Cheese type Uncooked, unpressed, soft, washed rind
	Milk Cow
Description Comes in 2 sizes Small one: Weight 8.8 oz to 12.32 oz (250 to 350 g), 3.74 in to 4.52 in (95 to 115 mm) in diameter. Large one: Weight 25 oz to 38.7 oz (700 to 1,100 g), 6.5 in to 7.48 in (165 to 190 mm) in diameter. Thickness:1.18 in to 1.8 in (30 to 45 mm) for both Fat: at least 50%	Country France
	Area of production Burgundy
	Other information AOC since 1991

Epoisse Cheese History

In the first part of the XVIth century, the village of Epoisses was home to a religious community which was, according to oral tradition, the original creators of Époisses cheese. When the community left the village, some two centuries later, it handed on to the valley's peasant folk a valuable inheritance: the recipe.

It is due to the farmers that the Époisses survived the two World Wars and is still available on the French tables. French tables only? Pretty much, as customs regulations make it very difficult to get the cheese in some countries. At least, you are now aware of the cheese, which was noticeably qualified as the "king of all cheeses" by no other than Brillat-Savarin, and you will hopefully put it on your list of cheeses to try when in France.

Epoisse Cheese Fabrication Process

As soon as it arrives in the cheese dairy, the whole milk is heated to a temperature of about 25 to 30 °C in order to be subjected to a gentle maturation. The slow lactic coagulation of the cheese lasts for 16 to 24 hours. The fragile curds are left to drain in perforated moulds, and the liquid or whey runs off freely, so that the straining is carried out naturally.

After a minimum of 48 hours and two turnings, the cheese is taken out of the moulds and salted with dry salt. It is then placed on racks in a cool, ventilated drying room.

Once dried, the cheeses are taken into cool damp cellars to mature slowly. Each cheese is then rinsed between one and three times per week in water to which increasingly higher quantities of marc de Bourgogne have been added..

During the maturing process, yeast and red fermenting agents contribute to the development of the cheese's aromas and flavours, and give it its unique orange-red colour.

Appearance	Shiny and smooth or slightly rippled, orange-ivory to brick- red rind depending on the maturity.The colour is solely due to the pigmentation of the surface bacteria, in particular the red fermenting agents, the use of colour additives being prohibited. The paste is light beige in colour on the outer edge and white in the centre.
Touch	Soft
Aroma	It has a strong nose, a firm bouquet, with aromas of woodland undergrowth.
Taste	In the mouth it is supple, creamy and never excessively strong. Its taste is honest, subtle, balanced, with gentle hints of dried fruit.
Packaging	The Époisses is sold in a wood box and must have the stamp of the AOC.

Official web site of the Époisses