Beeler is a Swiss affineur (ah-fee-NUHR), an expert in aging cheeses, and a maître fromagier, or master cheesemonger. A cheesemonger is a vendor of cheese; but he can’t sell it until the affineur ages it to perfection under precise conditions.

Beeler specializes in sourcing the best raw milk cheeses in Switzerland, made by small, artisanal cheesemakers. He then takes over the aging process, and sells the cheeses under the Rolf Beeler label. “Sélection Rolf Beeler” is the gold standard in Swiss cheese. (Note that there’s a world of Swiss cheese beyond the familiar Emmentaler with its big eyes (holes).

Cheese lovers the world over thank Rolf Beeler for his efforts to protect and promote the small cheesmakers, artisans who are too busy crafting great cheese to promote themselves.

Prattigauer is a washed-rind raw cow’s milk
cheese—intensely robust, nutty and rich.
Photo courtesy ArtisanalCheese.com.

Taste Rolf Beeler’s Emmentaler, a multi-award-winner that is so much more complex and mouthwatering than any Emmentaler you’ve had before. The Toggenburger, his best raw milk Appenzeller, is another award winner that must be tasted. And we love the Hoch Y Brig. But then, all Beeler cheeses must be tasted!

Beeler urges you to try Sbrinz, a cheese that rivals Parmigiano-Reggiano—but, as Beeler says, “It has the more complex flavor and is less salty.” According to Beeler, the Italians used to transport the large wheels of Sbrinz over the Alps to Italy. They got tired of transporting the wheels and just copied the Sbrinz recipe. “Thus,” Beeler says, “the Parmigiano was born.”

To find a Beeler retailer near you, contact the U.S. importer, Quality Cheese Inc.:
qualitycheese@comcast.net.

As tempting as it may be to buy two different
bags, don’t buy more than a week’s worth.
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Whole beans aren’t impervious; they are at peak flavor when fresh-roasted, but then start to decline—though not as quickly as ground coffee.

For a more flavorful cup:

• Don’t buy more coffee than you can use in a week.

• Store the coffee bag in a plastic storage bag; squeeze out the excess air before sealing.

• Keep the bag in a cool, dry, dark place—but not the fridge, which has very moist air.

Now that you’ve got the beans down, here’s how to brew a great cup of coffee.

Find our favorite coffee (including organic and Fair Trade), plus lots of great coffee information, in our Gourmet Coffee section.

Island Treasures Gourmet rum cake—rum-infused pound cakes in Banana, Chocolate, Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Coconut, Lemon, Raspberry, Vanilla (Original)—is the latest we’ve tasted, and it’s good.

We enjoyed all of the flavors except Raspberry, which obviously appeals to a lot of people or they wouldn’t be selling it. We felt that the raspberry flavor needs some tweaking.

The cakes are very lightly infused with rum—just a touch. Some people may not even realize it’s there, it so harmoniously blends with the buttery pound cake. This brand will appeal to those who don’t like a liquor-soaked cake.

While we ate every bite and called for more, we do like “soaked” rum cakes, so we made a batch of rum syrup to pour over it. We preferred it; most of the other tasters enjoyed the cakes as is—without the syrup.

Enjoy a slice any time of the day. Photo by
Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

1. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved; then stop stirring.
2. Bring syrup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons light rum.
4. Let cool completely. Pour into a pitcher to serve at the table.

You also can serve the cake in simple slices at any time of day, or make a fancier dessert with plain or rum-infused ice cream and a side of berries, sliced peaches, bananas or other fruit.

The cakes are available in a 32-ounce size bundt and a 5-ounce mini loaf that serves one cake enthusiast or two people who want a smaller piece. Read the full review of Island Treasure Gourmet Rum Cakes.

Find more of our favorite cakes and recipes in our Gourmet Cakes section.