Comté is a handmade, artisan cheese of the truest type. This superb example is aged for a full 24 months, over which time it develops a hard texture with crunchy flavor crystals throughout its body. On the palate, it is strong with notes of fruit, hay, and hazelnut. All of this character is developed during the extreme aging process.While modern techniques have been embraced where they can facilitate procedures and increase quality, the production of Comté remains based on traditional methods. Each stage is subject to strict rules that are set down in the AOC specifications to ensure each wheel is just as perfect as the last. First of all, Comté milk is produced on more than 3,000 family farms in the mountainous region of French Comté practicing non-intensive agriculture, i.e. agriculture that, rather than aiming for the highest possible yields, focuses on quality, and takes into account soil characteristics.The cheese-making process must start within twenty-four hours of the milk being collected, and so Comté is made every day. Local producers bring their milk to the cheese dairy where it is made into Comté. Generally of a cooperative nature, this particular form of village-based organization originated eight centuries ago. An approach that incorporates solidarity and sharing has been preserved, as have the small-scale production techniques and traditions which make Comté a great cheese. In the silence and shadowy darkness of the cellars Comté undergoes a second transformation, as the wheels age on spruce boards. The new wheels are carefully looked after so as to encourage the natural development of flavors as the months pass by.Made from unpasteurized cow's milk; aged for 24 months.Whole form is 70 pounds.We cut and wrap this item by hand.
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