Knippenbergs is a market stand selling high-end cheeses for those in search of something…read morehigh-quality and different from what you'll find at the usual deli counter.
I happened upon Knippenbergs while they were stationed at the Wochenmarkt am Maybachufer on a Friday afternoon. They set up shop at various farmers' markets around the city--you can figure out where they'll be by checking the schedule on their website.
The stand is small but the case has a wide array of hard and soft cheeses from across Europe, including a number of varieties of raw milk cheese. The display is bright, clean, and appealing. The cheeses all looked well preserved and taken care of.
I was unfamiliar with many of the varieties on offer, so I explained to the woman minding the stand that I love sharp, intensely flavored cheeses, and asked her whether she had any suggestions along those lines. She was incredibly helpful. Her eyes lit up and she immediately recommended two different cheeses (Via Mala and Alpikoner) and brought out her knife to slice off small bits for me to taste. She explained how each of the cheeses was made and how they got their flavor. She was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and pleasant.
And the cheeses were exactly what I was hoping for. They were richly pungent with complex flavor profiles that slowly unfolded as I savored each one. I was so excited to take some home to enjoy it!
I like to buy small amounts of cheese at a time so I can always be trying new ones. Both cheeses were priced at about 3 Euro for 100g, which is competitive with normal prices for higher-end cheeses in Berlin. And these cheeses were definitely better than most.
