Cheese Grotto

What's in the box: Each month brings a selection of American artisan cheeses along with pairings to serve with them.

Cheese Grotto is best known for making cheese storage devices, and its monthly Cheese & Pairings Subscription grew out of that focus. The subscription centers on American artisan cheeses sent with pairings. The company presents it as a way to explore small domestic producers rather than familiar supermarket names. Food & Wine named it Best American Cheese Subscription, and Serious Eats named it Best Unique Cheese Subscription, saying it is clearly meant for the adventurous cheese lover. The site says subscriptions ship free and that cheese orders are scheduled to arrive within one to three business days. The website gives more space to the Grottos than to the box itself. Grottos are storage units made in small runs in New York from bamboo, terra cotta clay and birch. They come in four sizes, from the collapsible Piatto to the Classico, which holds up to eight pounds of cheese. You do not need one to subscribe, but the two fit together well, since a Grotto is designed to keep cheese fresh while it sits unwrapped. The homepage does not list monthly contents, cheese counts or prices, so check the subscription page before ordering. People who prefer mild, familiar cheeses may find the selections more adventurous than they want. For curious eaters who want to learn about American craft cheese, it looks like a careful and respected choice.