Cheese Database

Brillat-Savarin vs Explorateur

Brillat-Savarin, field guide plate
Brillat-Savarin, photographed

Brillat-Savarin

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Bloomy rind
Rind
Bloomy rind
Country
France
Place
Burgundy

Brillat-Savarin is a soft cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, in France, and it belongs to the triple-cream group. Extra cream goes into the milk, so the paste is rich, pale, and almost spoonable when ripe. A white bloomy rind covers the wheel. The flavor is mild, buttery, and lightly sour, with a mushroom note near the coat. It is a board cheese and a spread, not a cheese you buy for grating.

Explorateur

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Bloomy rind
Rind
Bloomy rind
Country
France

Explorateur is a soft French cheese made from cow's milk with extra cream mixed in. That cream puts it among the triple-cream cheeses, so the paste is richer than a standard bloomy round. A white rind covers a low cylinder, and the inside is ivory, smooth, and mild. The flavor is buttery, with a light mushroom note from the rind. The name recalls the Explorer satellite, which was in the news when the cheese first appeared.