When one is walking in a room full of cheese, one expects a certain.... cheesy aroma. This is normal even in a refrigerated room, and yet one table is always impossible to mistake: the French table. Even though our domestic and pasteurized imported versions of Brie or goat cheese lack the depth of aroma of their European counterparts, still the French have a few tricks up their sleeves. Cheeses such as Epoisses or Munster come to mind, and included in this elite entourage of essences is today's Delice du Jura.
Today's title is not, however, a reference to the smell that is sure to be deposited on your hands for days after handling the cheese, but rather the consistency. Parceling this cheese up to sell is kind of like trying to package soup in plastic wrap. Smelly, smelly, delicious soup.
Origin: France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: Two weeks at the most
Notes: This is the cheese people are talking about when they say they're afraid of stinky cheese. It's like the cheese boogeyman hiding the the closet of curds. BBrrrrrrrr.
Thoughts: This washed rind cheese is perhaps the most runny and unmanageable cheese I have ever encountered. The aroma is instantly pungent and harsh, even chilled, and the paste is more soupy than solid. Creamier than most any other cheese, the flavor is actually rather mild and not as meaty as some other washed rind cheeses but gets carried away in the intense milkiness. The aftertaste is mostly that of the pungent aroma and all in all the cheese is a lot of trouble to ship, store, and eat. That being said, it is a divine a flavor for those looking for a real stinker and will push the envelope for even the most confident cheese taster. The reward, though nearly balanced by the off-putting smell, is considerable once you taste it, so I would label it a cautious "expert level cheese" and recommend it accordingly.
For all of those who missed it.
"Bbbrrrrr" is the sound of shivers going down your spine.
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