To make sense of the 1800+ cheeses worldwide, it helps to approach cheese in terms of categories. There are many ways of classifying cheese: by milk source, country or region, age, texture, flavor, or preparation. But most commonly, cheese is categorized by its cheesemaking process, so that’s what we’ll go with.
Nearly any cheese falls under one of these seven groups: fresh, soft-ripened, semi-soft, blue, washed rind, semi-hard, and hard. While there is a lot of variance within each group, they each have their own defining characteristics and flavors. A cheese can also be part of more than one group.
By understanding all the types, you’ll be able to describe and identify almost any cheese. You’ll gain a reference point for navigating the exciting world of cheese. You’ll learn to pick the perfect cheese for any dish or occasion.
1. Fresh Cheese
Fresh cheeses are the youngest of all types of cheese and hold the most moisture. Also known as “unripened” cheeses, these cheeses are only a few days old and are rindless. Because they haven’t aged for long, they most resemble the milk from which they were made. They look bright white, feel soft and moist, taste mild and creamy, and have a milky aroma.
Their light flavor carries other flavors well, so they’re often used in cooking and salads but not usually as standalone choices on the cheese board. Their compatibility is enhanced by their high moisture content, which makes them easily spreadable and meltable. To add to their mild flavor, they may be mixed with spices, herbs, or fruits.
Fresh cheese is one of the most diverse categories, as it refers to all unaged cheeses.
Looks: bright white.
Feels: soft, moist, and squishy.
Smells: none to faintly milky.
Tastes: mild, slightly acidic, and slightly sweet.
2. Soft-Ripened Cheese
Also called bloomy rind cheeses, these cheeses have been aged for a few weeks to allow molds on the exterior to age the cheese from the outside in. Molds known as Penicillium candidum or Penicillium camemberti are added to the milk or sprayed on the surface of the cheese, giving the cheese its distinct white and fuzzy rind.
Unlike other cheeses, soft-ripened cheeses get softer as they age as the mold breaks down the cheese and softens it into a pudding. The parts of the cheese closest to the mold rind soften first, followed by the interior.
As the mold works on the cheese, it converts fats in the cheese into fragrant compounds called ketones, enhancing the intensity of the flavor. Furthermore, the white mold prevents unwanted mold growth.
Cheeses labeled “double cream” or “triple cream” mean cream was added to the whole milk during the cheesemaking process. For all cheeses, and especially soft-ripened cheeses, they are best served warm or at room temperature.
Looks: a snowy or ashy rind with a creamy yellow inside.
Feels: soft and oozy or dense and cakey depending on the ripeness.
Smells: earthy and buttery with hints of ammonia (that grow stronger when ripe).
Tastes: vegetal, mushroomy, and creamy.
3. Semi-Soft Cheese
While soft-ripened cheeses age for a few weeks, semi-soft cheeses age for a few months. Because this category is only defined by its relatively short aging period, cheeses from other categories like blue and washed rind fit into this category.
During the cheesemaking process, these cheeses are lightly pressed into molds to remove the whey. As a result, they have a rubbery layer on the outside but still offer a soft center when cut into. They often feature tiny holes as a result of spaces left between curd pieces that never fully join due to only a light pressing.
Like fresh cheeses, their meltability and mild flavor lend them well to cooking.
Looks: white to creamy yellow.
Feels: elastic, rubbery, and springy.
Smells: milky.
Tastes: mild, buttery, and slightly sweet.
4. Blue Cheese
Although most blue cheeses could be grouped into the semi-soft category, blue cheese has its own distinct characteristics that warrant a separate category. While soft-ripened cheeses are treated externally with mold, blue cheeses are treated internally by directly adding mold spores to the milk or curds. The typical molds used are Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium glaucum which create those distinctive blue veins.
These molds need oxygen to survive, making a process called “needling” a necessity. Needling involves puncturing the cheese all over with small needles to introduce air and encourage mold growth. The mold also requires moisture, so less moisture is pressed out of the cheese. The holes from the piercing and the higher moisture content give blue cheese its soft and crumbly texture.
Blue cheeses have a range of textures and flavor intensities, from soft and mild to hard and sharp. Their characteristic spicy taste comes from the reaction between the curds and blue mold as they age together.
Looks: creamy white with streaks of blue, green, or black.
Feels: soft and fudgy or semi-firm and crumbly.
Smells: strong, ammonia-like, and feet-like.
Tastes: spicy, piquant, tangy, and salty.
5. Washed Rind Cheese
“Washed rind” or “smeared rind” describes any cheese regularly washed with a liquid mixture during the aging process. As such, this category has many overlaps with other categories.
The defining feature of these cheeses is their brilliant orange rind, developed by washing the exterior of the cheese in brine, beer, wine, or other liquids. The practice of repeat washing began with cheesemakers who wanted to keep mold from growing on their cheese.
This regular washing encourages the growth of a variety of friendly bacteria, including the Brevibacterium linens bacteria that impart the orange color. Brevibacterium linens is also responsible for foot odor, making the washed rind category home to the biggest stinkers. Despite its stench, this bacteria prevents harmful molds from infiltrating the cheese while allowing good molds to ripen the cheese.
Washed rind cheeses fall into two further distinctions. Soft and semi-soft washed rind cheeses like Époisses and Taleggio have a high moisture content and become oozier with age. They feature a sticky orange rind. Semi-hard or hard washed rind cheeses like Gruyère and Appenzeller have a low moisture content and become drier with time. Their rinds tend to be paler in color and have less of a stench.
In general, washed rind cheeses taste much more mild than their scent.
Looks: a yellow interior with a pinkish-orange or golden brown rind.
Feels: oozy with a sticky rind or firm with a smooth rind.
Smells: pungent, barnyardy, and like stinky feet.
Tastes: nutty and fruity to meaty and savory.
6. Semi-Hard Cheese
Semi-hard is the largest category, describing any cheese falling between the semi-soft and hard categories. Semi-hard cheeses get their flavor from two sources: bacteria and age.
The strain of bacteria can create vastly different flavors. For example, Streptococcus thermophilus is one the primary starter strains in Emmentaler (Swiss) while Lactococcus lactis is often used in Cheddar.
Streptococcus thermophilus is thermophilic, thriving best in temperatures of 131-140 degrees Fahrenheit (55-60 degrees Celsius). On the other hand, Lactococcus lactis is mesophilic, preferring temperatures of 95-99 degrees Fahrenheit (35-37 degrees Celsius). The different bacteria make cheese and the cheesemaking process so nuanced.
The other factor affecting flavor is the length of the aging process. The longer a cheese is aged, the more intensely flavored and “sharp” the cheese becomes. As time goes on, the bacteria process more of the lactose in the milk into compounds that create that sharp taste. Additionally, the cheese loses moisture and hardens, concentrating the flavor.
The texture of semi-hard cheeses comes from two steps in the cheesemaking process. First, the curds are heated. Second, after the curds are put into molds, the cheese is heavily pressed. Both steps expel moisture to create a firm cheese. Depending on how the curds are heated, there are two further categories within the semi-hard (and hard) category.
Pressed uncooked cheeses are made from larger curds heated gently at lower temperatures, while pressed cooked cheeses are made from smaller curds heated at higher temperatures. The pressed cooked process extracts the most moisture so it’s often used for hard cheeses, but it’s also used for some semi-hard cheeses. The pressed uncooked process extracts less moisture so it tends to be used for semi-hard cheeses.
Semi-hard cheeses are not quite soft enough to be spreadable but not quite hard enough for grating. They’re best for cutting and slicing.
As the most variant of the categories, semi-hard cheese characteristics can differ greatly.
Looks: varying rinds with cheese colors ranging from white to orange (from annatto food coloring).
Feels: firm and slightly springy.
Smells: gently sweet and nutty to pungent and funky.
Tastes: mild and sweet to complex and nuanced.
7. Hard Cheese
Last but not least, we have hard cheeses. These cheeses have the longest aging period of any category, aging for several months to several years. They’re extremely low in moisture and have a texture so hard that it borders on crumbly.
These cheeses have delightful crunchy bits known as cheese crystals. While some semi-hard cheeses have these crystals, hard cheeses are packed with them. The crystals themselves don’t impart any flavor, but their presence indicates a well-aged piece of cheese. These crystals come in two forms: calcium lactate and tyrosine.
Calcium lactate crystals are formed as the bacterial cultures break down the lactose in the cheese and produce lactic acid. As lactic acid levels rise, they bind with calcium to form calcium lactate, which eventually crystallizes. These crystals are soft, pale, and powder-like.
Tyrosine crystals form as proteins in the cheese are broken down, releasing amino acids, tyrosine being one of them. The released tyrosine clusters together, forming crystal structures that are bigger and brighter white than their calcium lactate counterparts. Tyrosine crystals are linked with the culture Lactobacillus helveticus, which has a knack for breaking down protein chains.
Hard cheeses are made using similar techniques to produce semi-hard cheeses, just to a greater degree. Pressing, cooking, and aging are the three main factors responsible for this category’s characteristics.
Being so dense, these cheeses are often grated. Their concentrated flavors make a little go a long way.
Looks: yellow with white crystal specks.
Feels: dry, grainy, crystalline, and crumbly.
Smells: aromatic and fruity.
Tastes: salty, nutty, rich, and savory.
Becoming a Cheese Bore
You’re now sufficiently equipped to bore others with your knowledge of cheese. Don’t stop here.
The only way to really get to know cheese is by tasting it — a lot of it. You’ll enjoy the world of cheese so much more when you get a sense of all the variety available and the specific kinds that make your heart sing. I recommend you get to know all these cheese types intimately by tasting a cheese from each category. Who knows, you may find a new favorite.