Brie de Melun

When most people think of French Cheeses, the first that come to mind are Camembert, Roquefort, and of course Brie. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many of the world's most famous cheeses, there are many inferior factory made and industrial cheeses that manage to reach the market under the name Brie.

Of the genuine , artisanal Brie type cheeses, Melun stands out as one of the best. It comes from the southern part of the Brie region and is thought to be the prototype for all others. It is also the strongest and fullest version, with a bigger flavor than it's better known younger sister, Brie de Meaux. It is a lovely full dosage of the savory, mouthwatering, creamy sour milk flavors. It has a fairly wide window of peak ripeness, possibly due to it's smaller format, and doesn't seem to fade or go over the hill quite as fast if not consumed immediately.