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Since the last chunk of Emmental didn't have any holes in it - making it worthless for photo purposes - I decided to pick up some Emmi Cave Aged Emmentaler I spotted in Whole Foods.

Emmi also makes those processed Swiss Knight cheeses and a variety of non-handmade cheese. But supposedly their "cave aged" cheese is the good stuff. Hand selected for aging, actual cold dank cave, 12 months.

And I can confirm that the extra 6 months in a cave does lead to a better cheese. More complex flavors, better texture, subtle earthiness. As I told the missus, "See? You can taste the cave." ... Perhaps it's all the time she spent studying bat caves, but apparently tasting like a cave isn't a big plus as far as my wife is concerned.

If you're looking for some cheese for a cheese board or something to nibble on, I'd say this cheese is worth the extra price. But if you're going to cook with it or pile it on sandwiches, I'd say Emmi's regular Emmentaler would work just as well. The difference is subtle rather than obvious.