Cheese of the week: Morbier cheese

Name: Morbier Cheese

Brand: none listed

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Organic Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: France

Price in Iowa: $11.50/pound

Milk: raw cow

Processing: 60 days of aging, egg added to the cheese

Texture: soft

Color: Straw yellow with a thin line of ash through the center of the cheese.

Rind: Natural basket-weave

Aroma: pungent, strong dairy, brie

Taste: creamy with mild brie flavors

Mouth feel: custard-like and lucious
 
Notes: This cheese is very, very stinky.  It will get on your hands and get in your breath.  I'd already suggest pairing this cheese with fruit, perhaps even citrus, or a fruity white wine.  The flavor, on the other hand, is mild and buttery.  There is still the pungency, but it is milder than the aroma.  The paste has the consistency of firm custard, which yields itself as it is warmed by your mouth.  A key feature of this cheese is the line of ash running through the center of the cheese.  This is an artisan feature now, but before it represented a stopping point in the cheese pouring.  When the cheesemaker was stopping for the evening, he would use a thin layer of vegetable ash to preserve the fresh cheese.  Then, he would pour again the next day to finish off the round.  This left a thin line of ash, which is now added to maintain tradition.