UPDATE: September 30, 2020
Replenished my stock and it was put into a box without any headroom (the bag touched the top of the box) so when I cut it open it cut open the bag of rice. Annoying. The rice is nitrogen-packed which keeps it fresh and I wasn't ready to open this bag for another couple of weeks. :(

I love rice. Short grain, long grain, sushi, basmati, arborio, carnaroli, bomba, Jasmine, sticky, black, red, green, white.
But for many years, Lundberg Golden Rose, a medium-to-short grain brown rice, was my standard, every day rice, and pretty much my favorite rice, despite being brown. (In other varieties of rice I preferred the taste of white rice.) Sadly, they stopped growing it.
I was looking for another all-around day-to-day rice. I experimented making GABA rice, I also sprouted rice, and tried other ways to coax myself to eat brown rice. I had two concerns: Limiting the phytic acid/making the nutrients bio available and flavor. I did feel slightly virtuous eating the sprouted and GABA rice, but the one aspect of brown rice I did like (not the taste), the "bite" or chewiness, was destroyed.
Then a few years ago I heard about Haga Mai, but it wasn't readily available. When I saw this on Amazon, I knew I had to try it.
This rice is ridiculously delicious. It is chewy, has the mildness of white rice with just a bit of the rich flavor of brown. It could end up being my permanent replacement for Golden Rose.
But it is very pricey.
I am hoping that if demand increases, the price will come down.
Really good though!
*I'm still rating it four stars for value for money because if it is as nutritionally rich as all the hype, it's a pretty good value.

I pretty much exclusively buy this rice, which sounds ridiculous because of the expense over other rice, but it's true. I also don't eat rice every day, or even every week so a bag does last me a bit. But everyone I make this rice for is really impressed.

The rice is definitely more than just regular white rice. There is actual flavor with this rice, there is almost a slight nutty flavor to it. And the texture is more substantial than regular white rice, while still remaining soft and light. When I prepare it I give it a wash through a strainer to remove a lot of the starch. I also often pair it with a sauce I make with butter and soy sauce (sometimes add a few drops of sesame oil as well), and it's amazing! Try it out you won't be disappointed.

I just took 1 star off because of the price being what it is. I say it's worth it, but others might not agree.

Always good product

This is my favorite rice. It's as delicious as white rice but is healthier. First, it still contains the germ where most of the vitamins are stored. Second, although it no longer has the outer bran layer, bran is where most of the arsenic in rice is found. And third, although all rice contains some arsenic, it has been shown that California rice has less arsenic that rice from most other areas. And this rice is grown in California. So although I love GABA and Forbidden rice too, for their taste and health benefits, I really love Haiga and no longer feel guilty about eating white rice.

best rice to make at home.
even my friend from Japan uses this rice + highly recommends!!