Many months ago, I noticed Winder Dairy had some Habanero Pepper Jack cheese. I could hardly contain myself because I love Habanero-based anything (I especially love Habanero hot sauce; I put it on practically everything I eat) and I love Pepper Jack cheese to begin with, so it sounded like a dream come true.
It was disappointing to say the least. Not only was the cheese devoid of any noticeable heat, it had some horrid taste to it that was anything but Habanero. Regular Pepper Jack was better than this stuff by a long shot.
Fast forward a few months and I find myself in our local Costco loitering, as I often do, near the cold case in which they keep their cheeses, and I spy Rumiano's Habanero Pepper Jack. Just looking at this fine specimen, I could immediately tell that this was not the weak attempt at marrying the divine taste of Habanero pepper and the smooth creaminess of Jack cheese that was the 'cheese' Winder Dairy sold me earlier. So, I dropped the $7.00 it cost me for a couple pounds of the stuff and headed home.
I could barely wait to find out if this was everything I had hoped my first experience with a "Habanero Pepper Jack" would be, so the minute I was in the house I tore off the packaging. Immediately the smell of it hit me and I could tell it was the real deal (if you know what Habaneros smell and taste like, one whiff of this stuff would tell you the same). Capturing the taste of the Habanero while taming the heat is a tricky task, but Rumiano has done it perfectly. The cheese is hot, but not so hot that your tongue and throat blister (have you ever eaten a raw Red Savina Habanero?).
This stuff is great sliced thick on a garlic burger, shredded and used in a burrito, or, as I most often eat it, sliced and eaten with crackers. This cheese is hot enough that it makes the top of my head tingle once in a while. It is SO good. I am grateful that Costco carried it, otherwise I might never have made its acquaintance. If you are so lucky as to find it at Costco and like it, I would suggest buying all you can - who knows if and when Costco will quit carrying it, and they have it for half of what you would pay if you buy it from Rumiano's directly (and that is before shipping!).