You Can Buy the World’s Best Pepper Jack Cheese At Walmart

Walmart

Not to sound cheesy, but you won’t brie-lieve who won best in-show at this year's World Championship Cheese Contest. The biennial competition, held in dairy-loving Madison, Wisconsin, has been the proving ground for many well-known brands and creameries since 1957. Every two years, the best cheese and butter makers of the industry descend upon the nation’s second-largest dairy-producing state to throw their hat into the ring for a shot at the coveted “world’s best” title.

In order to snag the top spot, the lactose-laden products must pass a number of strict criteria to achieve a perfect score. The scoring attributes include flavor, body, texture, color, salt, finish and packaging—among others. Each delicious entry starts with a perfect 100, and as the event’s certifiable dairy enthusiasts taste their way through copious amounts of Fromage, points are deducted and tabulated to achieve a final total.

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Technical aspects aside, the real reason we’re all gathered here today is to find out who took home the number one spot in a decidedly spicier category, and the winner is one you can pick up at your local Walmart or Target. Cabot Creamery won quite a few first-place awards at this year's contest, including world’s best butter and best in show for their 1-Year Cheddar Cheese Cracker Cuts. In addition to its landslide of wins, the Vermont-based co-op also snagged the title of World’s Best Pepper Jack Cheese, solidifying its reign as one of the top cheese producers in the country.

The medium-spiced pepper studded cheese scored an impressive 98.975 in the Medium Heat Pepper Flavored Monterey Jack category, and it appears Cabot took home second as well with another entry scoring a 98.9. What’s most incredible about the brand taking home the gold is the fact that you can find each of their offerings (including 8-ounce blocks of their pepper jack cheese) at your local grocery store for less than $3! Now, I'm no mathematician, but a budget-friendly option like that will save you a whole lot of cheddar in the long run.

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