Bloomy Cheese or Washed Rind Cheese

What's The Difference Between Bloomy and Washed Rind Cheeses?

Both are surfaced ripened cheeses but different. There is an exponential amount of information about cheese and cheese classification. Go to any cheese counter or crack open a guide to cheese, and you will be inundated with endless choices, varieties, and classifications of cheese.

• What cheese belongs to which grouping?
• When is it acceptable to eat the rind of cheese?
• What’s the difference between a Parmesan and a Pecorino?

The difference between a bloomy rind and washed rind cheese has constantly nagged me lately. I’m sure you are all wondering the same thing, so I’ve settled the matter before it becomes a widespread concern.

The bloomy rind and wash rind cheeses are in the soft-ripened category, yet they go through vastly different ripening processes.

Bloomy rinds (such as Brie or Camembert) have a growth of soft, white mold on the surface of the cheese.

Washed rind cheeses (like Epoisses or a Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk) have a unique orange hue and firmer outer rind. I’ll explain how the two come to have their distinctive characteristics.

Production

Bloomy Rind cheeses are surface ripened. This means that the surrounding fluffy white mold encourages the proper ripening of the interior paste of the cheese.

During the cheese-making process, the outside of the cheese is coated with Penicillium candidum, a specific mold culture that forms a “bloomy” edible crust. As the flavor-producing candidum mold begins to break down, a creaminess spreads throughout the cheese's interior, giving it an optimal flavor and smooth texture.

On the other hand, Washed Rind cheeses are immersed into a salt water brine (or sometimes seeped in wine, brandy, oil, or beer). These liquid solutions cultivate the growth of a specific orange-colored bacterium which similarly flavors the cheese's interior.

The bacteria explains why you can spot a washed-rind cheese by its significantly brighter orange hue. So, both bloomy and washed cheeses are surfaced-ripened, yet they go through different production processes to achieve the final result.

Taste

Bloomy rind cheeses are generally creamy and rich in flavor—almost like a dessert— while a washed rind cheese tastes hearty, robust, and sometimes even a bit meaty. Taste and flavor depend on what specific type of cheese you buy and how long the cheese has aged.

Texture

Have you ever cut into a bloomy rind cheese and watched its inner paste slowly ooze out?

This is because the exterior mold culture feeds on the cheese's protein, giving it an incredibly creamy texture that sometimes leaks out. When serving a bloomy rind, I suggest putting a tray underneath it and using a spoon to scoop out the soft contents.

Washed rind cheeses have a harder outer surface with an even, semi-soft paste on the inside. If you choose one with a particularly rigid and sandy rind, it is probably a result of the leftover salt crystals that come from the bathing process during the maturation of the cheese.

However, ensure the outer surface isn’t cracked when selecting a washed cheese.

When To Eat Them

Some cheeses improve with age, yet tread carefully with a bloomy rind—you don’t want it to acquire too much moisture and become watery over time. As a general rule of thumb, I typically attempt to eat as much of my bloomy cheese as possible after I cut into it on the first serving.

You can be slightly more flexible with a washed rind cheese, rewrap it, and put it back in the fridge after one serving. Remember that these cheeses can get very smelly; the longer you let them sit, the stronger the aroma. For the record, I love stinky cheeses.

Examples of Bloomy Rind Cheeses

• Brie
• Le Tur
• Camembert
• Brillat-Savarin Petite

Examples of Washed Rind Cheeses

• Epoisses
• Liverarot
• Pont l'Eveque
• Taleggio (Best Buy for the $)
• Raclette
• Colorouge