Has anyone compared the quality of the various readily available California grown Koshikikari, Tamanishiki rice brands? My regular rotation recently have been:
From Wismettac (formerly Nishimoto Trading Co., Ltd.)
Tamaki Rice Corporation
JFC (Koshihikari rice and Yumegokochi rice hybrid)
Based on my most recent purchases the Wismettac grain (R ) appears slightly larger and clearer compared to the Tamaki (L).
I enjoy the brand that’s currently on sale that week, i’m not discerning enough to be able to taste a noticeable difference.
I try lots of different rice brands, but the first on your list is my standard go-to Japanese rice.
Have you done a blind tasting? Those are pretty fun.
I’ve never done a side-by-side comparison. I like Tamaki Gold well enough that if I stray it’s to a Japanese import.
I’d be interested in your findings.
Hahaha trying to be lazy to see if anyone has done it and arrived at a conclusion. Will have a verdict in 6 - 8 mths. Just started on a new bag of Tamaki Gold, neglected to save a cup of the Wismettac.
Same boat then.
My local Marukai sells rice out of bulk bins. I may need to try a side by side myself. But I have only one rice cooker and my technique for making stovetop rice is . . . out of practice let’s say.
How timely. Right now I have a bag of the tamanishiki. It’s reliably available within a short walk from my home. Tonight I had dinner at a friends, and noticed she had a bag of the first brand you have pictured above. After dinner I plucked a leftover bite from the pot to taste it plain. For a second I thought it tasted slightly better. But then I realized that I was simply hungry again. I’ve used all three brands many times over the past 17 years or so. Sometimes practical reasons like price dictate which I choose, but I’d be lying if I said I could tell the difference.
Off-topic but I had to laugh. I recently needed just a little bit of rice for something - can’t even remember what now - and decided to just cook in a little pot. I was a little freaked if I could do it 
Matsuri Golden Koshihikari
Ah yes missed that. Best of the lot?
I like it a lot. Even the brown rice is soft and fluffy.
I do prefer over Tamaki.
It was time to replenish my rice. Actually that’s a lie. This topic has been stubbornly stuck in my head like a song, so ordered the matsuri. I cooked one rice cupful in my zojirushi cooker, rinsed but not presoaked. This is my usual method. Compared to my tamanashiki rice the matsuri seemed more consistently tender, with less of the slightly dry texture of cooked rice lining the bottom and side of the cooking vessel that gets sort of leathery when kept on keep warm for several hours. Since I’m usually cooking for one, and in smaller yields, that outer layer texture can be annoying, so I welcome the change, though it is minor to be honest. Tastes great! Itch scratched.
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Thanks for the detailed report @augustiner, now it’s starting to ring in my head. Might have to get a mini sized Mastsuri myself. 
Look like Matsuri is the leading contender so far.
Yes I think so.
I buy the Echigoya Koshihikari brown rice from Japan. Had no idea what any of the words referred to, until now. So Koshihikari is a variety?
FWIW, Chef Brandon Go of LA’s superb Hayato recommends Tamaki Gold.
Edit: Tamaki Gold is what Chef Brandon recommends for everyday use, it is not what he himself uses at his restaurant (which is some crazy-expensive Japanese import).
That was my go-to until I bought a bag of the Matsuri Golden Koshihikari mentioned above.
I find it pretty hard to discern a difference since I’m not able to do a side -by-side blind comparison.
That said, I guess I will probably go back to the Tamaki Gold as I think the grains cook up with just a bit more bite with my method than when I use the Matsuri Golden. I think . . . maybe . . .
Marukai on Pico will regularly have small bags of some pretty special rice imported from Japan. The per-ounce price is pretty wild, but the cost to try is still reasonable.
