Making Comte Cheese in the Jura Mountains of France

[@blue_beephang-glider5417]

On trip to France 3 years back I discovered their hard cheeses now I drive 60km to the one place in Canberra Australia I can buy them. I do this about 4 times a year and miss them when finished. Great Video!

[@BarbaraWeibel]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it. I live in Thailand and I dearly wish we could get decent Comtè cheese here.

[@HarrySerpanos]

Thanks Barbara, six month aged comte is one of my favourite cheeses...

[@BarbaraWeibel]

Oh me too, Harry! Unfortunately, it's obscenely expensive here in Thailand, so I rarely get my fix.

[@HarrySerpanos]

@@BarbaraWeibel I'm in Australia and it costs 11 australian dollars for 250g.

[@rachelattack]

I was eating Jura Montagne Comte while watching this. It's 9:04 am 😅

[@stephaniev2594]

the best wine to have with is Vin Jaune of course!!!

[@crunchyhobgoblin258]

Thank you for the great video 🙏

[@BarbaraWeibel]

antra khurana You’re very welcome, Antra. Thank you for your kind compliment

[@olegivanov7502]

2:55 got rid of that fly pretty smooth but i have noticed haha

[@CCOuais]

What a great video to learn about Comte cheese making! I love 6 month and 9 month so much! Could you kindly share the name of the farm where you visited? Would love to see if possible to visit in person in the future. Thank you in advance! :)

[@BarbaraWeibel]

So glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of the favorite tours I’ve ever taken. For more details about the farms, dairies, and affineurs I visited, please refer to my in-depth article about it on my blog: holeinthedonut.com/2017/08/27/how-is-comte-cheese-made. You can also Google the Comtè Cheese Producers Association, which organizes these tours.

[@guycoulson473]

Thank you for making this Barbara - it is fascinating. Did you happen to learn how much those huge wheels cost?

[@BarbaraWeibel]

Hi Guy: There's no standard answer for that. Each wheel is different. They can be made from winter milk or summer milk. They can be aged from 4 to 48 months. Every dairy has a slightly different process, just as does every aging cave. Even the altitude at which the cows graze can cause the cheese to taste slightly different, because they eat different plants and flowers at different altitudes. So it's a matter of the cheesemonger tasting each wheel and putting a price on it. I can tell you that Comté isn't cheap, but it's also definitely worth the price. Pure ambrosia!

[@guycoulson473]

Yes indeed it is, perhaps the king of cheeses! I just spent half an hour looking at house prices there and fantasising life as a Comté maker..... it seems an idyllic location and pursuit. I am only across the channel so hope to visit soon. Thanks for the reply. :)

[@nathanezra3345]

1:18 what on earth was the cow doing at the back

[@BarbaraWeibel]

I'm pretty sure that's a male cow, mounting a female cow, who is running away from his attentions. Good eye!

[@ratclifferob]

So it's not raw cheese as the temperature is to high and alters the enzyme.

[@Abeltepase8000]

Wow

[@ratclifferob]

0:34 are they grains ?

[@BarbaraWeibel]

As Comtè cheese ages, it does develop crystals, but the younger wheels do not have crystals.

[@ratclifferob]

@@BarbaraWeibel I mean are they grains what he's giving to the cows 0.34 ?