From the Gruyere family, Comté cheese is a raw milk cheese made from partially skimmed cow's milk with a soft and creamy paste. Comté cheese is made in an artisanal way, from raw milk of cows of the French Montbéliarde or Simmentale breed. The cows are fed exclusively on grass and hay. Fermented products are forbidden in the dairy herd's diet. The farming system of this Jura cheese is extensive. The rind of Comté cheese, grained on the surface, can be golden yellow to brown. The cheese wheel is cylindrical in shape and 8 to 13 cm high; its heel is straight or slightly curved, its weight from 30 to 48 kg. The variability of the maturation period of Comté cheese means that at any time on the market it is possible to obtain Comté cheeses of different seasons. The summer Comté cheeses have more diversified and fruity aromas, while the winter Comté cheeses (light-colored) are characterized by more pronounced "hazelnut", vegetable or roasted nuances. Choosing a Comté cheese : It is not possible to sum up in a few words the incredible diversity of taste that characterizes Comté. Some are indeed more salty than others, some are very sweet, very milky, others very rich in roasted aromas, but never a single word will be able to restore the subtlety of each aromatic bouquet. It is always a pity to hear Comté cheese presented through its eternal qualifiers (fruity, salty, sweet) but perhaps it should be admitted that certain emotions, certain experiences are lived much more than told. Summer Comté or Winter Comté? The first one can be recognized by its more intense yellow paste than the second one, which is more ivory. Summer Comté cheese is made from the milk of cows that graze in the meadows. Fresh grass is rich in carotene, and because Comté is one of the few cheeses that does not contain coloring agents, it restores this original difference. Summer Comté is often attributed a greater organoleptic richness. But the season is not everything. You have to breathe in the scent of hay to understand the fine aromas that a winter Comté cheese can give you. Each wheel of Comté cheese is rated out of 20 points. This notation sanctions the taste but also the physical aspect of the cheese. Cheese wheels that score above 15 points receive a green stripe. Wheels that score between 12 and 15 points receive a brown stripe, and it is important to note that this brown stripe may be a slight defect in the appearance of an otherwise excellent cheese. Wheels that do not reach a score of 12 are downgraded. Green or brown, both are authentic Comté cheese with a minimum age of 4 months. The color of the band has no relation with the age of the cheese.