Just when you think there are no bargains left at the specialty cheese counter, I’ve rounded up eight selections that consistently over-deliver for the price. In my view, these beauties outclass comparable cheeses that cost a lot more. “Value” doesn’t just mean you paid a low price; you can always find inexpensive cheese at the supermarket. Value means you got more than you paid for. Most of these offerings sell for $18 to $22 a pound and they outperform cheeses that retail for half again as much. I served all of them in a recent class I called “Value Propositions” and was surprised by my guests’ favorite. My own top pick was not universally loved but you can’t argue about taste, right?

So here are eight cheeses that deliver a lot of delight for your dollar. Please use the Comments section to let me know of any cheeses you would add to this list. Clockwise from 12 o’clock:

Caña de Oveja (Spain) is the sheep’s milk version of the better known—and easier to find—Caña de Cabra, a soft-ripened goat’s milk log. The same producer makes both and was apparently inspired by France’s Bucheron. This style of cheese is uncommon in Spain, especially from sheep’s milk, but aren’t we glad this cheesemaker has an independent streak? Note the translucent cream line just under the rind, a sign of ripening. Caña de Oveja smells of mushrooms and damp cave, with buttery notes and a tangy finish.

Capriolina (Italy) is a newcomer from Arnoldi, a respected name in northern Italian cheese. At a little over 8 ounces, it’s perfect for four. When ripe, it may slump when cut so you want to enjoy it in one sitting if possible. A washed-rind goat’s milk cheese, it can get pretty pungent but the flavor is tamer—yeasty and beefy—and the supple, squishy texture is sublime. Think of it as a mini goat Taleggio.

Export versions of Tomme de Savoie (France) always left me underwhelmed until I tasted the wheels shipped by Hervé Mons. This masterful affineur selects young Tomme de Savoie from top producers, then matures the wheels in his own cellars until they have a rustic thick crust and cheesecake aroma.

La Dama Sagrada (Spain), an aged wheel from raw goat’s milk, comes from a Manchego producer who uses the same forms, hench the crosshatch marks on the rind. After six months in the cellar, it is firm and concentrated, sweeter than Manchego and nutty, with a tart, lemony finish. I could snack on this all day.

Estero Gold Reserve from Valley Ford Creamery (California) is a 14-month-old wheel from raw cow’s milk, produced by a family that has been dairy farming in Sonoma County for more than a century. Karen Bianchi-Moreda, who developed the recipe, was working from a taste memory, trying to recreate the cheese her Italian-Swiss immigrant grandparents would always keep on their sideboard under a glass dome. Estero Gold Reserve is firm, dense and nutty—and just look at that color.

I was thrilled to be able to share Cougar Gold with my class, thanks to the generosity of the Washington State University Creamery. Developed in the 1940s in collaboration with the Federal Government, this cheese in a can always astonishes first-time tasters. Who would expect such moist, creamy, flavor-packed Cheddar to come out of a tin? Thank goodness I remembered to take the can opener. Even with shipping, the cost of this one-of-a-kind cheese is reasonable. Online sales only.

I discovered Hornkuhkäse (Switzerland) at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, after cheesemonger Gordon Edgar told me it was one of the great values at his well-stocked counter. Indeed. This silky cream-added Swiss cheese smells like deeply roasted onions, beef broth and buttered toast. Made in the Appenzell region from the thermized milk of Brown Swiss cows that still have horns (hence the name), Hornkuhkäse reminds us yet again of the seemingly innate expertise of Swiss cheesemakers. You probably won’t find this cheese easily but let’s agitate for it.

Fourme d’Ambert, in contrast, is everywhere and so familiar that we tend to forget what a great value it is. With its eye-catching truckle shape and buttery, mellow flavor, it’s a reliable pleaser on a cheese platter. I paid $18 a pound for it, an astonishing price given that many imported and domestic blues are twice that and not as enjoyable.

And now the reveal: By a show of hands, Caña de Oveja was the runaway People’s Choice. My own vote went to the impeccable Hornkuhkäse, but its intense flavor was too much for some.