Brown rice if old or not stored in cool temps becomes rancid very easily. I try to buy mine from stores with a quick turnover rate. You would notice the rancid smell easily if that were the case. Fresh brown rice does have a different smell. We have made the switch and honestly it is easy to eat a smaller amount because it just doesn't taste as good. . It's a great starch for losing weight!

I think it can have a bit of a grassy smell. Not sure what type you bought, but I found I much prefer short-grain brown rice to long-grain. Long-grain is a no-go here but the short-grain is perfectly acceptable to me and mine.

Rice naturally contains arsenic, on top of pesticides containing arsenic that have been used on it. Brown rice has more arsenic than white rice. After this made the news local green grocery chain put up signs warning shoppers not to give brown rice milk to their kids.

To me, most grains smell a bit earthy and hay-like. I don't like to eat quinoa because of its odor but I'm the only one who smells it before its cooked so my family is not bothered by it.

I keep an eye on mine so it doesn't go rancid which is the only time I've noticed a smell. I guess I don't usually smell it if it's freshly purchased, but I buy it at the food coop where it is one of the fast moving staples - then keep it in the freezer.

Brown basmati is good, too. Sometimes I buy frozen organic pre-cooked brown rice from TJ's. It's ridiculous, I know, but I live alone and love having something easy and fast on hand.

I've found some brands tend to smell more earthy than others. I buy mine in bulk and they get it fresh and it goes fast from the bins. I cook it right away then freeze for use later.

When we started making changes, we started having more brown rice. But, none of us like it THAT much, so we make half white and half brown rice. I felt better when I heard chef Ming Tsai say he did the same thing at home for his children!

I prefer the nutty taste of brown rice-- but I get that it takes adjustment. Note too that there are different kinds of brown rice. Brown Basmati is probably a good place to start if you aren't enjoying it now... it might save you having to make two pots of rice.

I prefer the consistency and taste of brown rice, too. We have only eaten brown rice for years, but once we got used to it, white rice started seeming starchy and tasteless to us.

I have been eating only brown rice for years and like sas9, no longer like white rice much. I only buy organic, cook it in organic bone broth and freeze it in ziploc bags for the freezer. A staple.

My famous Chinese fried rice wasn't so famous with brown rice. I guess there are sacrifices to make and it was doable but wouldn't have made me famous if I'd been making it with brown rice all these years! But in all fairness, I didn't start out right. I put the rice in the water before it came to a boil. THEN read the directions :o It was too moist and gummy. It was Mahatma Brown Rice. I'll look for a different brand next time. I've had brown rice several times and enjoyed it but this, not so much. We've eaten the white Bamati but it's too strong for Chinese fried rice. Thanks everyone.

I love brown rice. I loved it the first time I made it. I don't even buy white rice. I love the texture and nutty flavor,

I buy Mahatma from California.

True, I don’t the know brand of Brown rice that one of my close ones gave me but it smells like animal sewage :-( .. especially after soaking and cooking it has a brown water and brown layer on top that smells very bad. Does it mean that this was grown by sewage water ?

Yes, and so is quinoa.

We don't eat brown rice that often, so we keep it in the freezer after we once got bugs in it.

I prefer short grain brown rice too - it's more soft & sticky.

And I love the smell of hay, but I never noticed brown rice smelling like that. The closest I can think of is either jasmine rice or the one that's supposed to smell like pecans...Lundberg?

And I put every grain product I buy in the freezer for a few days or more before storing it at room temp. in glass jars or tins, living in FL, a.k.a. bug heaven.

Have you tried farro instead of brown rice? It has more protein and fiber. Brown rice has been associated with higher levels of arsenic (but I'm not sure where that stands today). I rarely eat grains but when I do, I prefer farro.

Washing rice can help reduce the arsenic, I understand. We don't eat it very often either.