Brie cheese was first produced during the 8th century. In 1815 the French diplomat, Tallyrand, introduced the cheese in Vienna where it was dubbed "King of all cheeses."

Originally, and still true for many French and German Brie and Camembert, the cows milk was used unpasteurized. However, domestic Brie uses only pasteurized cows milk.

Brie in its underripe form is very firm and mild with a white, smooth rind. The edible rind is a natural part of the cheese. Brie ripens from the outside in, with the rind showing the first signs of ripening with tiny golden flecks of color. At the peak of ripeness (10-12 weeks) the rind will be flecked with gold and/or russet pigments. The brie will be creamy, have a savory flavor of mushrooms/ripe pears and have a long lingering rich aftertaste. We recommend brie at room temperature to enjoy its full flavor.

Blue Heron Brie is a domestic, double cream (60% butterfat) cheese made from pasteurized cows milk. Our back label shows both the production date and a "best used by" or ripening date of 12 weeks, plus guidelines to help customers select the correct level of ripeness to match their taste.

Blue Heron Brie comes in four varieties: Traditional - double cream, Herb & Garlic - flavored throughout the cheese, Pepper - speckled with cracked peppercorns in the rind, and Smoked which is lightly cold-smoked over hickory and alder chips. Blue Heron Camembert is also a double cream soft ripening cheese, very similar to brie.