Monsieur Baozi started a new series of articles entitled “Made in China“.
The Idea? Highlighting products that are 100% Chinese crafted, because we believe there is so much to talk about.
This 2nd episode is sponsored by “Le Fromager de Pékin“, a true cheese fanatic who for more than 10 years has been gradually building his identity as a “cheese maker in China”

Whether you are looking for an original gift, or just in the mood for trying something new, this series of articles deserves your full attention.
You are a brand and wishes to appear here? Feel free to send me a message directly on this account.

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Profile

Le Fromager de Pékin //  lə fʁɔmaʒe də pekɛ̃ // Beijing Cheesemaker

Name: Liu Yang – 刘阳
Titles: “Le Fromager de Pékin”, Beijing cheesemaker, first cheese craftman in China, Judge of “Salon Internationnal de l’Agriculture”, Honor member of “Guilde Internationnale des Fromagers”, Knight of “commanderie du Fromage de Sainte-Maure de Touraine”, member of “Confrérie des Chevaliers du Sacavin”.
Profession: Master cheesemaker
Working place: Beijing, China
Training place: Auvergne and Corsica, two regions with know-how and centuries-old traditions in France

Rewards: “Mondial du Fromage et des produits Laitiers” in Tours, France:
Bleu de Pékin: Gold
Tome de Vache: Silver
Tome de Chèvre: Silver

Milk used: 100% Beijing area certified organic cow and goat milk. It is raw (unpasteurized), which makes it your only option to have raw-milk cheese in China.
Famous places using his cheese: Ritz-Carlton Beijing, The Peninsula Beijing, TRB (Temple Restaurant Beijing), Marriot, Hyatt, Rosewood, Shangri-La, MO, and many more. It is also served in the French embassy for French national day, as well as many other embassies.

Product tasting

In order to get an accurate opinion, I devoted myself to a product-test in order to convey to you my personal feeling about this brand.
I have associated each cheese with a note on three points that seem to me to be important benchmarks for many consumers: 

-Texture
-Taste intensity
-Smell force

1: Beijing Grey – 北京灰

Beijing grey is a small 120G cheese that is halfway between a Camembert and a Saint-Marcelin, two famous French kinds of cheese. This is the shop’s signature product, and an ideal cheese for those who want to learn about artisanal cheese gently. 
The ageing is not too advanced, so it remains firm and not too powerful neither to smell nor taste, even after having respected an ambient temperature setting of 2H (which is mandatory!).

It gives off subtle aromas of hazelnuts and milk, with slightly mushroomy notes, characteristic of relatively “young” soft cheeses. It is the ideal companion to aperitifs paired with a bottle of light red wine, a nice loaf of country bread and a pot of salted butter.

2: Semi-Goat “Buchette” – 半山羊奶酪“比诗特“

Semi-Goat cheeses are 100% cow milk cheese, enriched with goat enzymes which combined with moderate ageing, makes the cheese accessible to all palates. 
The texture is brittle, the taste is herbaceous and slightly lemony. Rolled in a mixture of ash and salt, its thin crust is greyish and its interior is ivory white.

The technique used is very close to a “Sainte-Maure de Touraine“, which is produced very close to my home in France, hence the presence of a vegetable straw in the middle of the cheese to maintain its structure without breaking.

A little tasting tip: goat and semi-goat cheeses are going well with sweet companions: jams, dried fruit or honey! It is also the essential ingredient of the famous “Goat Cheese Salad” served in every brasserie in France.

3: Vacherin – 瓦世汗

Vacherin is a famous cheese found in France and Switzerland. The version of Le Fromager de Pékin is very similar to the “Vacherin de Savoie”, a mountain cheese, moulded and circled by a spruce bark before being put to ageing.
The aromas of the bark spread in the cheese, giving it this characteristic taste of pine wood. 
Again, the ripening is not too advanced, which preserves the “young” aspect of this cheese without depriving it of flavours. This is, without hesitation, the “softest” cheese of this tasting, and one of my favourites.

4: Nü Er Hong – 女儿红

Last cheese of our tasting and potentially the most powerful one. This cheese is very similar to a French “Munster“, an Alsatian cheese well known to every French. Its special feature is to be “washed” with “Nu Er Hong”, a prestigious brand of Shaoxing rice wine, giving it this specific orange colour.

Its powerful smell is characteristic of cheeses in this category. Its taste, although also powerful, is softer than its smell. 
It reveals slightly salty and herbaceous notes that are commonly associated with Cumin seeds and sweet wines.

Funny fact: we found, during the tasting, that the notes of this cheese remind a little of the umami flavour of FuRu, this Tofu fermented and preserved in a jar with rice alcohol.

I encourage you to brave its seemingly aggressive aromas: this cheese with complex flavours is rich, intense, and won’t leave you without impression. It is the pride of Alsatians, I can tell you.

Tasting Tips

Cheeses, like all fermented products, can have complexes organoleptic characteristic that can be difficult to accept when tried for the first time. 
Follow my tips to optimize your cheese tasting!

Last, here is my cheese platter from Le Fromager de Pékin, in case you were wondering which cheese I used and how much is costed:

Conclusion

Le Fromager de Pékin is undeniably THE reference in craftsman cheese in China, with a solid base of expatriate and local customers, acquired over the years through a meticulous work of conquest by quality, rigour and obstinacy.

I can honestly say that the taste brings me back to France. The cheeses I have tried reveal the passion of the master cheesemaker who has skilfully combined technique and tradition.
I have been told that different cheese-ripening are proposed: well-aged for connoisseurs, soft-aged for less accustomed customers, and it makes complete sense.

Moreover, the passion of Liu Yang with cheese goes far beyond the taste of his products. This is the story of a man who dedicated his work and his life to a product and a lifestyle that is on the surface very unfamiliar with traditional Chinese culture.

Today, the recognition of his work makes no doubt, as evidenced by the long list of prestigious addresses that trust him and his work.
I cannot, however, restrain myself from praising the courage and vision that has had to be shown over the years, to become what the brand is today.

Where to find his products:

Le fromager de Pékin is 24H away from your home if you don’t live in Beijing. You can find his products on WeChat, TaoBao and Weidian.

You can also visit his website: 
www.lefromagerdepekin.com