I will begin by saying that I have had some phenomenal Epoisses in the last few years, so when I went to purchase a round that was advertised as being on sale for half price in early December, I was really, really looking forward to taking my first bite of the soft, creamy paste. I didn't think too much of it when the rind looked a bit more orange than I remembered. Slight variations can occur from season to season. It wasn't until I got home and opened the package that I started to worry. The aroma was stronger than I remembered, very much on the pungent side. Epoisses is a funky cheese, but it's no Limburger.
Hervé Mons is an outstanding affineur. I like pretty much all the cheeses I have tried with his name on the label. His Epoisses, a relatively new product I assume, is the exception. In all my years of sampling and eating cheese, I have never returned a cheese product, until now. This was terrible. I can't think of another time when I couldn't consume a cheese. When I tried this version, against my better judgment, it tasted like the smell of horse urine. Yuck. The ammonia flavor was overwhelming and almost burned my throat. This was not merely old or overly aged cheese. I have tried Epoisses well past its prime and can assure you that it's not this bad. What I tried had no resemblance to Epoisses whatsoever.
If you're looking to buy Epoisses, stick to the classics.
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| This is what good Epoisses should look like |
Thanks for posting this, because I just noticed this was available at Whole Foods. Have you had a chance to try it recently, and if so has it improved? Thanks. Epoisses is my favorite cheese when done right.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Jonathan.
DeleteEpoisses is usually one my favorite cheeses, too! I have been afraid to try the Herve Mons again. If I get up the nerve, I will let you know. Let me know if you end up trying it.
One good thing is that I found out you can order the Epoisses AOP by Berthaut at Igourmet. They also have another one by Germain that I haven't tried. The Berthaut AOP is, in my opinion, the best.
It was past ripe. The ammonia scent you described is a tell tale sign. Did you check the production date of the wheel you bought? Typically a cheese of good or better quality will have the date produced on and a sell by date. The other possibility is a flaw in storage. Whole Foods, for example, is notoriously sloppy about how they care for their cheese. I'm very, VERY careful when buying any cheese from them. But they're not alone. Far too few American fromageries are conscientious about cheese handling. I can tell you I've bought the Herve Mons Epoisses half dozen times with no complaint. On the other hand I bought a Brie de Meaux from them years back that was akin to what you described. Upon inspection it was weeks past the suggested sell by date. I brought it back and picked up another one well within the suggested consumption range and it was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment! Yes, the date was fine. There was a promotion, and the batch all had a date that was good for a month after the date of my purchase. I don't know what the issue was, but it was terrible. I know you have to be really careful about the date, though. It's possible it was just a bad batch or stored incorrectly. I might give it another try based on what you're saying! I really do love a lot of the Herve Mons products.
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