Franche-Comté · France
Comté.
Comté's crystalline bite melts into waves of toasted hazelnut and honeyed caramel, with subtle whispers of alpine hay and floral meadow grass. Its dense, butterscotch-colored paste shatters pleasantly on the tongue, releasing notes of dried fruit and warm toast that linger long after. The aroma carries the gentle funk of mountain pasture—earthy, complex, never sharp.
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The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Comté has been produced in the Jura mountains since the Middle Ages, when village communities pooled their milk in 'fruitières' (co-operative dairies) to make wheels large enough for aging — each 40 kg wheel requires approximately 400 liters of milk. The cheese received its AOC in 1958.
Strict specifications require at least one hectare of pasture per cow, forbid silage feeding, and mandate affinage of at least four months. The Comité Interprofessionnel du Gruyère de Comté grades every wheel with a score from 0–20, and only wheels scoring above 12 may be sold as Comté; those scoring 15+ earn the brown bell label.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Cow · raw
- Family
- Alpine
- Rind
- natural
- Age
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
These bars are a visual read of Comté's flavour and aroma notes, scaled by the cheese's overall intensity — a quick guide, not a lab measurement.
Aroma
Nutrition · per 100g serving
What's in a wedge.
A 100g serving — about a finger-thick wedge. Daily values use the FDA 2020 reference of 2,000 kcal. Expect ±5% variation between wheels.
Serve, cut & store
Out of the fridge,
into its prime.
Guidance for alpine cheeses — general practice, not a per-wheel measurement.
Rest
Take it out about 45–60 min before serving — cold stiffens the fat and locks up the aromas; cool room temperature is when the flavour shows up.
Cut
Cut thin wedges from the centre out, so every slice gets its share of paste and rind.
Store
Wrap leftovers in cheese paper or wax paper — never cling film, which suffocates the rind — and keep them in the warmest part of the fridge.
Rule of thumb: the softer and riper, the longer it needs. Thick pieces need longer than thin — and don't leave cheese out much past two hours.
Pairings · Caseo curated
What goes with Comté.
27 pairings across 8 categories.
Wine
Beer & Cider
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
Counter listings for Comté are being verified. Check back soon.
Verified counter listings coming soon. Our team updates listings monthly.
Substitutes
No Comté at the counter?.
These will play a similar role on the board and in the pan.
Take it with you
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