The Koda family produces two rice varieties, proprietary heirloom medium-grain Kokuho Rose and glutinous short-grain rice Sho-Chiku-Bai. They additionally mill Blue Star Brand mochiko and Diamond ...

Sure, Munger said, increasing the Japanese rice market would be great for California farmers, especially for operations such as his that specialize in premium short-grain rice used for sushi.

The Koda family produces two rice varieties, proprietary heirloom medium-grain Kokuho Rose and glutinous short-grain rice Sho-Chiku-Bai. They additionally mill Blue Star Brand mochiko and Diamond ...

These include long grain, medium grain and short grain. When cooked, long grain rice tends to be fluffy and light and is popular in rice bowls, stir fries and casseroles.

She’s right, of course. The rice is neither mushy nor crunchy. Each grain retains its individuality, but together, the grains have softened toward the optimal threshold for soaking up flavor.

One downside: Medium-grain white rice took 60 minutes to cook (almost three times as long as other models in this category), and short-grain brown rice took 90.

In short, this is a rice befitting the region’s most discerning chefs. “In my opinion, it’s probably some of the best rice I’ve ever tasted coming from America, grown here,” Yoshimura ...