Tamanishiki Super Premium Short Grain Rice, 15-Pound

This rice is the best white rice I've ever tried. It has become the standard to which I compare all other white rices. I was never too into rice as a kid or teen. I thought that I simply didn't like rice. Then, I got into Japanese culture and saw how healthy they eat in comparison to Americans. So, I figured I'd start eating more rice. At first, it was hard because, as said, I didn't like American rice. I gave up until I did some research and found Nishiki and Sekka. They were delicious! But then, I started going to traditional Japanese restaurants, and was introduced to short grain white rice, which even blew the fantastic Nishiki and Sekka out of the water. That's when things really took off for me. I did my research and learned about Tamanishiki. After purchasing a rice cooker, I gave this rice a try, and haven't looked back since. There are definitely some pros and cons with Tamanishiki rice: Pros: - It's delicious. Comes out perfect every time with each of my 3 rice cookers. (The Takeru-kun portable lunch jar, an Aroma rice cooker, and a Panasonic) - Goes perfect with anything - The flavor complements any fish, meat, vegetable... It's just great Cons: - Once you eat this rice, you won't want to go back to whatever rice you've been eating. It's that good. I brought some to the office once for my coworkers, and they were hooked. One literally came back to me the next day telling me she'd pay me for some more of my rice and pay me to pick up more for her next time I went to Mitsuwa. She literally told me she didn't want to go back to her other rice. My whole family has experienced the same thing. We have a 10-pound bag of rice we had purchased before I brought in the Tamanishiki (over a year ago) and that other bag is still sitting there, unopened. - This rice is great, but it runs $2 per pound. Once you try this, it is so good you can say goodbye to the price you were paying for your rice As you can tell, I highly recommend this rice. And, the better your rice cooker, the better it tastes.

When I started making sushi at home, it was difficult to get the rice to be as good as at my favorite sushi-ya. The flavor was not as good and was very inconsistent (mushy, sticky, etc). I knew that many sushi chefs spend years just learning to make good sushi rice, so I figured my rice would never be as good as theirs - no matter how hard I tried. But, I hoped to eventually make rice that was edible and close to what I could find at a restaurant. So, I got a $400 Zojirushi rice cooker (this fixed the consistency issue) and tried many different brands of premium sushi rice. So far, I like this rice the best. I rinse the rice some (although it doesn't need much rinsing), I am careful to measure the exact amount of rice & water, I add a little salt to the rice & cooking water although this may be frowned upon by traditionalists, and I sometimes add a few squares of Kombu. I have been working on the vinegar/sugar solution for my tastes. Now, I can honestly say that my rice is noticeably better in flavor than almost all sushi restaurants that I go to. This rice is flavorful and has a great firm texture (nice individual grains for nigiri). I wish it was organic (I am trying to reduce my GMO/herbicide/pesticide intake), but I think this is great rice. I also tried their Yuma and Nozomi but I think I liked this one the best (the Nozomi was close). Since the Japanese don't really allow their good rice to be exported (they are also anti-GMO), it is very difficult to find real Japanese rice here in the US. I believe this is one of the best sushi rices made in the US.

**UPDATE: I've been buying this rice from Amazon (subscribe and save) for the past year and have never encountered a problem with the rice. It has remain relatively constant in its quality during this time. Highly recommend this rice. ** I was at my wits end trying to find super premium rice in my area. My favorite Korean market recently closed down; the Chinese store I'd been to in the past was out of ANY premium short grain rice; another tried to tell me their medium grain rice was short grain (nope, it says on the package MEDIUM, not going to work), so I relented and went to Amazon to look for rice. In the past, I've bought Tamaki Gold at the Korean market and even (once) on Amazon but the size changed from 15 lbs to 5 pounds at the same price (on Amazon). Sorry, not going to pay $30 for 5 lbs of rice! Not even if it's THAT good. I'd tried Yume super premium short grain rice, purchased at my local Chinese store, but I didn't really like it that well. Wasn't as sticky and chewy as Tamaki Gold and definitely didn't seem 'super' premium. The only other option, for me, was to try this Tamanishiki Super Premium Rice. I saw the few not so glowing reviews, but knew that I had to have rice and it was my only option. With confidence, I ordered. This rice is good! It's better than good, it's great! It's been so long since I had the Tamaki Gold, so I can't compare but it's definitely as good as, if not better than. I ordered mine from Amazon and the rice is perfect - not old, not yellow and it holds moisture. Definitely recommend this rice if you like/want sticky, chewy rice. Excellent!

Surprisingly good for rice not grown in Japan!

Oh, let me tell yoo 'bout dis sushi lice, my friendo! It's like a lil' grainy superhiro, ready to save yur taste buds from da tyranny of blandness! First time I try, I think, "Hmm, dis lil' lice, what's da big deal?" But den, oh boy, I take a bite an' it's like a palty in my mout! It's stiky, it's flufy, it's evrything yoo want in a lice, ya know? An' lemme tell yoo, it's not just for sushi! Oh no, yoo can use it for evrything! Want to make lice bolls? Sushi lice! Want to stuff it in a burrito? Sushi lice! Want to impless yur friends at a dinno palty? Yoo guessed it, sushi lice! But be warned, my friendo, once yoo start with da sushi lice, dere's no going back. Yoo'll find yurself cravin' it at all hours of da day an' night, dreamin' of its deliciousness. So go ahead, give it a try, an' join me in da wondrful world of sushi lice adventures!

This is a blend of two different and highly respected varieties of rice. One is known for its flavor, and another for its texture. I bought this for making Sushi, and only Sushi. I was extremely happy with the results. I would like to make a couple points - Rice is like meat, there are all sorts of different "cuts" and origins. All you have to do is to walk down any store isle to see all the different varieties. Would you smother a Ribeye steak in ketchup or steak sauce? Some people do, but they lose the steaks flavor. If your waiting for my point it's simple, If you need rice for a dish that is heavily seasoned, then get a different rice (Save your money and buy a good cheap Jasmine rice). This rice is for the purpose of being able to enjoy the RICE, and not the seasoning or sauce. Do yourself two favors: 1. learn to use more than one type of rice. 2. Buy a GOOD rice cooker. A GOOD rice cooker is essential to anyone who eats rice (FYI: I'm on my second Zojirushi Rice Cooker and am AMAZED at the machines capabilities). If you want to learn about rice, go to an Asian grocery store. Any good Asian grocery store will have a huge selection, and are more than willing to explain the many differences. To them rice is like coffee and tea - each has its own purpose, flavor, and method of consumption. I hated rice until I was in the Navy and stationed in Pearl Harbor. Potatoes are too expensive in Hawaii, and they used rice as a substitute. The local cooks there really knew how to cook rice, and they opened up a whole new world to me. Happy cooking!!!! Denille

I love this rice, the flavor and texture is great. You might not think rice quality can differ much, but it can. I like it more than other short grain sushi rice, and compared to the medium grain calrose rice breeds that some places use to make sushi, it's much better. It's just expensive in comparison. But definitely worth it.

Other than buying a FAR MORE rare and FAR MORE expensive brand of sushi rice that's actually grown in Japan, this is the highest quality of rice grown and available in the USA. I lived an hour from the rice-growing region of NorCal for 26 yrs, I've driven by the fields this rice grows in and the mill that polishes it when I came down out of the mountains into the valley, many, many times. I've eaten at some of the very top, haute cuisine sushi restaurants in this country,fed delicacies from the hands of the masters themselves, so I'm familiar with excellent sushi rice compared to average. Yeah, when I've plunked down $250 to be fed the very best sushi, I expect the ultimate highest quality rice grown in Japan. But the vast majority of the sushi rice eaten in Japan is grown by the farmers in NorCal, and a lot of care and expertise goes into every aspect of this brand, including the breeding behind the 2 varieties blended in it. The single most important factor in any rice tasting it's absolute best is cooking it to perfection, and that's an art that 99.5% of us will never get beyond amateur status at, we'll never have the intuitive expertise of those masters who've put in decades of training and work. Get your rice-cooking skills nailed down as best as you can, use Tamanishiki rice and you can't go wrong.