I've had Spanish cheese before, most have. The basic Manchego they carry at the local grocery store is now too waxy and Kraft single like to be eaten.

We had Manchego aged 3 months, Manchego Valdehierro (I think this was an unpasterized cheese), Nevat, Cabrales Valdeon, Mahon, Campo de Montalban, and finally San Simon.

The Nevat, a spanish goat cheese was amazing. Even the people in the group who don't like goat cheese loved this one. The Cabrales Valdeon, a spanish blue was not as strong as everyone warns, but it was still creamy and blue.

All the cheeses were great and highly recommend seeking out more Spanish cheese.

Basics of Tasting:
Look
As noted in the look section on buying cheese, you want to make sure the appearance of the cheese looks good.

Smell
Similiar to smell section on buying cheese, you want to make sure the aroma is what you are expecting.

Taste
Here's where you find out the texture and open the gate to the flavor of the cheese.
The style of cheese will tell you what type of texture the cheese has. Soft cheeses will release flavors sooner than harder cheeses.

Flavor
Cheese will impart a specific flavor while eating the cheese. This is why it's important to make sure it is at room tempature so you can get the most flavor out of the cheese.

Once you have your piece of room temperature cheese:
1) Put it in your mouth
2) Chew carefully
3) Breathe through your nose and mouth — paying attention to the various sensations as the cheese passes through your mouth. (Is it salty, creamy, crumbly, etc.)
4) Eat up and enjoy!

Like with wine, there are a number of terms to help describe cheese and once I find a way to post them and not take up 10 pages, I will.

There are a few things I think could be more clear. So I've made a few changes for below to make more sense.

So, here's some notes on buying cheese:
Look
Look for cheese that is uniform, fresh-looking and in the style you are expecting (if it's supposed to be fresh cheese and it's hard, don't buy). If it's slimy, moldy, cracked, or dried, than it's bad and don't buy it. If the cheese is wrapped in foil ask to see it before you buy it.

Smell
There is no sure way to know if your stinky cheese is supposed to be stinky. You can either ask the cheese vendor or pay close attention to the other charateristics of the cheese.

Taste
By tasting the cheese, you will find the texture. Which is the best way to tell the style of the cheese. Is it soft, semi-hard, etc? Soft cheeses will release flavors sooner than harder cheeses.

Flavor
Flavor is what matters the most. If the cheese has a funky flavor (more on this later) than pass on the cheese.

Final Thoughts
-Always taste at room temperature. If it's too cold, the flavors will be muted. If you have to taste cold cheese, warm it up first with your hands.
-Try to avoid eating the part of cheese that has been next to plastic wrap. Cut off a small slice that touched the plastic.

Next posting, how to taste cheese.