How much should I use?

A pinch: 10–15 threads for four is enough for rice or soup. For bread, about 20 threads per 500 g of flour; for a cup of milk, 3–5 threads. In detail: How much should I use?

How should I store it?

Cool, dry and dark, in the original closed metal tin, away from the hob. Do not put it in the fridge, as it gathers condensation. The best-before date is printed on the tin.

Where do you ship and how fast?

We ship across the European Union by courier. Delivery time and shipping cost depend on the destination and are calculated at checkout. Free pickup is available in Budapest and Vienna. International orders outside the EU are available upon request, for B2B only.

Yes. Royal comes in a black and gold tin, Premium in a burgundy and gold tin, gift-boxed and ready to give.

What is the difference between Premium and Royal?

Both are whole saffron threads from Herat, laboratory tested according to ISO 3632. Premium is a Negin and Super Negin selection in a burgundy and gold tin; its crocin target is 245–270+. Royal is our highest selection of Herat saffron: long, thick, deep-red Super Negin threads in a black and gold tin; its crocin target is 270–300+. Both are AMU selections, not official ISO grades.

How is your saffron tested?

Every shipment is tested in a certified laboratory in Afghanistan and in the EU, according to ISO 3632: colour (crocin), flavour (picrocrocin) and aroma (safranal). Actual laboratory results may differ depending on where and how the sample is tested (Afghanistan or the EU). Details and a lab sheet: Quality & Laboratory

Where does the saffron come from?

From the fields of Herat province, Afghanistan. The flowers are picked by hand at dawn, and the stigmas are sorted and dried the same day.

Threads. In powder you cannot see what is inside; threads you crumble and steep yourself. We pack whole saffron threads only.

How do I recognise real saffron?

A real thread is trumpet-shaped, deep red, slightly wider at the tip. In water it colours slowly to golden and does not fade at once.

Why is saffron so expensive?

A gram takes roughly 150 flowers, and the three stigmas are picked from each by hand, as the flower opens.

The Saffron

Negin and Super Negin.

The selection grades of saffron, and which of them go into the Premium and the Royal tin.

Quality

What quality means with saffron

Two different things get mixed up. One is the grade: which part of the flower is packed. The other is the laboratory value: what the standard measures on the finished thread. A thread can be Super Negin grade and Class I at the same time; they are not the same axis.

Grades by selection

A trade classification by how much of the yellow style stays on the thread, and how intact it is. Colour content falls as you go down the list.

Super NeginRoyalThe thickest, darkest, undamaged whole stigmas with no yellow part. Royal is selected from these, and they also go into Premium.
NeginPremiumWhole stigmas with no yellow part, a little thinner and more mixed in length. Premium is made of Negin and Super Negin threads.
SargolNot sold by usThe red tip of the stigma, cut off. Shorter, more broken threads.
PushalNot sold by usThe red stigma keeps a piece of the yellow style attached.
Dasteh and KongeNot sold by usWhole bundled threads, and the purely yellow part. The yellow has no colouring power.

We sell only the top two grades. Grading is not a measurement: there is no number to it, it is done by eye and by hand.

What the laboratory measures

Every batch is laboratory tested according to ISO 3632, both in Afghanistan and in the EU. The standard measures three properties on the same sample.

245–300+¹

Premium · target 245–270+
Royal · target 270–300+

Coloring strength (crocin) under ISO 3632, on a 0–350 scale. The bands are the target ranges of the two selections, the mark is the lower limit of category I. Actual laboratory results may differ depending on where and how the sample is tested (Afghanistan or the EU).

Colour (crocin): Colouring strength. The Class I threshold is 200; the crocin target is 245–270+ for Premium and 270–300+ for Royal. Actual laboratory results may differ depending on where and how the sample is tested (Afghanistan or the EU).
Taste (picrocrocin): The strength of the characteristic, slightly bitter taste.
Aroma (safranal): The amount of aroma compound. Too high a value can indicate poor drying or ageing.

The three values together give the class, not any one on its own. Premium and Royal are AMU selections, not official ISO grades.

Premium or Royal?

Both are whole saffron threads from Herat, laboratory tested according to ISO 3632. Premium and Royal are AMU selections, not official ISO grades.

Premium selection
Premium
- Whole Negin and Super Negin threads, crocin target 245–270+
- Burgundy-and-gold tin and glass vial, in a kraft gift box
- 1 g · 2 g · 5 g · 30 g
- €6.00–9.90 per gram
Shop Premium
Our flagship
Royal
- Our highest selection: long, thick, deep-red Super Negin threads, crocin target 270–300+
- Black-and-gold tin in a rigid black gift box
- 2 g · 5 g · 20 g
- €8.50–12.45 per gram
Shop Royal

All about saffron

Coloring strength to ISO 3632 (crocin absorbance), category targets: Premium 245–270+, Royal 270–300+. Actual laboratory results may differ depending on where and how the sample is tested (Afghanistan or the EU). Premium and Royal are AMU selections, not official ISO grades; grade I starts at 200. Saffron is a spice; this site makes no health claims.