Cabrales blue cheese is slowly aged in the caves near the Cantabrian Sea, under cold, very humid conditions.

Cabrales is all-natural and truly artisanal. The cheeses are turned by hand periodically until the paste has been completely grown with natural mold. This produces a deep blue veining in a thick texture with the characteristic creamy and boldly sharp flavor.

It is produced only in the village of Cabrales and two other hamlets of the Peñamellera Alta Township on the northern spur of the rugged Picos de Europa in eastern Asturias.

The blue mold comes from the sides of the mountain caves. It is not artificially injected, as is the case of its cousins - Danish Bleu and French Camembert.

There are only limited quantities available because the cheese makers use traditional farmhouse methods, in small family-run dairies of the township.

Raw milk, mainly cow's milk, is used to produce it. However, as most farmers keep mixed herds, blends of goat and ewe's milk are used in the spring and summer.