the cheese blog

Hudson Valley Camembert

When I was in DiBruno Bros. getting cheese for a Thanksgiving Day cheese plate, I noticed they had a few Hudson Valley Camembert’s, which I had been wanting to try for a while, but always passed it over for other selections. This seemed like a good time to choose this cheese as I had read it was not like a typical Camembert, e.g., a more mild cheese.

Hudson Valley Camembert is made by Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in Old Chatham, NY. The cheese is made from a mixture of sheep’s milk and cow’s milk in the style of a Camembert. It comes in a distinctive square shape and weighs about 4 ounces.

The Camembert has a natural, bright white, bloomy rind, that is quite thick and pillowy. The color of the paste is bright white too (which doesn’t come across well in the above photo). The aroma is mild and fresh. The texture is semi-soft and very creamy at room temperature. The taste really surprised me. This cheese is not particularly “mild.” It was very flavourful! It has a bit of mushroom taste, but the finish had a very sharp spiciness and bite. I was shocked at how good this cheese is. I was not expecting it to be so good, but I’m glad I finally tried it. This cheese is probably in my top 10 cheeses now. I just hope ir remains available locally so I can get more in the future.