Cheese Review 👏👏: Curé-Hébert

Introduction

My friends and I recently decided to sample some fine cheese and review it. We had never considered the idea of eating cheese alone as a snack so it seemed exciting and fun. We went to a cheese store and picked out the cheese we wanted to review. I picked the one with the most interesting name to me: Curé-Hébert. I ate the cheese and now we’re here. 

The History

Believe it or not, Cure Hebert is a cheese named after someone. That someone is Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert. Not only does he have cheese named after him, but he also has a town named after him called Hébertville located in Québec. This is where the cheesemaker is located. The fancy-named cheese is created in Québec where raw milk is drawn from the Fromagerie L’Autre Versant’s herd of Ayrshire cows and left to ripen for 60 days. 

The Description

The cheese looks like the average cheese you see in cartoons, buttery in colour, but it has an orange-brown rind (sort of like a crust). The creamy part of the cheese is semi-soft and smooth whereas the rind is more firm and stiff. Also, the rind has a rocky texture and is partially covered by a fluffy white coat.

The Initial Taste

I ate the cheese in a specific way. Before eating, I rinsed my mouth with sparkling water to get rid of any taste in my mouth. If I wished to eat another slice of cheese, I would rinse my mouth again. This was repeated each time I wanted to eat another slice. 

According to the taste description of the cheese, there are notes of mushrooms, a hint of sweetness (honey or caramel), cream, and butter. But, all I could taste was barnyard. It’s a bit difficult to describe, but if you have ever been to a farm and you’re familiar with the smell and the taste left in your mouth on your initial arrival at the farm. That is the taste. The cheese taste like the smell of manure and the smell of hay mixed together and left to ripen for 60 days. Barnyardy. With each bite of the cheese, the “barnyardy” taste only becomes stronger instead of becoming weaker as expected. This ruins the taste of the cheese. The strong taste also lingers in your mouth for too long which leads to a horrible aftertaste.

The Aftertaste

The aftertaste of the cheese is slightly more bearable. The strong “barnyardy” taste starts to finally die out. The taste becomes more rich and creamy but the horrible taste is still left in your mouth. The taste starts to bounce around in your mouth as time goes on. Also, the taste is not good. The aftertaste will linger for a few minutes unless washed out. 

The Conclusion

Not a big surprise, but this cheese tasted bad. No one would or should want to understand how the smell of a farm tastes. But if you do, then the CurĂ©-HĂ©bert is for you. For me, it’s a 3/10, only because when eaten with a cracker, it tastes okay.

Author