These are some of my favorite cheeses for a cheese plate:

Pierre-Robert – a cow’s milk triple-cream cheese from the Champagne region of France.  Has added creme fraiche for even more creaminess and flavor.

Piave Vecchio – a cow’s milk cheese from the Italian Alps.  Vecchio means “aged”, and this cheese has been aged to the point of having a nice, nutty, caramel-like  flavor and a bit of a crunchiness due to the salt deposits within the cheese.

Humboldt Fog – a goat’s milk cheese from the Cypress Grove cheese company in Humboldt County, California.  When cut, it is said to be reminiscent of the morning fog rolling in.

Banon – a goat’s milk cheese from the Provence region of France.  It is wrapped in a chestnut leaf and soaked in eau-de-vie and then allowed to age for several weeks.  The resulting product is creamy with a taste of nuttiness.

Abbaye de Beloc – a sheep’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees region of France.This cheese is normally aged for several months and has a mellow flavor.

Roaring 40’s – a blue cow’s milk cheese from Tasmania.  This cheese has a nice, ripe flavor with a bit of saltiness.  I like to serve it with honeycomb.

Be sure to experiment with a variety of  breads and condiments, as well as with wines for pairings.

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