Dave Selden is a cheese frau’s dream. Okay, this
cheese frau’s dream. The Portland beer blogger (he's the author of 999 beers) has developed a series of
pocket-sized tasting notebooks for beer, whiskey, wine, coffee and – oh, bless
him – cheese.
Each book contains 33 pages, hence the name of
Selden’s cottage industry out of Portland, Oregon: 33books.com. A beer-blogger
by night and graphic designer by day, he’s pretty much the perfect guy for the
job of tasting-book developer.
I have 4 books to give away, and one lucky winner
will also receive a complimentary cheese board (pictured below) made by Seldon
himself. If you use the book, I hope you’ll let us know how you like it. Pop it
in the pocket of your jeans vest, and jot down a few notes at the cheese counter or at a resto when you order a cheese plate.
The notebook is so cleverly put together and so
compact, it’s a little frightening. (Does Dave Selden live in my brain?) The
top of each page offers room for notes about the origins of each cheese –
there’s even a line for a rind descriptor. Thank you, Dave.
The bottom of each page is comprised of a dairy dashboard –
there’s a flavor wheel and a texture meter, along with a 5-star rating system.
Don’t be scared. The diagrams are self-explanatory. The inside cover also offers some useful notes.
Good design and good cheese? I can’t think of a better pairing. Drop me a comment if you want me to send you a freebie. I’ll draw four random winners on Sunday, October 2, 2011 and ship these off to you tout de suite.
~
Dave's tasting journals are also available online for $4 each, or 3 for $10. Stocking stuffers? Yup. Each book is made of recycled paper and printed with soy ink. Cowabunga! I hope I start seeing these on retail shelves soon.
