious at the time. The individual packages are so small and they’re in a tiny little corner in the refrigerated case… I had to ask where it was because I couldn’t find it myself
8:48 am on August 26th, 2009
whatmoonsongs and msmerymac: i don’t think locali is gonna continue to stock this stuff. you should call them and check.
8:58 am on August 26th, 2009
haha… that’s probably because people like me aren’t willing to pay that much for it… i’m sure it’s worth it, but… it just hasn’t fit into the budget lately… i think i’ll be in the area tonight. i’ll stop by and ask them about it.
11:34 am on August 26th, 2009
Traitor.
11:39 am on August 26th, 2009
foodeater- don’t you know mr. meaner well enough to know he is never too mad at someone to accept free stuff?
11:44 am on August 26th, 2009
I guess free is better than thinking you’d actually dropped $75 bucks there.
12:58 pm on August 26th, 2009
i want to try this ASAP! so does locali still have it? we need to keep this stuff around in los angeles..
1:52 pm on August 26th, 2009
Awesome, I wish we had Dr Cow over here. When I have cheese and crackers we always go for mature cheddar cheezly and a selection of Sheeses.
1:53 pm on August 26th, 2009
Locali had it last week when I was there. I got the impression it wasn’t a big seller.
2:03 pm on August 26th, 2009
I bought some aged cashew and brazil nut cheese a few months ago and my god, it was so good. I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the taste by putting it even on my favorite crackers, I simply ate a slice all by itself every evening with dinner.
Not a single person who tried it didn’t love it. I only wish it were more accessible to us on the west coast
2:56 pm on August 26th, 2009
whatmoonsongs and quarrygirl: Thanks a lot! I’ll check with Locali and see if it’s still there. I assume it’s near the Sheese? No matter, the store’s not that big. I haven’t been a huge fan of them lately, but this might redeem them a bit. Otherwise, Erewhon might be willing to stock it if they don’t already.
2:58 pm on August 26th, 2009
msmerymac: supposedly erewhon has it now, and so does native foods? you may wanna call around. locali AND everyone should stock this stuff because it’s fucking GREAT.
trust me, it’s worth tracking down!
3:22 pm on August 26th, 2009
Just picked some up today at Erewhan. They only had three of the flavors you reviewd: Aged cashew, brazil nut and hemp.
I bought the plain cashew and just tried a piece. AWESOME! Has a tang and a taste that I haven’t had in years.
Decided to throw a chunk into my homemade pesto just now…we’ll see how the girlfriend likes it tonight.
And yes, I’ve also seen this stuff at Native Foods in Westwood.
Thanks for your review on this product!
6:14 pm on August 26th, 2009
ericM: that’s EXCELLENT. i am so glad they had the brazil nut flavor, because that was my personal favorite.
i think i am now gonna be a regular dr. cow customer.
9:51 pm on August 26th, 2009
Besides the brazil nut flavor, which other would you say was the best?
9:56 pm on August 26th, 2009
monika: besides brazil nut, i’d say cashew is the best. then macadamia nut.
but they are all so good, DUDE.
8:06 am on August 27th, 2009
even though I’m a non-vegan, I’m regularly surprised by how often vegan cheeses taste like the real deal. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Dr. Cow’s stuff in markets or on menus.
8:44 am on August 27th, 2009
i love Dr. Cow’s raw vegan cheese. the taste is amazing! i got addicted to them. i found myself eating them a few times a week with my salad from erewhon. What a dime bag of kush is to a pothead, is what Dr.Cow nut cheese is to this total vegetarian!
8:47 am on August 27th, 2009
did any of these taste close to brie? its probably the only regular cheese i really miss!
9:19 am on August 27th, 2009
“This cheese tasted very similar to an aged, dense French cheese.”
I can see you’re very fluent in the language of cheese.
Did you wash them down with “German” Wine?
No, seriously, they look pretty good.
11:12 am on August 27th, 2009
christina: i don’t even remember what brie tastes like! :/
12:45 pm on August 27th, 2009
I think they have dr. cow at mother’s in huntington, if anyone lives south of LA
5:29 pm on August 31st, 2009
I love them! I was big cheese fan, Comte being my vice, & the Cashew ended up being my favorite. Actually, I loved the Blue Cashew, but Rainbow Grocery thinks it’s too intense, so I don’t have access to it here. The Macadamia was a bit too gritty for me & I haven’t tried the Brazil nut! Damn, this makes me want to buy some! I also tried the Cashew Cream Cheese, but I like the wheels better.
12:52 pm on September 6th, 2009
Oh, no!
I’m addicted to this stuff now, so I just went to get some at Erewhon today but they’re out for TWO WEEKS!
NOOOOOO!!!!
1:24 pm on September 16th, 2009
Update: Went to Erewhon again today, and they told me they are expecting another shipment of Dr. Cow cheese during the weekend of Sept. 25.
12:57 pm on April 9th, 2010
They also sell all of the cheeses at Integral Yoga at the grocery store on 13th st. in NYC. AMAZING! Also the is a cream cashew “soft” cheese that is 100 times better than cream cheese.
Can’t go without it!
11:03 am on April 15th, 2010
Dr. Cow cream cheese is now available at Figueroa Produce. This neighborhood grocery store has been steadily adding more and more vegan products. They also sell Daiya and Follow Your Heart cheeses in bulk (you can have them slice it for you). Other varieties of Dr. Cow will be available at Figueroa Produce in just a few days. More and more vegans are shopping at this store and the owners are adding more organic produce and more vegan eats. http://www.figueroaproduce.com They are in Highland Park next to the 99cent store at Figueroa and York.