TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan uses trained rice tasters to judge the flavor and eating quality of new rice varieties before they can be officially named and released, CNA reported Wednesday.
Taiwan’s rice exports to Japan topped 12,000 tonnes in both 2024 and 2025, more than double past levels, the agriculture ministry said. As exports grow, Taiwan is using trained tasters to help protect the quality of new rice varieties.
Agriculture Deputy Minister Hu Chung-i (胡忠一) has said Taiwan rice tastes similar to Japanese rice. Japanese consumers have also praised its quality.
“Rice tasters help protect the quality of Taiwan rice,” said Li Cheng-hung (李誠紘), an assistant researcher at the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. The station tests and scores new rice varieties before they are sent for official review.
Li said the most important skill for tasters is stable judgment. This means a taster should give similar scores when tasting the same sample more than once.
The cooking process is controlled like a science test. Staff use the same rice weight, water ratio, rice cooker model, and rice cookers from the same batch to keep samples fair.
Tasters also need to protect their sense of taste. Li said they avoid strong-flavored food and smoking, and they should not be too full or too hungry before tasting.
Training usually takes two to four months of repeated tasting. Only after trainees learn the scoring standards are their results included in official analysis.
During a test, tasters usually take a small bite of about 20 to 40 grams of rice. They judge smell, appearance, stickiness, hardness, taste, and aftertaste.
The tasting room uses modern dividers to keep tasters from influencing each other. Li said tasters may take a second bite if they are unsure about the difference between samples.
A tasting session usually lasts about 30 minutes and includes 10 samples. The samples often include four new varieties and one variety already on the market for comparison.
The station said it has tested more than 2,000 rice varieties. About 200 have reached official naming or commercial release, meaning only about 10% make it that far.
Li said passing a taste test does not guarantee a rice variety will be sold. Yield, environmental stability, disease resistance, farming suitability, appearance, and market position also affect whether a variety reaches consumers.
