What is Cheese Grading & Why Does it Matter?

Cheese grading, as opposed to cheese grating, is a very specific process used to evaluate cheese. To learn more about it, we spoke with Kate Neumeier Clarke, who is the president and CEO of Wisconsin Aging & Grading (WAG), and a third generation, licensed cheese grader.

Evaluating cheese is the family business and Clarke personally started in the cheese industry when she was just nine years old, “More than two decades ago, my father, Ken Neumeier, had the vision that aged Cheddar could be a specialty cheese,” Clarke says. “So, he created WAG in 2000. He noticed that there weren’t a lot of programs available to manage cheeses throughout their life. My dad has worked with many cheese makers and cheese factories helping to define high standards of quality and aging.” In 2018 the company launched a retail Cheddar brand, 724 Wisconsin Select, named for Ken Neumeier’s grading license number.

Becoming a Licensed Cheese Grader

Kate Neumeier Clarke

Because Clarke lives and works in Wisconsin, she had to have a license before she became a cheese grader. “Wisconsin is the only state that requires graders to have a license,” she explains. “I had to pass a written and organoleptic exam that measured my knowledge about cheese and its attributes.”

Making the grade - on the cheese grader licensing exam - isn’t guaranteed. “The exam isn’t the easiest,” Clarke says. “Individuals definitely need to study and immerse themselves in the grading process. It really all depends on their palate, their abilities to grade on a continual basis and their aptitude and passion to want to be a cheese grader.”

Some people can’t make the grade at all. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that anyone could or should (be able) to do it,” she says. “For examples, some people can be ‘bitter blind,’ which means they are unable to taste the bitter flavor. If that would be the case, they would not be able to get a grading license.” Curious about the standards? You can find them in Chapter ATCP 81 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

What is Cheese Grading?

Having a cheese that’s been graded, she says, means that the cheese was produced in a licensed plant under sanitary conditions. A Wisconsin grade mark means that the cheese has been inspected and graded by “an experienced and highly trained grader” who was licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “It is your guarantee of consistent and dependable quality,” she says.

How are Cheeses Graded?

Cheeses are graded against standards of identity for 72 standardized cheese types, ranging from Asiago to Swiss. Most cheeses are graded on four characteristics: flavor, body and texture, color and finish and appearance. But Swiss cheese types are graded on five characteristics: flavor, body, eye and texture, color and finish and appearance. Non-Swiss cheese can end up with grades of AA, A or Wisconsin state brand, and B. Swiss cheeses can also end up with C or D grades, but those letters don’t mean that they’re the lowest types of cheese, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

“The most important thing to note is that a standard of identity exists for those 72 types of cheeses,” Clarke says. “A grader will grade a cheese based only on that standard; it is about how well a particular cheese matches the standard for that specific variety. A grader must always stay true to the cheese standard and not let anything else persuade the grade. The cheese speaks for itself.”

Cheeses that break the mold or don’t fit into those 72 categories can still be evaluated. “The ones that don’t have that standard of identity are still given feedback on the flavor, body, texture and aroma and to what degree of intensity those are present,” Clarke says.

Once, Clarke was grading with a customer, and she assumed that his preferred flavor profile was clean, nutty and acidic. “It was discovered, after grading numerous vats of cheese that he was looking for a cheese that we at WAG had downgraded due to it being ‘barny,’” she says. “Turns out, there really is a cheese flavor for every preference. He was so happy to have found it, and so was the factory, which didn’t have a rejected product returned. It was a win-win.”

How to Evaluate Cheese

It’s typical to judge a cheese based on how it looks. But if you’re grading or even just tasting a cheese, Clarke advises you to first inspect the aroma. “The nose knows,” she says. “You always start by smelling the cheese. Smelling will always give you an indication of what you’re able to taste, both favorable and unfavorable.”

Aroma is even more important than appearance. “Years back, I was judging at a contest, and one of the categories was a little out of my forte, but I was excited to put my palate to the test,” she says. “When they brought out the first sample, I couldn’t believe I was going to have to taste it, based on its appearance, but that cheese turned out to be an amazing cheese, and it ended up winning first place in its category. Then, it took grand champion at a different contest later that year. It showed me that you can’t judge a cheese by its cover.”

Test your knowledge of official cheese grading terms with online flash cards, developed by the late cheese educator, Pat Palowsky.