This is going to be a rather short review as there isn't much to say about Ryza Rice Beverage other than it's just plain BAD!I haven't used dairy milk as a beverage for many, many years. That being the case, I'm always on the look-out for new non-dairy options, including rice, soy, coconut, almond types of "milk" beverages. It's a market that is growing by leaps and bounds these days, with more and more people looking for ways to kick all or at least part of their dairy habit.
I tried Ryza Rice Beverage with an open mind. The carton was attractive at least, that got it off the shelf and into the cart! Things rapidly went downhill from there. LOL
My only regret now is that I didn't take it back to the store for a refund instead of pouring it down the drain. Yes, it really is that bad. Hard to even describe the taste: watery, bland, bitter... I'll say it again.... just plain bad.
Having no added sugar and using whole grain rice is all well and good, but come on, a product still has to taste good or at least be palatable to make it an option as a food choice and/or dairy alternative. Perhaps it's workable in cooking and baking, I'm not sure. But for drinking "straight up" forget it!
Tasteless products like Ryza are in my opinion part of the reason why so many people end up being wary of trying new beverages in this category even though they may have a sincere desire/ interest in cutting down on dairy products. That's unfortunate because there are good non-dairy beverage available right now and more to come I'm sure as consumer demand continues to grow.
If you have actually tried Ryza beverages and were not impressed, don't give up on dairy alternatives in general. Keep trying other brands and if one doesn't suit, return it to the store where you purchased it and explain why you are returning it. I have found that in most cases grocery stores are ok with returning the full purchase price of a product if it simply doesn't meet expectations. Live and learn. And a heads-up for the store too, what consumers think of a particular product.
I will be reviewing other non-dairy beverages here at MRLR in the future; some good and some just ok. But to date thankfully, none of them have been as BAD as Ryza.
Overall rating for this product: BAD. 0 out of 5.
