NY Times Blind Butter Tasting

This past October a group of notable individuals in the food industry gathered together for a blind butter tasting at The New York Times. Led by food writer Melissa Clark, the group tasted thirteen types of cultured butter among which was Melissa’s homemade butter.

The group including both Frank Bruni and Florence Fabricant, critics at the Times, tasted an impressive variety from Vermont Creamery Butter to Double Devon Cream from the UK to the French Pamplie.

Prior to tasting, Frank mentioned, “You know, we all have wine vocabularies, but butter vocabulary?” Adam Moscowitz, well‐known cheesemonger and importer, explains that the notes in butter are similar to what you might find in cheese. As the group worked their way through the variations of butter, opinions on the “cultured funkiness” of the butter were shared. Some butter has a “light, creamy aroma” and others are “slightly rancid, full‐bodied”.

Even up against all of these delicious butters, Adam claims that Melissa’s homemade butter was his third favor!