A semi-soft cows' milk cheese. It is ivory coloured, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognisable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle. It has a rind that is yellowish, moist and leathery.

Traditionally, the cheese consists of a layer of morning milk and a layer of evening milk. When making Comté, cheesemakers would end the day with leftover curd that was not enough for an entire cheese. So they would press the remaining evening curd into a mould and spread ash over it to protect it overnight. The following morning, the cheese would be topped up with morning milk. Nowadays, the cheese is usually made from a single milking with the traditional ash line replaced by vegetable dye. The cheese takes about 45 days to 3 months for full maturation.

The Jura and Doubs versions have an AOC, although other non-AOC Morbier are available.
 
The aroma of Morbier is strong, but the flavour is rich and creamy with a slightly bitter aftertaste.