When you were buying cheese, you learned to look at the cheese first, then to smell, it, then feel it, and finally taste it. The same principles apply here, but now we'll go past the rind, and deal with only a slice of cheese at a time.

Look First

First, take a look at the slice of cheese, and take note of how many different areas there are to taste. Some cheeses, like Cheddar, are mostly paste, and that's all you need to try. Others, like Chevrots, have three areas important to taste: the rind; the layer just under the rind that is more aged; and the middle, or heart of the Chevrot, which has the least amount of aging.

You'll want to taste each of these areas separately, and then together to get the full experience of this cheese. Also look for areas of dryness or excessive moisture, and make sure you taste from a piece that you will buy. If it's too wet or dry, ask to taste a different piece.

Smell Second

Next, hold the slice of cheese near your nose and breathe deeply. Note what you smell. Is it fruity, milky, nutty, or sweet? These are hints of what you'll taste first, the forward part of the cheese. Or, if you smell overpowering pungency, be prepared to take a very small taste, just in case the cheese has aged beyond its peak.

If tasting cheese at a cheese counter, make sure you taste from a fresh part of the cheese. If you taste from paste that's been wrapped in plastic too long, all you'll taste and smell is the plastic. It's okay to ask for the cheese to be refreshed before you taste. A good cheese monger knows how to guess if a cheese is approaching, at, or beyond its peak. Usually she will let you know what stage the cheese is at. And if either of you suspect the cheese is beyond its peak, she should taste it first.

Taste Last

It's been a long haul, working up to taste, but by now you have engaged all your senses that contribute to taste, giving you an acute awareness of what your nose is up to, what your eyes have seen, and how you will experience taste through your tongue.

This is how to taste: take a small bite first, and with your mouth closed, let the cheese rest on the tip of your tongue. Do you taste anything at this point? If you do, it is most likely the sweet flavors. Next, slightly open and close your mouth to let the aroma escape to your nose, then let the cheese slide toward the middle of your tongue and gently chew. Now you should taste the amount of salt the cheese has, acidic tastes, herbs and spices, and nutty tastes. This is the bulk of your tasting experience, what you perceive while the cheese is being chewed.

Next, let the piece of cheese slide toward the back of your throat, note any strong tastes (hopefully not bitter ones) that emerge there, then let the cheese slide down your throat. Notice how the aromas kick off new sensations as they rise up the back of your throat? Now, breathe deeply, then open your mouth, and take note of all the tastes that linger and continue on in the cheese's aroma. Repeat the whole process once or twice, and the flavors will begin to talk to you.

Mouthfeel

Mouthfeel refers to how you experience the cheese paste on your palate, whether it is creamy, silky, chalky, gummy, buttery, or oily. As you chew, different cheeses feel very different in your mouth. Because of this, you can figure out how the cheese was made. For example, mozzarella will not coat your mouth; instead it is slightly rubbery and holds some shape as you swallow. This is because pasta filata cheese curds have been cooked and stretched, and chewing doesn't change the cheese's ability to stretch.

Fresh chèvre coats your mouth cleanly. It is soft enough to be spreadable, and spreads around your mouth but doesn't linger. By nature, fresh chèvre is flaky and light. Buttery mouthfeels are often an indication of pressed and aged cow's- and sheep's-milk cheeses. A bite coats your mouth lightly with a buttery feel. Chalkiness, too much graininess, runniness, or excessive oiliness are all mouthfeels to avoid.