Costco's Cheese Selection Hasn't Been The Same Since This Kirkland Option Left

Perhaps surprisingly, Costco is considered a great store for cheese connoisseurs. The big box retailer stocks a wide selection of global cheeses that are impressive in both quality and price. "I can get two to three times as much Parm Romano at Costco than at the regular grocery store for the price. It is high quality and keeps really well," raved one customer on Reddit. But as much as shoppers swear by Costco's cheesy lineup, things just haven't been the same since the store took one product off its shelves: the Kirkland Signature French Comté cheese.

Dairy devotees are still mourning the loss of Kirkland's French fromage. Judging from the timing of customer reactions, the cheese was likely discontinued in or around 2018. It was so beloved that shoppers launched a Change.org petition begging the company to bring it back. Despite that effort racking up more than 700 signatures, and initial reports that it would return seasonally, the item seems to be gone for good.

Online, Costco does offer an imported Comté "La Gelinotte" by Seignemartin, which one reviewer described as "creamy, rich, and full of character." Alas, this is quite a premium cheese, and it comes with a price tag to match. You're looking at $80 for 2 pounds of this stuff. If you're a cheese lover on a budget, you might prefer to shop for alternative varieties. Take a page from this Redditor who wrote, "My favorite was the Kirkland Signature French Comté, but ever since they've gotten rid of it, the Swiss Gruyere has been a decent stand-in."

Comté arguably deserves a top spot on the list of the French cheeses you need to try at least once in your life. A semi-hard to hard variety (depending on its maturity), this product hails from the Jura region of France and is made from unpasteurized cow's milk. It stands out for its richness, texture, and a complex flavor profile that ranges from nutty and almost sweet to smoky and savory. It also happens to be an excellent melting cheese, making it a wonderful pick for an Alpine-inspired fondue, raclette, or gratin.

Considering the fact that folks still talk about Costco's Kirkland Comté, you might wonder what made it so special. For starters, it was made by Rivoire-Jacquemin, an over 160-year-old French purveyor of cheeses. The product was aged a minimum of eight months and sold in sealed packages of about 1.1 pounds. One Costco cheese lover, who originally fell in love with the variety during their travels in France, observed in a Facebook post, "It's softer in texture than what i had but the taste is delicious." They added that it went great with a pour of wine.

Given that most products distributed under Costco's in-house label tend to be a bit cheaper than the name brands, it's also fair to assume that the Kirkland Comté was priced lower than other versions on the market. Without it, there's an undeniable hole in Costco's affordable cheese selection — one that we might have to fill with Wegman's version.