This artisanal cheese brand from Dibrugarh is fusing Assam’s iconic chili bhoot jolokia with creamy cheddar

The quaint city on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, Dibrugarh in Assam, is home to some of the oldest and largest tea estates in the country. Now, it is also in the news for experiments with cheese.

Queso, the State’s first artisanal small-batch cheese brand, blends European tradition with Assamese flavours. Its bestseller is the Bhoot Jolokia Cheddar, a daring fusion of Assam’s iconic chili with creamy cheddar; the bhoot jolokia adds heat to the tangy and nutty cheddar. Another crowd-favorite is Parmesan and Garlic Cheddar. “By artisanal, I mean everything we make is from 100% pure milk,” says Abhilasha, the founder of Queso. “For most of us growing up, ‘cheese’ meant Amul slices or blocks made from milk solids, not pure milk. My journey really began from questioning that difference.”