I can usually tell which cheese will be the People’s Choice in my classes. If there’s a squishy one—like the newcomer here—it will almost certainly come out on top. Everyone loves creamy, and while I lean toward harder cheeses myself, who wouldn’t fall for this sexy thing? It would be a head-turner on any cheese board, and before it hits the table it will totally stink up your fridge. In a good way.

Robiola Cavina, from Italy’s Lombardy region, is a mixed-milk cheese—roughly 70 percent cow’s milk and 30 percent goat’s milk from the producer’s own farm. Michele Lanza, a Bay Area importer and distributor, approached the producer with the idea for Cavina to fill what he saw as a gap in the market. American shops aren’t lacking in Robiola-style cheeses but a cow-goat Robiola is uncommon.

Weighing just over a half-pound, Cavina is only about three weeks old when it gets off the plane in San Francisco. According to the importer, the square I sampled was probably three weeks beyond that, but you can see from its slightly sunken appearance and the gooey interior that it was ready to meet its fate. The fridge-filling fragrance—wafts of mushroom, cooked cabbage and garlic—confirmed that as well.

I think Lanza and his producer have nailed the blend. The goat component is subtle—goat cheese avoiders won’t be turned off—but the flavor is a little more tangy than it likely would be from cow’s milk alone. The rind is thin and edible, and the oozy interior begs for a rustic, chewy baguette.

For now, Robiola Cavina is only distributed in Northern California. Look for it at the Cheese Board (Berkeley), Market Hall Foods (Oakland and Berkeley), Mollie Stone’s (multiple locations), Oakville Grocery (Oakville), Petaluma Market (Petaluma), Sonoma Cheese Factory (Sonoma), Staff of Life (Santa Cruz) and Sunshine Foods (St. Helena).

However! You are probably not far from a cheese counter with an equally compelling Robiola, a style associated with northern Italy but now made beautifully in the U.S as well.

Here are five of the best:

Bosina from Caseificio Alta Langa: mixed cow’s and sheep’s milk; smooth, supple and lush, with a delicate flavor reminiscent of rice pudding or vanilla custard.

Robiola Due Latti from Guffanti: This cow-sheep blend from the esteemed affineur Guffanti is an 8- to 10-ounce square with a thin white crust, aromas of mushroom and cultured cream and a pleasantly tart finish. Guffanti three-milk Robiola (“Tre Latti”) is buttery perfection, rich and seamless.

Rocchetta from Caseificio Alta Langa: This three-milk robiola is, in a word, sublime, with hints of mushroom, earth and crème fraîche. At peak ripeness, its silky, fluffy texture reminds me of cheesecake.     

Rocket’s Robiola from Boxcarr Handmade Cheese: an ash-coated cow’s milk robiola with aromas of mushroom, barnyard, garlic and aged beef. Don’t cut away that rind. It’s meant to be eaten.

Rosie’s Robiola from Boxcarr Handmade Cheese is a 12-ounce cow’s-milk square with a wrinkled rind, a supple ivory interior and an aroma of bread yeast and mushrooms.