It was a while ago now that someone explained to me that buying cheese cost the same as a car? Fruit loop, you say?

No. When you break down the cost per kilogram it turns out that cars and cheese usually have remarkably similar prices.

And in the same way that you can't compare a Kia or Chinese-built MG to a Mercedes-Benz or Porsche, you can't compare a cheap supermarket-bought cheese with a premium cheese from a market or deli.

So what cheeses are worth paying a premium for?

Consumer group CHOICE assembled a panel of expert judges and taste tested 27 vintage cheddar cheeses available at supermarkets across Australia to reveal the ones that they thought were best.

“Judges assessed each cheese on its flavour, aroma, texture and appearance. They looked for a cheese with a sweet, milky flavour, a good balance of salt and acid, a texture that's firm, close and slightly crumbly, and a lingering aftertaste,” explained CHOICE's Rachel Clemons.

“King Island Dairy Surprise Bay Cheddar scored first place with a rating of 73 per cent,” said Ms Clemons.

“The Surprise Bay Cheddar impressed our judges with its mildly sweet cheddar aroma, balanced flavour, and good, firm texture."   

Coles Australian Vintage Cheddar also scored a place in the top six. 

“The Coles Australian Vintage Cheddar did very well in our taste testing, receiving a score of 70 per cent. It’s also cheaper than a lot of the other cheeses we tested, at $1.60 per 100g,” said Ms Clemons. 

The following cheeses received a score of over 70 per cent and are recommended by CHOICE: 

King Island Dairy Surprise Bay Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 73%
Price: $5.50 per 100g

Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
Price: $5.00 per 100g

Thomas Dux 18 Month Aged Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
Price: $1.84 per 100g

Thomas Dux 24 Month Aged Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
Price: $2.30 per 100g

Thomas Dux English Vintage Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 71%
Price: $2.25 per 100g

Coles Australian Vintage Cheddar
CHOICE Expert Rating: 70%
Price: $1.60 per 100g

The CHOICE Expert Rating is made up of taste 70 per cent (50 per cent flavour and aroma, 30 per cent texture and body, 20 per cent appearance/presentation) and nutrition 30 per cent (based on the product’s Health Star Rating, calculated from the details in the nutrition information panel and converted to a percentage).

What are your favourite cheeses to buy? Do you have any cheap cheeses that have surprised you in the past? Are you surprised to see a Coles brand cheese feature so highly on the list?