Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Freaking Out Over Its New Gouda Cheese

Trader Joe's seemingly cult-like followers have a new reason to celebrate. The grocery store chain, known for its evolving, rotating, and innovating inventory, has dropped a new cheese variety that fans are rushing in to purchase, according to the @traderjoeslist Instagram account.

The cheese selection at Trader Joe's is nothing if not vast. From Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese to Apricot Stilton, the chain's cheeseboard-making options could seem almost endless. In fact, the brand's Unexpected Cheddar Cheese was named one of the Trader Joe's foods you need to try before you die. As was the popular Pesto Gouda Cheese.

Trader Joe's boasts that all of its cheese offerings begin with milk that has not been treated with recombinant bovine growth hormones, according to the store's website. It also offers an array of unexpected cheese finds that shoppers don't often see at many other stores. The chain's newest release is no exception.

Trader Joe's newest cheese selection got its start in The Netherlands' Twente region, where cows spend their days moving about in clover fields (via Trader Joe's). But this product, a Gouda variety, has a long journey from cow to grocery store shelf. The cheese gets hand-washed in caramel, giving it a distinct, sweet flavor. The Caramel Washed Gouda Cheese ages over the course of five months.

A cheese with a washed rind is simply one that has been brushed or moistened in some capacity once formed and molded, according to The Courtyard Dairy. This process takes place as the cheese ages and matures.

The @traderjoeslist Instagram account recommends serving this cheese as a dessert with berries, or simply as a fixture on a cheeseboard. The post said it's a smooth variety with notes of butterscotch that would pair well with a red wine.

As fans flock to the store to give it a try, this option may stand a chance of becoming one of Trader Joe's most popular cheeses.