Commodity blue is often crumbled, over-salted, and made for a salad-dressing packet. Great American blue is a whole different animal — cave-aged wheels with real veining and complexity, from creameries that have beaten the European classics at international competitions. These three are the benchmark, and they all ship.
Published July 2026 · Updated 7 Jul 2026
An Oregon creamery running since 1933, owner-operated by David Gremmels since 2002, whose Rogue River Blue was named best cheese in the world at the 2019–20 World Cheese Awards — the first American cheese ever to win it. The wheels are wrapped in Syrah-grape leaves and cave-aged. Oregon Blue and Rogue River Blue ship anywhere in the US.
Why it isn't on AmazonA world-champion, grape-leaf-wrapped cave blue is a specific creamery's decades of work — there's no supermarket equivalent, and they pack it to ship perfectly.
See it at Rogue Creamery →A Marin County family farm making cheese since 2000 from their own herd of Holsteins, raised on the property above Tomales Bay. Original Blue is their rindless, all-natural California classic — bold, creamy, with a peppery finish — and Bay Blue is a mellower, fudgy alternative. They ship direct by FedEx with a chosen delivery date.
Why it isn't on AmazonFarmstead blue made from a single family's own herd on one coastal farm is a place in a wheel — the milk never leaves the property before it's cheese.
See it at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company →Brothers Andy and Mateo Kehler have made cheese in Greensboro, Vermont since 2003 and run the underground Cellars where much of Vermont's best cheese is aged. Bayley Hazen Blue is their natural-rinded raw-cow's-milk blue — fudgy, with toasted-nut sweetness and an anise note — served at a White House state dinner. Ships direct from the farm.
Why it isn't on AmazonA natural-rind raw-milk blue aged in a purpose-built Vermont cellar is a farmstead achievement you order from the source, not a crumble from a tub.
See it at Jasper Hill Farm →This seat's open on purpose — we won't pad the list to hit a number. If you ship real blue cheese direct, it's earned, not sold.
Add your brand →A mold, usually Penicillium roqueforti, cultured into the cheese, then aerated by piercing the wheel so air lets the blue veins develop. It's a deliberate, controlled process, not spoilage. Different makers use different strains and aging conditions, which is why a Rogue River Blue and a Bayley Hazen taste so distinct.
At the top end, yes — Rogue River Blue literally won best-in-world over the European classics in 2019. The makers here aren't imitating imports; they've developed their own styles, from Point Reyes' bright California blue to Jasper Hill's nutty, fudgy Vermont one. Blind tastings have been kind to American blue for years now.
Wrap it in wax or parchment paper, then loosely in foil — never tight plastic, which suffocates it and can turn it ammoniated. Keep it in the warmer part of the fridge, like a cheese or vegetable drawer, and bring it to room temperature before eating. Well-wrapped, a good blue keeps for weeks.
You can, but it changes the texture — it gets crumbly and loses some creaminess, so freeze only cheese you plan to cook with or crumble into dressings and sauces. For eating on a board, buy what you'll finish in a couple of weeks and store it well instead. These ship cold; refrigerate on arrival.
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