Kinmemai Premium is a handcrafted rice variety that holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive rice in the world, priced at $109 per kilogram (approximately 2.7 million VND).
Rice is one of the most nutritious yet affordable food staples globally. However, if you are looking for a special option among the finest rice varieties, nothing compares to Kinmemai Premium.
Kinmemai Premium Rice. (Photo: O.C).
Produced by Toyo Rice Corporation of Japan, this exclusive rice is hand-harvested from five award-winning rice varieties. After harvesting, the rice is aged for flavor for six months using a proprietary polishing technology developed over 17 years ago.
Kinmemai Premium rice boasts superior nutritional value compared to ordinary rice, as well as a delicious nutty flavor. The grains themselves resemble small diamonds due to the patented polishing process, which only removes the inedible bran layer.
Kinmemai Premium is proud to offer nutritional benefits unmatched by any other rice. This rice contains lipopolysaccharides (LPS)—a natural immune booster that helps maintain good health and fight diseases—at levels six times higher than regular white rice. It also has 1.8 times more fiber and seven times more Vitamin B1 than common rice. Even without rinsing, the rice retains its unique aroma and sweetness.
Compared to premium rice varieties like Koshihikari and Pikamaru, Kinmemai Premium is particularly special as it is hand-harvested by experts from Toyo Corporation. Farmers who cultivate this rice variety are paid roughly eight times the standard price for the finest rice. This partly explains why the world’s most expensive rice commands such a high price.
Rice also contains 1.8 times more fiber and 7 times more Vitamin B1 than ordinary rice. (Illustrative photo: OC).
Marketed as the “best rice in the world,” Kinmemai Premium is sold in 140-gram packages, priced at approximately $120 per kilogram. This rice set a world record for the “most expensive rice” in 2016, priced at $109 per kilogram, but inflation has pushed prices even higher since then. Initially, Kinmemai Premium was only available in the Japanese market, but it has since been sold in Singapore.
However, Kinmemai Premium rice is not suitable for making sushi due to its lack of necessary starch. To fully enjoy the sweet, rich flavor of this rice, the manufacturer recommends using it to prepare simple Japanese dishes—such as ochazuke (rice soaked in green tea) and Tamago kake gohan (rice mixed with raw egg).
