The Best cheese of the month subscriptions
When it comes to the best cheese of the month subscriptions, there’s a lot of competition and not a lot of clear choices. We love the “set it and forget it” vibe of making sure Future You has the tastiest cheese subscriptions by mail. It’s nice to have someone else do the shopping now and then. Plus, with experts in the cheese-ly arts doing the picking, you’re bound to discover a new gem and a much-loved favorite.
We’ll run down our favorite of the cheese of the month clubs, cheese subscription boxes and a few DIY options if you are afraid of committing to just one box.
What is a cheese of the month subscription box?
Generally, they’re pretty much the same — between 16 and 24 ounces of cheese, surrounded by ice packs in an insulated box, shipped directly to your door overnight. Most come with a fact sheet or a brochure that walks you through the cheese selection for the month, including tasting notes or information about the varietals.
Cheese of the month clubs frequently come in pre-paid terms, generally in 3-month, 6-month or a full year’s worth of shipments. On the other hand, cheese subscription boxes renew every month. That means that you pay a month at a time and can cancel or often skip boxes as needed.
However, cheese of the month clubs and cheese boxes are definitely not interchangeable. It’s important to pick a club that matches your cheese kink and your lifestyle. We’ll talk you through it.
Murray’s Cheesemonger’s Picks Cheese of the Month Club
Murray’s is a specialty cheese brand you might have seen in your grocery store but don’t swear off this source for your cheese love — Murray’s is legit. It offers quite a few different cheese options at a variety of price points, from $63 and up per month.
We like the Cheesemonger’s Picks option, which promises 3-4 different cheeses of the highest standard for enhanced cheeseboard snobbery. Reviewers have been consistently impressed with the quality and selection, and judging by our samples, we know you will be too.
Wisconsin Cheese Mart Cheese of the Month Club
Big props to probably the most budget-friendly and absolutely Midwestern generous subscription box, this happy selection from our friends in the Great Lakes region guarantees a monthly delivery of three Wisconsin cheeses, amounting to at least 1.5 pounds, of Wisconsin home grown gorgeousness.
This one is for your Basic cheese lover — you’re not going to get any surprises or weird mega funky oddballs. But who doesn’t need and adore a traditional Colby or a gorgeous Gouda? Sandwiches need love too! An annual subscription nets out to about $40 a month, so we’ll take our Wisconsin aged cheddars please and thank you. However, the commitment to quality takes a punch in the summer — it’s too hot to trust these Wisconsin wonders to the vagaries of the US postal service, which means no cheese in June, July or August.
Cowgirl Creamery’s Cowgirl Club
Oh, how we love Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, and if you also love the northern Californian cheesery, then you’re going to love their picks on your doorstep each month. This is a cheese box subscription method of delivery, which means that you sign up and are charged monthly as you go, but the bonus is that for as long as you’re in the club, you can also receive a discount on other CG cheeses.
This service promises “at least 3 artisan cheeses every month, with four generous servings of each including a minimum of one cheese from our organic creamery.” Each box also will include “at least one edible accompaniment to make the perfect pair” be that a cracker, dried fruit, nut or spread. Your cheese of the month boxes won’t be limited to only Cowgirl Creamery either. Past shipments have included other Californian and west coast cheeses like Cypress Grove and Cloud Cap from Cascadia Creamery in Washington.
The Tasting Board Cheese Experience
This monthly box has a leg up on the competition in that you need to take a preference survey before your first box, identifying your likes and dislikes. Questions range from your favorite snack (with suggestions such as popcorn, dark chocolate, chips, Greek yogurt and berries) to how you prefer to enjoy cheese (wine tasting, a summer picnic, a fancy dinner, sharing with friends, a good book) and from there, the cheese sommeliers will custom tailor a cheese box to fit your likes.
They also invite you to rate your matches and say “The more cheeses you review, the better your matches get” on future boxes. Honestly, it’s fairly expensive for a cheese subscription box, starting at $55 per month and going up from there. But if you’ve got a higher likelihood of enjoying the cheeses you do get, then maybe this is the best deal? Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried and enjoyed this one!
iGourmet International Cheese Subscription
While iGourmet offers several cheese subscription boxes, the International Cheese option is very budget-friendly at only $47 a month for the lowest term, with shipping included. You get three half-pound cuts of their cheesemonger’s choice, which could be Italian cheeses or even a comparison of the same variety of cheese from different smaller independent American cheesemakers.
A solid bet if you aren’t into commitment or are still window-shopping for your One True Cheese of The Month love affair. Plus, iGourmet offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you don’t like it, they’ll reship it or refund the order.
Alternatives to a cheese of the month subscription box
Sometimes making a long term commitment to a specific cheese of the month club is daunting. We’ll admit it — we’re a bit of a control freak when it comes to getting our cheese on! That’s why we’ve hand selected a few alternatives to the traditional cheese of the month subscriptions, so you can change it up every month or hit a bunch all at once for the ultimate cheeselover’s dream come true.
Beecher’s Cheese box
If you’ve been to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, chances are that your cheese lover’s Spidey Sense drew you across the street to the Beecher’s flagship store where fresh hot curds are cooling in the big shop windows. While Beechers doesn’t (at press time) offer a cheese of the month club, it has several box sets to choose from for a DIY option. Seems like a great opportunity for the little artisanal shop to put together a subscription service, non?
We recommend the Best of Beechers, which includes the delicious Flagship along with Smoked, 4-year, Flagsheep and Reserve options, the amazing Marco Polo, the funky SheepSheep and the solid performer New Woman, plus two packages of crackers. Sounds like cheese dinner to us!
Cypress Grove Tastiest Trio
Another west coast staple that we love to nosh, Cypress Grove is home to the absolutely famous Humboldt Fog, the dreamiest funker of a soft brined cheese we’ve ever met. This box offers an entire mini wheel of the Fog! It augments with Midnight Moon, a nutty aged goat hard cheese, and not one but two disks of our perennial favorite Purple Haze, a gorgeous blend of fresh chevre, fennel pollen and lavender.
Renard’s Delightful Arrangement
Renard’s Cheese is our Wisconsin hometown original. It’s hard to pick just one when it comes to this Wisconsin craft cheesemaker. We love the inclusion of FULL POUND CHUNKS! There’s traditional fare like Monterey Jack and mild cheddar. There’s also more epicurean treats, like a pound of 2-year sharp cheddar and then another generous pound of a whopping 5-year sharp cheddar.
The crew at Renard’s then amps up the delight by augmenting with a half pound of cream cheese and chives spread, Wisconsin summer sausage, crackers, jam, chocolate-covered cherries, regional roasted coffee and some Wisconsin 100% real maple syrup. All for $84, this is the steal of a lifetime.
Wisconsin Cheese Company’s Classic Elite Aged Cheddar Box
Cheddar is a fan favorite for a reason. This box doesn’t just double down, it double doubles down with four different sharp cheddars. The youngest of the quartet is still quite aged compared to what you’d normally find in a grocery store — three years old. From there, the box scales up with a five year cheddar, an eight year cheddar and the granddaddy is a full decade of crystal crumbly goodness.
Wisconsin Cheese Co throws in a small box of water crackers to round out the set and keep the box lean and mean, but we know you, cheese lover, you’re not going to let some water crackers get between you and a combined 26 years of aged cheese ecstasy.