Types of cheese: learn to tell them apart like a professional

You may have attended a wedding or party where, among the appetisers, you tasted a cheese that fascinated you. Unless you were already an expert, you may only have known whether you liked it. Yet, as with wine, cheesemaking has many nuances.

To identify the cheese you are eating, it helps to know the general classification methods. Next time, you will recognise the type of cheese rather than being caught unprepared.

Cheeses can be classified according to documentary, legal or technological criteria. However, the most common classifications are:

By milk type

As well as the animal the milk comes from, such as goats or sheep, cheeses are classified by how the milk is treated or heated before cheesemaking:

Raw milk

Cheese made from milk that has not been heated above 40ºC or undergone an equivalent treatment.

Pasteurised milk

Cheeses made from pasteurised milk, obtained by heating milk to between 72 and 76 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds, or between 61°C and 63ºC for 30 minutes, followed by immediate cooling.

Thermised milk

Cheeses made from milk given a heat treatment of between 57°C and 62°C for 15 or 20 seconds, followed by immediate cooling.

Microfiltered milk

Cheeses made from microfiltered milk. Cream is first separated from the milk. The skimmed milk is then filtered through fine membranes that trap bacteria, before the cream is added back in the appropriate proportion.

By production method

Depending on where and by whom they are made, and the methods used, cheeses fall into these categories:

Farmhouse or “fermier” cheeses

Made by traditional methods on the farm, using only raw milk from its own animals.

They are high-quality cheeses produced in limited quantities, with seasonality contributing to their individuality. The cheesemaker is involved in every stage, from livestock care and feeding to production and maturation. As with artisan cheeses, there is no continuous automated process, although mechanical assistance may be used.

Artisan cheeses

Made using traditional methods, generally by small teams of 1 to 5 people. Milk comes from nearby farms supervised by the cheesemaker. Raw or pasteurised milk may be used. The cheesemaker is constantly involved, without automated production processes.

Dairy or cooperative cheeses

Made from cooperative members’ own milk in dedicated facilities. Semi-automated processes allow larger quantities to be produced.

Industrial cheeses

Industrial products made from milk bought from different farms, sometimes far apart, using large-scale automated production. The milk must therefore be standardised, requiring pasteurisation, thermisation or microfiltration.

By maturation

Depending on the maturation process, if any, cheeses are classified as:

Fresh cheese

Ready to eat as soon as production ends.

Matured cheese

Cheese that needs time at a specific temperature and under particular conditions after production for its characteristic physical and chemical changes to take place.

By flavour

Taste and flavour are subjective, so cheese classification uses intensity as a guide.

Fresh or sweet intensity

Fresh-intensity cheeses taste slightly acidic and milky, while sweet-intensity cheeses are very creamy. Fresh intensity is found in Burgos cheese, curds, petit suisse and lactic goat’s cheeses. Sweet intensity occurs in cream-enriched cheeses such as Brillat-Savarin and Chaource, and very lightly matured cheeses.

Mild intensity

Cheeses with short maturation and distinct flavours, particularly milk and butter. These include soft cheeses such as Camembert, Brie and Coulommiers, and pressed cheeses matured for less than 2-3 months, such as Reblochon and Cantal.

Pronounced intensity

Also called “cheeses with character”, these are at their ideal maturation, with cooked-milk, cereal, nut or vegetable flavours predominating. Examples include fruity cooked-curd cheeses such as Gruyère and Beaufort, soft blue cheeses such as Cashel Blue, and semi-mature pressed goat’s cheeses.

Strong intensity

These cheeses have a piquant touch combined with their own aromatic characteristics, plus a moderate saltiness. Examples include soft, washed-rind cheeses such as Livarot, Maroilles, Époisses and Munster; blue cheeses such as Fourme d’Ambert and Montbrison; and mature pressed cheeses.

Very strong intensity

More piquant and longer-lasting than strong intensity, sometimes slightly aggressive, with more pronounced saltiness. Found in some blue cheeses, extra-mature cheeses, and double-fermented cheeses such as Tupi and Gaztazarra.