Artikaas Smoked Gouda Cheese (Costco) Review
Author’s Note: Not a paid or sponsored review. I have no affiliation with Artikaas or Costco.
Don’t argue with the Dutch cows.
This cheese is my friend. You can be my friend, too. But the cheese has first dibs.
I bought this chonky block of Artikaas Youngsters Hickory Smoked Gouda from Costco on a whim. I’m really glad I did — this is excellent cheese, and so far it has made everything I’ve paired it with taste better. Except for my bitter thoughts — nothing can make those taste better!
If you read my previous review of Aldi’s Double Smoked Cheddar, you know I adore any type of smoked food. Literally, anything. The smokier, the better. I would probably eat my own shoelaces, if they were smoked. This Artikaas Smoked Gouda has a strong smoked taste, with less brashness. Less impudence. It tastes more like “smokey bacon” than “forest fire.” It’s a rich, pervasive (but not overwhelming) experience.
I like how the assertive flavor permeates the entire block of cheese, not just the outer rind. In fact, the smoggy taste is so rich, it shines through all the other ingredients on a thick turkey sandwich, like this one.
The gouda texture is soft. Not quite “spreadable” soft. But, exceedingly flexible. Like a seasoned yoga instructor. This cheese is creamy-smooth, and has a rich buttery flavor. It gets a bit firmer towards the rind, although not as firm as sharp cheddar.
Speaking of the rind, this cheese has a natural rind, rather than an added waxed or plastic coating. The rind is thin and flexible enough to eat, so I didn’t remove it from my slices. I love that this is a wedge from a natural wheel of cheese, rather than an expressionless, generic rectangle.
There’s a nifty caramel-colored smoked pattern on top. It looks like a rhythmic pattern from netting wrapped around the wheel. I am unsure if this is from the natural smoking process, or from added coloring listed in the ingredients. More about the ingredients later.
About Artikaas Cheese
I’ve tried another variety of Artikaas cheese before — the Baby Swiss, which I liked (you can see pictures of it on a sandwich in this review of Costco’s Oven Browned Turkey Breast). However, this Gouda is five millions times better than the Swiss. From looking over the Artikaas website, Gouda appears to be the Artikaas specialty. In fact, they’ve been making “Original Dutch Gouda” for more than six generations. They attribute some of the success of their cheese to the “Dutch grass and Dutch cows.” I mean, who am I to argue with Dutch cows?
More varieties of Artikaas Dutch Cheese
Some of the other cheese varieties available on the Artikaas website include:
- Raw Gouda with Lavender and Thyme
- Mesquite BBQ
- Togarashi
- Holy Sheep (Aged Sheep Gouda)
- Raw Milk Gouda with Truffle
- Chimichuri
- Ginger and Pumpkin Seed Gouda
- Cranberry Gouda
At my local Costco, I’ve only been able to find the Baby Swiss and Hickory Smoked Gouda. So far. But, I live in hope.
Here is some gouda melted on my scrambled eggs. I feel a little insecure about these eggs. You see, I dumped in too much turmeric during the scrambling, and now they look, well, “deeply troubled.” But they tasted fine. And, the smokiness was fabulous with the neutral flavors of the eggs.
What is Hickory Smoking?
Is hickory smoking different from other kinds of smoked foods? According to Serious Eats, Hickory is considered a “medium wood” in flavor intensity. Master Class describes it as having a balance of “sweet” and “pungent” aroma. It is often associated with “bacon” flavor, because it is commonly used to smoke bacon! Figures. Compared to other wood smokes, Hickory produces a darker color on the food.
If, like me, you sit around wondering exactly why smoked food tastes so good, this article from The Washington Post attempts to answer it. Spoiler alert: it’s more from the reeky smell than the taste.
Is smoked cheese healthy?
I wrote a bit about the health concerns of naturally smoked foods in my review of Aldi’s Double Smoked Cheddar. So, I’ll briefly reiterate: no, it isn’t entirely healthy. Researchers have found substantial carcinogenic compounds on smoked foods. According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are fewer smokey carcinogens inside the cheese than there are on the outer rind. Their recommendation is to remove the rind before eating.
Ingredients in Artikaas Hickory Smoked Gouda Cheese
Here are the ingredients, from the label:
- Pasteurized Cow’s Milk
- Salt
- Rennet
- Colour: Carotenes, Starter Culture
There’s some debate over whether cheese made with rennet is better than cheese made with “enzymes” or even “microbial enzymes.” But, if that matters to you, this cheese is made with the (more traditional) rennet.
The only (very minor) negative is the use of added “colour.” I’m assuming this is to produce the outer brown rind color, rather than relying entirely on natural smoked color. Fortunately, this color is from carotenes.
This gouda is imported from the Netherlands.
(Are you looking for more imported cheese? Check out my review of Aldi’s Truffle Cheddar from England.)
Nutrition Facts in Artikaas Smoked Gouda
A serving is 1 ounce of cheese and contains 112 calories. You get 9 grams of fat (of which 6 grams are saturated fat) and 7 grams of protein. There’s 0 grams total sugars, and 9% your daily value of sodium. You also get a swift kick of calcium, with 20% your daily value per serving.
Price and Servings
The cheese is sold by weight, so every block is a different price. At my Costco, the price was $7.99 per pound. It was hard to find a small block, so I ended up with a 1.13 pound wedge for $9.03. If I could buy less at a time, I would be much happier.
Anyway. Per one-ounce serving, this cheese costs 50 cents. Not bad.
Dramatic Conclusion
This is highly addictive cheese. The smoke flavor is strong enough to stand out in most recipes, without being trampled by the other ingredients. The texture is soft and rich. I do wish I could buy a smaller package at a time. But then, who am I kidding? This cheese won’t last long anyway. Thank you, Dutch cows.
The End.
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