Creme Brie L’Extra Processed Cheese Spread

Creme Brie L'Extra

I came across this interesting container of cheese while shopping at my local Michael-Angelo’s Market. I’m thinking … brie in a cup? This could be interesting. The container is small enough to hold in your hand and it is made of paper. That makes me think it is recyclable and earth friendly.

Creme Brie L'Extra Lid

The lid reveals that this a Processed Fine Cheese Spread, part of the Agropur Signature series. Now I’m a little confused and a little curious as to what I will discover under that lid. I was tempted to lift the lid in the store but I was not sure what was beneath. I did not want to break a seal.

Removing the lid reveals a plastic seal that can be torn away.

Creme Brie L'Extra with the lid off

I removed the lid to unveil a gooey creamy white cheese. I had set the cheese out for about an hour to bring it to room temperature. That is my procedure with all cheese. Cheese typically is more flavorful at room temperature. I’m not sure that was the right idea with this cheese because the cheese was even more runny than Brie paste at room temperature.

Creme Brie L'Extra

The consistency was quite thin. I would describe it as either thick yogurt or thin pudding. I placed a knife in the container for a picture and the knife would fall out within a minute under it’s own weight.

I spread some Creme Brie L’Extra on some Carr’s Table Water Crackers.

Creme Brie L'Extra on Carr's Crackers

I had to take the picture quickly because the cheese would flow over the edges of the crackers as they sat. With this product you cannot spread crackers in advance to serve them.

The Creme Brie L’Extra on Agropur’s website describes this product as being based on “Crème Brie L’Extra, Canada’s best selling brie”. Hmm “Canada’s best selling Brie”? … I guess I better try some regular Crème Brie L’Extra soon.

They continue to suggest this spread as:

“Ideal on crackers, on baguette bread and perfect for bagels! Crème Brie L’Extra can also be used as a dip, in a fondue or as a key ingredient in a sauce.”

What does Creme Brie L’Extra taste like? This cheese is smooth, creamy and very mild. It leans more towards processed cheese than Brie paste. Brie is mild to begin with, but this is the mildest Brie I have yet to try. The good news is – no rind in there. Although brie rind is edible I see a lot of people avoiding it.

I liked the Creme Brie L’Extra cheese, but not in a savour every moment kind of way. It was more of a spread it quickly, pop it in your mouth, have another – sort of way. I assume bringing this cheese to room temperature enhanced the flavour which in hindsight is a good idea because the flavour is so light. My wife tried this cheese. She likes milder cheeses and she enjoyed it. However, it just didn’t have enough pizzaz to get me excited.

I think the container is designed to be a single serving because once the plastic seal is removed I was not convinced that replacing the paper lid would keep the cheese fresh for very long. I ended up draping a piece of saran wrap over the top and then replacing the lid.

The verdict: Creme Brie L’Extra is a convenient, mild, cheesy cracker spread. I would suggest this cheese for the cheesy timid.

Creme Brie L’Expert is made in Canada at Agropur’s St-Hyacinthe, Quebec cheesemaking facility. It was introduced in September of 2011.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with Agropur, or this product, in any way. I just buy it, try it and review it.

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Cambozola Gourmet Cream Spread

It was about a week ago when I tried Cambozola for the first time and I really liked it. I saw this Cambozola spread in the supermarket over the weekend. Gourmet Cream Spread … how enticing. I thought this might be perfect on crackers or a bagel. I had to give it a try.

The Cambozola spread is packaged in a small plastic resealable container. When I peeled away the plastic seal the cheese container was filled to the very top. It looked like there was another layer of plastic to remove but it was just the smoothed out texture of the spread. It looked artificial and not particularly appealing. I took a knife and stirred it up trying to give it life. The cheese quickly separated from the sides of the container like it was blue cheese jello. I stirred a few more times then spread some onto a Carr’s Table Water cracker and a small piece of flatbread.

I gave it the taste test. There wasn’t much taste, it was disappointing. The spread had hardly any character. If I closed my eyes I’m not sure I could even taste the blue cheese. This is nothing like the Cambozola that I had enjoyed before. I gave my kids a try and they told me it tasted like The Laughing Cow. Personally I wasn’t a big fan of The Laughing Cow but I actually preferred it over this.

The Cambozola spread on the Carr’s Tablewater Cracker was just a mouthful of bland. Absolutely nothing to get excited about here. I would not serve that combination to guests.

The Cambozola spread on the flatbread was still not very exciting. The flatbread had sesame seed, poppy seeds and dried onion. The flavor of the flatbread carried the combination. The Cambozola spread just added some texture and moisture.

I thought further about the plastic container. I was attracted to the idea at first, but after thinking it through the plastic is something that must be disposed of in a landfill or recycling center. That is not nearly as environmentally responsible as the small piece of plastic wrap protecting the Cambozola that I had purchased before. I’m not going to get on my Save the Earth bandstand here. Let’s just say I would rather go with the packaging that results in the least waste.

The bottom line – I won’t be buying the Cambozola spread again and I can’t recommend it. It’s back to the real Cambozola for me.