$6.25 per 1/4 lb
Comte - 1/4 lb
- Comté is an ancient cooked and pressed cheese made from raw milk. A wheel weighs about 80 lbs and measures 3 ft in diameter.
- Comté is made in the Jura Massif of France, a region of medium-elevation mountains that covers the départements of the Jura and Doubs in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, and the départment of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
- Montbéliarde and French Simmental cows are the only breeds authorized to produce the milk for Comté. The cows graze in vast pastures from spring to autumn, and eat local hay in the winter. All fermented feed is banned from their healthy diet.
- There are about 2,500 small dairy farms that produce Comté milk. Producing a high-quality milk is vital for the expression of flavors and aromas in Comté.
- Comté is handmade every day by artisans in about 150 small village cheesemaking facilities, known as fruitières.
- It takes time for Comté to develop its taste. It is aged in maturing cellars for at least 4 months at a minimum, but aging can last up to 8, 12, 15, 18, 24 or more months. Comté is characterized by its complex aromatic richness. It is not a cheese with a uniform taste. Each wheel of Comté reveals a distinct aromatic composition that varies according the micro-region where it was produced, the local microflora, the season in which the cheese was made, the distinctive style of the cheesemaker, the cellar where it was matured… In this respect, Comté is truly a unique cheese.
- Rich in phosphorous, calcium, minerals and protein, Comté is a valuable food whose nutritional contents are useful in maintaining a balanced diet. Made with no additives or artificial colorants, and controlled at each level of production, Comté is a pure, healthy and natural food.