Tested: this is the tastiest (and most disgusting!) supermarket brie
Some people turn up their snobby little noses at supermarket brie. Often, those are—ha!—the same people who immediately dive into one of those tasteless supermarket units at parties and gatherings. Yaaa, we know what we’re talking about, because this is about us. Supermarket brie is in our top five guilty-pleasure foods. But which supermarket sells the tastiest brie for your (guilty) pleasure, and which one is better left on the shelf? FavorFlav’s test panel found out for you.
Of course, anyone who occasionally buys Brie de Meaux from a specialist cheese shop knows: this really can’t be compared with supermarket brie. In 1814, this French mould-ripened cheese, which belongs to the soft white-rind cheeses, was even elected Le Roi des Fromages—the King of Cheeses—at a statesmen’s banquet in Vienna. Like Brie de Melun, Brie de Meaux comes from the French Brie region, where the only two varieties of this cheese with an AOC designation are produced. This means there are strict rules about which milk may be used and which area it must come from. The production method, as well as how and for how long the cheese must mature, is also prescribed. The result is divine cheese.
Six supermarkets
But we don’t all live in the Randstad, a specialist cheese shop isn’t always close at hand, and supermarket brie is hugely popular. In fact, brie is one of the best-selling foreign cheeses in the Netherlands. For our test, we included six supermarkets: Plus, Lidl, Dirk, Albert Heijn, Coop and Aldi. As always, we were curious about the own-brand products. All the bries were bought and tasted on the same day. We tasted the brie after they had all been left out of the refrigerator for an hour at the same time.
Supermarket brie: how much does it cost?
Supermarket brie is the perfect student food; for a regular 200-gram piece—that’s a large wedge—you pay at least €1.45. There are also outliers: a wedge from Plus costs €3.49 for 245 grams—that is a little more cheese, too—and at Coop you pay €3.16 for 200 grams. Here are all the prices listed:
Plus: Brie, 254 grams, €3.49
Albert Heijn: French Brie, 200 grams, €2.69
Lidl: Brie de Nangis, ± 100 grams, €1.91
Aldi: Real French Brie, 200 grams, €1.45
Coop: Cream Brie, 200 grams, €3.16
Dirk: Brie Fraîche D’or, 200 grams, €1.45
Blind-tested
As always, the test panel tastes everything blind; only the note-taker knows where each brie was bought. And that’s just as well, because we’re bursting with preconceptions. Is cheap really expensive in the long run, that sort of thing.
Notable: velvety rind versus cardboard rind
Once we have removed the bries from their packaging, it is immediately obvious: some bries have such a velvety rind, while others have an unappetizing, hard rind. Cutting them open reveals something else: some bries are deliciously creamy, while others—yes, the ones with those hard rinds—feel very brick-like.
According to the panel, number 6 looks the most appealing: very rustic, almost as if it could walk off the cheeseboard. Numbers 2 and 4 also look appealing. And by that we mean: deliciously creamy. Numbers 3 & 5 look very artificial. You can also really see the packaging on the side of number 3, which looks unattractive. And finally, number 1 looks like the brie you expect from a supermarket. Not too white on the outside, a little creamy on the inside. But how do they taste?
‘I’m missing salt’
According to Louise, number 1 has ‘a very mild flavour’, and ‘the texture is a little too hard’, says Jeffrey. Rick is critical too: ‘the rind is a little too hard, the inside is a little too dairy-like and I’m missing salt.’ Jeffrey tastes a little further, eyes closed: ‘it isn’t creamy, but you do taste a creamy flavour, interesting.’ Rick is merciless: ‘it’s a rather clumsy brie, one that rolls straight out of the factory.’ Sharon is the kindest: ‘I actually think this is a perfectly decent brie. I’d happily eat this at a party.’ Louise agrees: ‘this really is a nice eat-at-a-party brie.’ At the end of the test, we hear the result. It is Albert Heijn’s brie.
Number 2: this starts well. Jeffrey: ‘the filling and the edge are more balanced’. Louise: ‘much cheesier. But not necessarily very brie-like, a little bitter too. But this one does have a nice mouthfeel.’ Rick: ‘this tastes like Slankie spreadable cheese to me. The texture is genuinely nice.’ Sharon: ‘noooo, I really don’t like this, it does indeed taste like Slankie and I think that really puts a damper on the party spirit. Very fake too. Definitely a no-go brie as far as I’m concerned.’ Reveal: it turns out to be Plus’s brie. Yes, that expensive brie. For Slankie lovers—with a 60+ effect.
Brick
Number 3 looks like a brick. But hey, don’t judge a book by its cover. So let’s taste it. One unanimous downside: the rind is much too thick and hard. It seems to have been frozen. Louise: ‘look, if you press it with your little finger, it’s also much harder than the first two bries.’ It looks cheap, but that’s a shame, because the flavour isn’t bad. Reveal: it is Aldi’s brie.
Number 4, then. ‘Delicious,’ Louise says immediately. ‘It melts on the tongue.’ Jeffrey: ‘and the rind is nice. A little more spicy too, flavourful.’ Sharon: ‘it cuts very easily too.’ Rick: ‘no overpowering flavour, lovely rind, nice on toast, but also perfectly good straight from the hand.’ Sharon: ‘great flavour, nice texture too.’ Jeffrey: ‘I feel like celebrating my birthday right now!’ Reveal: it is Coop’s relatively expensive brie.
Number 5 turns out to be a huge disappointment. Sharon: ‘hard, rubbery, barely any flavour, plastic-like, no pleasant aftertaste.’ Jeffrey: ‘ugh, wash it down with wine, lots of wine.’ Rick: ‘no, this is not good.’ Reveal: it is Dirk’s brie.
Number 6 creates high expectations because of its appearance. Louise: ‘this is my brie, this is, and that aroma too, mmm!’ Rick: ‘this is just like camembert, that smell! This could easily have come from a small local farm in France.’ Jeffrey: ‘if this came from a specialist cheese shop, I’d believe it immediately.’ Apart from Sharon—‘this aroma actually drives me away’—everyone likes it. It really is an outlier in the series. Reveal: it is Lidl’s brie.
The winner
Number 4 is the most classic brie and exactly the kind of brie you crave when you buy supermarket brie for your next drinks-and-snacks gathering. You pay a little more, but you get much more in return. Are your friends a little funkier? Then go for number 6 and pair it with a good wine straight away. And take note: this is how you’re supposed to eat brie; if you follow these rules, that delicious piece of brie will be at its very best.
More brie tips
Do you know what else is delicious? Homemade brie butter! And brie crème brûlée! Got leftover brie? Immediately make a brie and bacon toastie with it. Brick-like brie works perfectly well for this too, by the way. And another absolute editorial favourite we don’t want to keep from you: barbecued brie. Thank us later.
