Cheeses are meant to be touched. While you don't want to handle unwrapped cheeses at a cheese counter, it is perfectly okay to pick up wrapped cheeses and inspect them. If you want to handle an unwrapped cheese, ask your cheese monger for some assistance. Regardless, how a cheese feels will also reveal something about its health and taste.

All cheese continues to age until cut. Because of this, young, soft cheeses continue to ripen. The younger they are, the firmer they are. Similarly, the softer they are, the more aged they are. So if you're looking for an especially ripe Camembert, just by gently (very gently) squeezing it, you can tell if it's too young or just right. Likewise, all the texture and moisture classifications of cheese help you to know if a cheese feels right.