As commercial cheesemakers, we are required to put a “Best Before” date on our labels, think of that date as a guide to how mature the cheese is.
The Best before Date for Soft cheese is 8 weeks from when it was made. Now, compare that to some hard cheeses, that spend several years in cheese caves.
Hard and soft alike, all cheeses are continually changing as they age.
Cheese won't “go off" at that date. It will simply be more mature.
Take Cheddar for example.
"Mild", 3 months old, is quite subtle.
“Tasty”, 6 months old, is developing more flavour.
“Vintage”, 12 months, has a distinct, sharp bite and crumbly texture.
Three very different cheeses, all started out the same, the only difference is the age.
Soft cheese like Brie or Camembert have similar maturity process, but it’s been sped up by its higher moisture content.
Brie will start out chalky in texture with a mild acidic taste. After a few weeks the texture is becoming soft & creamy and the flavour is lovely and buttery.
If you prefer your Brie to be very soft and stronger in flavour, try eating it “At” or even “After” its Best Before date. Cheese won't “go off" at that date. It will simply be more mature. Some people like to think of it as a “best at" or even "best after" date.
