Five-year aged Gouda from the Netherlands, labeled pittig, which is Dutch for sharp, the term reserved for the longest-aged wheels in this style. The exterior is golden and caramelized, a tell that the paste has spent serious time in the aging room concentrating its flavor.

Cut into the wheel and the paste is dense, dry, and crystalline, scattered with tiny crunchy tyrosine crystals that pop between the teeth. The flavor is deep and sweet, with pronounced caramel and butterscotch on the palate, toasted hazelnut and browned butter through the middle, and a slow peppery tingle on the back end that earns the pittig name.

Shave it thin off the wedge and let those crystals carry the bite.