It's great for cooking and baking because it holds its flavor so well. None of this namby-pamby cook it and the flavor mellows out. It's easy peeling and has big cloves. It's a great way to introduce your friends to gourmet garlic. It's not overly offensive (some of you think that way, we know!), but the flavor is clearly garlic. It is of the variety called "purple stripe". Most strains in this variety have 8-12 cloves per bulb.