The Trader Joe's Cheese You Might Want To Avoid Buying

Trader Joe's has amassed a passionate fandom by selling private-label groceries and products ranging from inventive sweet and savory snacks to seasonal specialties to everyday staples. Because almost everything in the store is sourced and branded by the company, it maintains a pretty sterling reputation in terms of quality, affordability, and variety — a distinction that certainly extends to its bountiful cheese selection.

Still, with such a wide range of rotating cheeses to choose from, we had to narrow down which ones actually belong on your charcuterie board. That's why Chowhound took on the task of tasting and ranking 17 of the most popular Trader Joe's cheeses from worst to best. Of course, this is Trader Joe's we're talking about, here — it's rare that any of its products are a total miss. The worst cheese we identified wasn't terrible, but it had a flavor profile so strong that it could be off-putting to potential buyers.

That lowest-ranked item was Trader Joe's Blue Stilton Cheese, and even us self-proclaimed blue cheese enthusiasts at Chowhound found its flavor overwhelmingly pungent for the average consumer. Blue cheese skeptics are especially likely to find Trader Joe's Blue Stilton Cheese far too tangy and acidic, though it could be a bold charcuterie choice for fans of intense, funky flavors. Ultimately, Trader Joe's Blue Stilton Cheese proved to be the kind of blue cheese only a true diehard funk fan could love, unlike higher-ranked options, which appealed to a broader palate.

It's no surprise that our lowest-ranked Trader Joe's cheese was a blue cheese, since they tend to be a divisive group. Blue cheese can be made from many different base cheeses (made with any type of milk) that are then laced with different strains of edible blue mold through a "piercing" process, meaning that there are actually a wide variety of blue cheeses to explore. Lots of people are turned off by the look and pungency of blue cheese, but if you give them a chance, you might be able to find one that suits your personal taste.

Trader Joe's Blue Stilton Cheese is, as its name implies, a Stilton, which is a type of English blue cheese known for its crumbly yet buttery texture and intense flavor. It is considered one of the stronger blue cheeses on the market, though not as strong as Roquefort. Generally, hard or easily crumbled blue cheeses are sharper than softer ones, and Stilton is a semi-firm cheese.

If you're new to the world of blue cheeses and want to take a chance with one of Trader Joe's reasonably priced selections, you might enjoy their Cambozola Cheese. A cross between soft Camembert and blue-veined Gorgonzola, this cheese has a solid reputation as a good "starter blue," with a mild, nutty flavor profile. Alternatively, if you like the salty zing of a strong blue cheese, but don't enjoy the acidic flavor of Trader Joe's Blue Stilton, give their Société Roquefort 1863 a try. It's definitely on the funkier side, but it might end up being the perfect fit for your tastes.