From creamy white rinds to dramatic blue veins and dangerously fragrant orange cheeses, here is how to find the right level of adventure — without accidentally spending €20 on something that takes over the entire fridge.
Cheese counters are designed to make us feel slightly inadequate. There are pale wheels covered in velvet, wedges threaded with blue, tiny goat’s cheeses dusted with ash and suspicious orange blocks wrapped as carefully as luxury perfume.
Their names rarely help. Is Gorgonzola supposed to be gentle or fierce? Does a darker blue cheese taste stronger? Is an expensive Camembert simply a better Brie? And which one produces the famous aroma of old socks?
The first thing to know is that “mould cheese” is not one single category. White-rind cheeses, blue cheeses and washed-rind cheeses develop in completely different ways — and create very different surprises.
In fact, the cheese with the bluest veins is not necessarily the smelliest one on the board. The real aromatic troublemakers are often hiding behind an innocent orange rind.
White, Blue or Orange: What Are You Actually Looking At?
A soft cheese covered in a white, fluffy rind — such as Brie or Camembert — is usually the safest introduction. Its surface mould helps transform the cheese from the outside in, creating a soft texture and flavours that may suggest cream, butter, mushrooms or damp woodland.
Blue cheese develops its mould inside. The blue-green veins are created when air reaches the interior of the cheese, allowing the selected culture to grow. Depending on the milk, moisture and length of maturation, the result can be softly creamy or intensely salty and peppery.
Then there are washed-rind cheeses. Their rinds are repeatedly washed during maturation, usually with brine and sometimes with alcohol. This encourages the bacteria responsible for their sticky orange, pink or reddish exterior — and their famously powerful aroma.
This is the source of an important cheese-counter rule: blue veins often mean sharpness, while an orange rind may mean smell.
The flavour of a washed-rind cheese can still be buttery, fruity and surprisingly gentle. Its aroma, however, may enter the room several minutes before the cheese does.
For Beginners: Start with the Creamy Ones
If your previous experience of mouldy cheese begins and ends with a slice of supermarket Brie, there is no reason to leap directly into Roquefort or Limburger. Start with cheeses in which creaminess is more noticeable than mould.
Brie
Young Brie is usually mild, buttery and slightly mushroomy, with a soft white rind and a creamy centre. It is one of the least risky choices for a mixed cheese board.
However, “Brie” describes a family of cheeses rather than one completely uniform flavour. A mass-produced Brie may be extremely mild, while a traditional, fully ripened version can become earthy, vegetal and noticeably more aromatic.
Choose a wedge that feels gently soft rather than completely liquid. A strong ammonia smell usually means the cheese is overripe, not exceptionally sophisticated.
Camembert
Camembert is often smaller, earthier and more intense than everyday Brie. A young one may taste milky and mushroomy; a ripe one can become runny, savoury and distinctly farmyard-like.
For a cautious first attempt, choose a younger Camembert with a firm centre. If the whole cheese is already collapsing inside its box, you are entering more advanced territory.
Gorgonzola Dolce
Despite its blue veins, Gorgonzola Dolce is one of the friendliest blue cheeses. It is soft, moist and almost spreadable, with a buttery, slightly sweet flavour and a relatively gentle blue tang.
The word dolce is the important part. It distinguishes this younger, creamier style from Gorgonzola Piccante, which is firmer, more mature and considerably sharper.
Cambozola
Cambozola combines a soft, white-rind style with blue mould inside. It was practically designed for people who want to like blue cheese but do not yet enjoy being attacked by it.
Expect a rich, creamy texture with restrained blue flavour. Purists may find it too polite; beginners often find it exactly right.
Your safest first selection
If you want almost no risk, begin with young Brie. If you want something slightly more interesting, choose Camembert. For a first blue cheese, look for Gorgonzola Dolce or Cambozola.
Serve them at room temperature with plain crackers, pear or fresh bread. Cheese eaten directly from a cold fridge tastes firmer, flatter and less expressive — which is useful if you are nervous, but hardly fair to the cheese.
For the More Experienced: Salt, Spice and Character
Once mild creaminess begins to feel too predictable, move towards cheeses with more blue flavour, firmer textures and longer finishes.
Stilton
Blue Stilton is rich, crumbly and creamy at the same time. Its flavour can include salt, nuts, mushrooms, fruit and peppery blue notes, becoming rounder and more complex as the cheese matures.
It is assertive without usually becoming chaotic. This makes it a good bridge between beginner-friendly blue cheeses and the more demanding classics.
Try it with pear, walnuts, chutney or a small glass of port. Sweetness softens the salt and makes its savoury depth easier to appreciate.
Gorgonzola Piccante
This is the more forceful relative of Gorgonzola Dolce. Longer maturation gives it a firmer, sometimes crumbly texture and a sharper, spicier flavour.
If Dolce is a blue cheese folded into cream, Piccante allows the mould to take centre stage. It works well on a cheese board but is also excellent in sauces, risotto or with polenta.
Check the label carefully: buying “Gorgonzola” without noticing which version it is can produce two completely different dinners.
Danish Blue
Danish Blue is often salty, direct and relatively affordable. It may not have the romance of a French cave or an ancient Italian name, but it delivers an unmistakable blue-cheese flavour.
It is a practical choice for dressings, sauces, burgers and salads. For eating by itself, add something sweet or crisp to balance its saltiness.
Taleggio
Taleggio is where we cross into washed-rind territory. Its orange-pink rind can smell considerably stronger than its soft interior tastes.
The flavour is generally savoury, buttery and slightly fruity, sometimes with a pleasant tang. It is a useful first “stinky cheese” because the aroma promises far more danger than the taste usually delivers.
If you want to understand why cheese lovers say, “Ignore the smell and try it,” Taleggio is the place to begin.
For Experts: When Cheese Should Fight Back
These are not necessarily “better” cheeses. They are simply less interested in pleasing everyone.
Roquefort
Roquefort is made from sheep’s milk and matured in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France. It is moist, creamy and crumbly, with an intense combination of salt, acidity and sharp blue flavour.
The sheep’s milk gives it a richness that prevents the cheese from tasting merely aggressive, but it is still a serious step up from Gorgonzola Dolce.
Buy a small piece first. Roquefort is wonderful with figs, honey, pears or walnuts, but a large unaccompanied bite can feel like drinking seawater during a thunderstorm.
Cabrales
Spanish Cabrales can be powerful, spicy and lingering. Traditionally associated with the caves of Asturias, it may be made with cow’s milk or a mixture that also includes sheep’s and goat’s milk.
This is a blue cheese for someone who considers Stilton pleasantly restrained. Serve it in small quantities and give it something sweet or robust to work against.
Époisses
Époisses is small, soft, orange and capable of making its presence known through closed packaging. Its rind is traditionally washed during maturation, helping to produce its sticky surface and monumental aroma.
The surprising part is the interior: rich, silky, meaty and sometimes much rounder than the smell suggests. A perfectly ripe Époisses can be magnificent. It can also make everything in the refrigerator taste as though it has spent the weekend in a French cellar.
This is not the cheese to buy before a long journey on public transport.
Munster and Limburger
Both belong to the famously aromatic washed-rind family. Expect savoury, earthy and sometimes farmyard notes, with a smell that can be far more confrontational than the flavour.
Limburger has become almost synonymous with “stinky cheese,” while Munster can range from relatively balanced to impressively pungent depending on ripeness.
Choose them when you actively want the experience. Do not buy one simply because the packaging looks traditional and the price suggests luxury.
For Aesthetes: The Cheeses That Make the Board Beautiful
Some cheeses deserve attention before anyone even tastes them. They add contrast, texture and a little theatre to a cheese board without necessarily being the strongest options.
Ash-Covered Goat’s Cheese
The charcoal-grey coating on a goat’s cheese may look dramatic, but it is not a warning sign. Traditionally, ash helped protect the surface and manage its acidity; today it also creates a striking appearance.
Inside, the cheese may be bright white, fresh and lemony when young. As it matures, it can become creamier near the rind and more concentrated in flavour.
Look for small logs, pyramids or wrinkled rounds. Their monochrome exterior and snow-white centre make them especially photogenic.
Valençay
Valençay is a truncated pyramid of French goat’s cheese covered with ash and a ripened rind. It looks architectural, almost like a miniature monument placed in the middle of the board.
Its flavour changes with age: young Valençay can be fresh and citrusy, while a more mature one becomes denser, nuttier and earthier.
Humboldt Fog
Recognisable by its dark line of vegetable ash through the centre, Humboldt Fog is a modern American goat’s cheese with immediate visual impact.
The ash line does not create a stronger flavour. Expect fresh acidity in the centre and a softer, creamier layer beneath the rind as it ripens.
Mimolette
Mimolette is not a mould cheese in the usual sense, but its rough grey-brown rind and brilliant orange interior make it one of the most spectacular additions to a board.
Its flavour is nutty and caramel-like, particularly when mature. It is ideal when you want the cheese selection to look adventurous without making every guest confront blue mould or a washed rind.
The Most Common Expensive Mistakes
Price is not an intensity scale, and it is certainly not a guarantee that you will personally enjoy the cheese.
An artisan Brie may be stronger than the blue cheese beside it. An expensive washed-rind cheese may taste superb but make your refrigerator smell temporarily uninhabitable. A famous name may be protected by geography and tradition, but that does not make it beginner-friendly.
The safest approach is to ask three questions at the counter:
“How strong is the aroma?”
“How strong is the actual flavour?”
“Is this cheese young, ripe or already very ripe?”
A good cheesemonger understands that these are different questions.
If possible, ask for a taste. If tasting is not available, buy the smallest practical portion. Nobody needs a full wheel of self-discovery.
The best cheese is the one that makes you reach for another piece — not the one you force yourself to finish because it cost €20 and came wrapped like a royal gift.
Sources The Consortium for the Protection of Gorgonzola Cheese, Stilton Cheesemakers Association, Taste France о Roquefort PDO
