Recently while at the grocery store I caught a glimpse of a cheddar cheese with a pile of habaneros proudly displayed on the packaging. Labeled as “Hot Habanero”, my full attention was gained and I threw Cabot’s Hot Habanero Cheddar Cheese into the cart figuring it would be as disappointing as Yancey’s Fancy Buffalo Wing Cheese in its texture and consistency but was willing to give it the old college try anyway.
After getting home I tore open the package and was in awe of the number of raw habanero pepper pieces tucked into the bar of cheddar. I sliced a few pieces off and popped one in my mouth. The cheese itself is a medium cheddar and crumbles a bit before melting in your mouth. While I’d really prefer something more sharp, I’m guessing they figured they didn’t want to dampen the spice level. The habanero flavor isn’t evident at first but instead comes on slowly, eventually providing an excellent peppery heat across your tongue. But who eats a single piece of cheese right? As you continue to pop more in your mouth the heat builds into a near inferno. While I had no problems eating a good bit of the cheese at once, enjoying it all the while, The Wife took one bite of one small slice and promptly handed it back to me with a disturbed shake of her head and a grimace like none I’ve seen as of late. When I asked if it was hot, she just nodded. Two neighbors tried the cheese last night and mentioned it was hot but they both were able to eat it just fine. So while this is not for those who are totally inexperienced with hot foods, it’s not out of control by any means.
Overall I was pleased with Cabot’s Hot Habanero, so much so that I’d pick it up again if it were available. While the heat wasn’t at the level I’d really like to see, it definitely provided an acceptable spice level for calling itself “Hot Habanero”. If you’re into real cheese infused with peppers I’d suggest you give it a try yourself and let us know what you thought.
Have you ever had Cabot’s Hot Habanero? What did you think of it? Have you had any other Cabot cheeses? How about other cheeses which are infused with hot peppers–which are your favorites and where do you get them? What do you typically eat with cheeses of these types? Whatever you have to say about Cabot’s Hot Habanero Cheddar go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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August 8th, 2011 at 8:21 am
i tried this at some point this summer–liked the cheese a lot. mainly shredded for quesadillas. i bought one that seemed slightly spicier at the wedge co-op but can’t quite remember the brand.
August 8th, 2011 at 8:35 am
Not all food needs heat – cheese is one of them and is best enjoyed ‘naked.’ Mostly, I like pungent, stinky cheeses paired with a good wine. If cheese is an ingredient of a recipe creation and heat is required, I’ll add heat another way – e.g. a hot sauce.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:56 am
I haven’t tried this cheese, but would like to. I’ve had a fair amount of generic pepper jack cheese in my life, mostly made by Kraft or store brands. I typically enjoy it, though I’m more of a fan of cheddar than Monterey Jack so this could be right up my alley.
August 8th, 2011 at 10:58 am
I love Cabot’s cheeses. I ate plenty of it when I lived in VT. I haven’t tried the habanero but I’ll take Bill’s word for it on the heat level. Cabot’s VT white cheddar is one of my favorite cheeses.
August 9th, 2011 at 12:06 am
Mmmmm
August 11th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Just picked up another stick of this at Cub. It’s on sale for $4.99 and they have a bunch of other flavors including bacon. Mmmm, I could see doing both on some crackers. Mmm.
June 29th, 2012 at 7:02 am
[...] some myself the next time we’re at the Mall of America. While I would need to try it next to Cabot’s Hot Habanero Cheddar in order to verify without absolute certainty, I think I still prefer Cabot’s to [...]
January 12th, 2013 at 11:52 pm
They now make a spreadable habanero “fire for your cracker” as it states on the container. Picked it up at Cub as well.
February 14th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
This is on sale for $3.99 this week at Cub just an FYI
March 6th, 2013 at 7:26 am
[...] bit in my mouth. While it carried some heat and it was fine, it was nothing like the wonder that is Cabot’s Hot Habanero cheese. There were noticeable pepper pieces but they were sparsely and unevenly spread throughout [...]