Saffron
1 gram
$14.99
The crystal collection
Afghan Saffron
Afghan saffron is Crocus sativus grown in Herat province, where roughly 95% of Afghanistan's crop is produced. High altitude, dry autumns and cold nights yield long, deep-red stigmas. Every jar here is single-origin Herat — all-red threads with the pale style cut away, harvest-dated, and never blended.
Why Herat
Saffron rewards hard country. Herat's high-desert valleys give the crop the cold nights and dry autumn air it needs, and the province grows about 95% of Afghanistan's saffron. We buy from one province and one lot at a time, which is why every jar carries a harvest date instead of a vague country of origin.
What Super Negin actually means
Super Negin describes the thread itself: long, all-red stigmas with the pale yellow style removed. It is a real and meaningful distinction, and worth stating plainly — it is a visual grade assigned by the seller, not a laboratory measurement. Assay results are published in full on our lab report page as each lot is tested.
Choosing a size
One listing, five sizes — 1 g, 2 g, 3 g, 5 g and 10 g, all the same saffron. A single gram is about 250 threads, roughly sixty cups of tea. The larger jars bring the price per gram down from $14.99 to $6.00. Free U.S. shipping over $50, and thirty days to change your mind.
- All-red Super NeginHand-sorted, no yellow style
- Hand-harvested HeratAfghanistan
- Free U.S. shippingOn orders over $50
- 30-day guaranteeFull potency, refunded
Saffron
2 grams
$25.99
Saffron
3 grams
$34.99
Saffron
5 grams
$44.99
Saffron
10 grams
$59.99
Saffron
Saffron Gift Box — Two Crystal Bottles (2 × 1g)
Price
$27.99
Buy Afghan saffron: the gift, and the ritual
Authentic Afghan Saffron sells single-origin Super Negin saffron from Herat, Afghanistan — where about 95% of Afghanistan's saffron is grown. Every bottle is all-red Super Negin grade, independently tested to ISO 3632 Category I, harvest-dated, and sealed in a crystal keepsake bottle designed to be given rather than shoved in a spice drawer.
Which size should I buy?
The 1 g Crystal Bottle ($14.99) is the gift unit and the place almost everyone starts — one gram is roughly 60 cups of saffron tea or 20 family dishes. The Gift Box (2 × 1 g, $27.99) is one to give and one to keep. For households that cook with saffron weekly, the 5 g Connoisseur Jar ($44.99, $9/g) and the 10 g Grand Jar ($59.99, $6/g) bring the price per gram down.
How to use saffron
For tea, use 3–5 threads per cup, water just off the boil, and five minutes of steeping — do not stir. For a family rice dish such as qabuli pulao, bloom a generous pinch (15–20 threads) in 2 tablespoons of warm water for ten minutes, then add both the liquid and the threads. Less is more: past about six threads a cup turns bitter rather than richer.
How to store saffron
Keep it sealed in its bottle, in a cool dark cupboard, away from sunlight and heat. Never the fridge — humidity is saffron's enemy. Stored well, saffron holds peak aroma for two years or more, and every bottle we ship carries its harvest date so you always know how fresh yours is.
Gifting, weddings and wholesale
Choose "Give as a Gift" on any product for wrap and a handwritten card. For wedding favours, corporate Eid gifting, restaurant supply or retail wholesale, see our wholesale & events page — we do custom quantities and custom labels.
Find your bottle
Three ways in.
For giving
The Crystal Bottle — 1 g
One full gram of Super Negin in a bottle that looks like a fragrance flacon. The gift they keep long after the last golden cup.
$14.99Shop the bottle
For the ritual
The Gift Box
Two crystal bottles in a gold-foiled gift box, made for exactly one thing: watching three crimson threads turn hot water to gold.
$27.99Shop the gift box
For the kitchen
The Connoisseur Jar — 5 g
For the kitchen that cooks with saffron, not around it. Qabuli pulao on Friday, golden tea every day, at $9 a gram.
$44.99Shop 5 g
Every size, compared.
| Bottle | Threads | Makes | Best for | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 g Crystal Bottle | ~250 | 60+ cups of tea | The gift · start here | $14.99 | Shop → |
| Gift Box — 2 × 1 g | ~500 | 120+ cups | One to give, one to keep | $27.99 | Shop → |
| The Gift Box | ~500 threads | ~120 cups | Most gifted · Eid & Nowruz | $27.99 | Shop → |
| 5 g Connoisseur Jar | ~1,250 | 100 dishes | Households · $9/g | $44.99 | Shop → |
| 10 g Grand Jar | ~2,500 | 200 dishes | Ramadan & weddings · $6/g | $59.99 | Shop → |
Single origin
One province. The best on earth. Single origin.
95% of Afghanistan's saffron grows in Herat's high-desert valleys, where the altitude, the dry autumn and the cold nights produce the longest, deepest-red stigmas in the world. Herat's high-desert valleys grow about 95% of Afghanistan's saffron. Ours comes from there, and nowhere else — no blending, no vague 'imported', and a harvest date on every bottle.
- Single-origin Herat, Afghanistan — never blended
- All-red Super Negin: the tip of the stigma only
- ISO 3632 Category I, independently tested at harvest time
- Harvest-dated on every bottle · free U.S. shipping over $50
Still deciding?
Start with the 1 g Crystal Bottle. It's the gift unit, it's 60 cups of tea, and it's the cheapest way to find out we're telling the truth.
Buying it for someone
The occasions saffron was made for.
Order-by dates go live before each of these. The Harvest List gets them first.
Eid al-Fitr & Eid al-Adha
Eid gifting
A crystal bottle, wrapped, with a handwritten card. Nothing else needed.
20–21 March
Nowruz
The haft-sin table, the new year, and the saffron rice that has to be right.
Autumn
Diwali
Kesar for mithai, kheer and the sweets table.
Nov – Dec
All yearThe holidays
The luxury food gift under $50.
Weddings
Favours, custom labels and bulk quantities.
Buyer questions
The questions we get most.
Which size should I order first?
The 1 g Crystal Bottle. It's the gift unit, it's roughly 60 cups of tea or 20 family dishes, and at $14.99 it is the lowest-risk way to find out whether we are telling the truth about the grade.
What do "Super Negin" and ISO 3632 Category I mean?
Super Negin is the grade name for long, all-red stigmas with no yellow style attached — the highest visual grade. ISO 3632 Category I is a laboratory standard measuring crocin (colour), picrocrocin (taste) and safranal (aroma); Category I is the top tier and starts at a crocin reading of 200. Every batch we sell is tested against it.
Is the Gift Box ready to give as-is?
Yes — the Gift Box ships with two crystal bottles in a gold-foiled sleeve and a card explaining the three ways to brew. Add a handwritten note at checkout if you'd like.
How much saffron should I use?
3–5 threads per cup of tea; a generous pinch (15–20 threads) bloomed in 2 tbsp of warm water for a family rice dish. Less is more — saffron should warm a dish, not overpower it.
How long does saffron last?
Sealed, cool, dark and dry: two years or more at peak aroma. Every bottle carries its harvest date so you always know how fresh yours is.
How does shipping work?
Free U.S. shipping over $50, a flat rate below that, calculated at checkout. Orders ship with tracking, typically within one business day.
Do you offer wholesale, wedding or restaurant pricing?
Yes — custom quantities, custom labels and chef pricing. Tell us what you're planning.
What if my bottle doesn't pass the bloom test?
Email us within 30 days and we'll arrange a return, then refund or replace it. That guarantee is the whole point of publishing the lab numbers.