Pure, Soothing, Powerful Tea since 2004

Pure, Soothing, Powerful Tea since 2004

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Mr. Brown Rice Story ~ Home of Roasted Brown Rice Coffee

Although we would like to take credit for coming up with this brilliant product, “Unforgettable” roasted brown rice coffee, the “roasted brown rice” has been a part of the healing protocol as folk medicine in Japan for a long time. It used to be consumed as a brewed tea, “senji-gusuri,” for digestive health.

More than a few decades ago, one of the macrobiotic healers gave his recipe to one of his students, who is our “Unforgettable” roaster, Mr. Matsuo. Since then, he has been polishing up the recipe and he also was able to make the powder as fine as 10 microns and found a way to enjoy it as a caffeine-free coffee.

The Home of “Unforgettable”

Our “Unforgettable” Brown Rice Coffee alternative powder directly comes from Mr. Matsuo (we love to call him Mr. Brown Rice) in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. He is a passionate artisan roaster. As we both are particular about the quality of our products, Mr. Brown Rice and SEI MEE TEA make a wonderful team. Getting acquainted with him was a privilege for us, and gave us the confidence to offer this traditional and functional product to our American customers. Although his persistence and passion to offer the very best product are outstanding, Mr. Matsuo is a humble man–he is rather comfortable staying behind the scene. We were delighted when he accepted our request to interview him.

Tottori, Japan

How “Unforgettable” was Born

His “Unforgettable” journey started with an unexpected event in his life, as is often the case with our lives. Once a kimono sales clerk, Mr. Brown Rice took a leap of faith and delved into a completely new world when his friend requested him to make tea from wild grass for his health. Mr. Matsuo wanted to create the best product for his dear friend and started to search for recipes. That was when he was introduced to a unique beverage by his macrobiotic teacher.

In order to help his friend, Mr. Brown Rice began roasting brown rice in 1993. He was not satisfied with the flavor and usability–he wanted to make it mixable with water. Since then, he has been constantly improving his roasting method for ease of use and consistency of flavor for his friend, and eventually for his customers.

Product of Kindness & Dedication

And after more than 3 decades, he still says humbly that he still hasn’t perfected the process and thus, he puts 100% attention and care into each roast–in other words, he leaves nothing in an “automatic mode.”

When asked what the most challenging part of roasting was, Mr. Brown Rice replied:

“The amount of time to roast. Every batch is different. I use the results from previous batches to determine when to adjust temperature and finish the roasting process. My job is to find a way to get along with every change of the weather and other conditions, no matter what it is.”

Roasting brown rice does not use the same formula each time. It is a very demanding ingredient when it comes to finding the right temperature and environmental conditions including humidity.

Even after 30-plus years of roasting brown rice, he still stands by the roaster at all times to ensure quality. Before every batch is finished, he tries the roast to make sure it meets his standards.

“Brown rice is like real life, it doesn’t come with a manual and it isn’t the same every time.”

Respect & Admiration to Nature

When I visited them, it was early summer, and his wife was making homemade pickled plums, “Umeboshi.” She uses plums from her yard, which ripen toward the end of June. The gentle and passionate couple enjoy eating natural foods, which he defines as “no synthetic substance and no human manipulation involved.” And he adds,

“I try to remember and be concious about the life of everything I eat. I am appreciative of such a life so I can live healthily.”

Mr. Matsuo a.k.a. Mr. Brown Rice and his assistant, Fumi, said hello to you during our Zoom conversation at his home in Tottori, Japan.

Mr. Brown Rice is a long-time vegan and a true believer in holistic healing.

“It is important for me to find out where my food comes from and who made it, as I believe our bodies are made of what we eat. I would like to offer this same opportunity to my customers.”

home of brown rice coffee
Home of Unforgettable Roasted Brown Rice Coffee ~ Tottori, Japan

Find the Very Best Brown Rice Coffee at SEI MEE TEA

SEI MEE TEA is fortunate to share the important mission of providing pure, potent, and tasty products to our customers with Mr. Matsuo. SEI MEE TEA is now the exclusive provider of Mr. Matsuo’s “Unforgettable” Roasted Brown Rice coffee in the US market.

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