For giving
The Crystal Bottle — 1 g
One gram of Super Negin in a crystal keepsake bottle. About 60 cups of tea.
$19.99About 60 cups of tea
Give the bottle
Trust, but verify
How to spot fake saffron: five tests you can do at home
Studies of retail saffron have found nearly half of samples adulterated — dyed corn silk, safflower, and old threads re-coloured. All five of these tests take under fifteen minutes and need nothing you do not already own.
Only about 120–130 tonnes of genuine saffron are produced worldwide each year, yet 300–400 tonnes are traded. The arithmetic tells you everything about why testing matters.
1. The bloom test
Drop three threads into warm water. Real saffron releases its colour slowly — ten to fifteen minutes to full gold — and the threads stay deep crimson throughout.
Fake saffron dumps red or orange colour into the water almost immediately, and the threads go pale as the dye leaches out. This one test catches most adulteration.
2. The shape test
Real stigmas are trumpet-shaped: narrow at one end, flaring into a serrated funnel at the other. Safflower — the most common substitute — is flat, uniform and string-like, with no flare.
3. The rub test
Rub a thread between wet fingers. Real saffron leaves a yellow-orange stain. A red stain on your skin means dye.
4. The aroma test
Real saffron smells like honey and hay with a faintly medicinal edge. It should be obvious the moment you open the jar. If it smells sweet, or of nothing, be suspicious.
5. The baking soda test
Stir a few threads into water with a pinch of baking soda. Real saffron turns the water yellow. Turmeric — another common cheat — turns it red.
If our saffron does not pass the bloom test in your kitchen, we refund it — no return required.
See our lab resultsKeep reading
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Afghan vs Persian vs Spanish vs Kashmiri saffron
Four origins, four reputations, and a great deal of marketing.
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What is Super Negin saffron?
Super Negin is the top of the commercial grading ladder — but almost nobody explains what the rungs below it actually contain.
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The price guide
What real saffron costs — and why
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world by weight and one of the cheapest by serving.
Read →The saffron behind the writing
Buy the thing we keep describing.
Single-origin Herati Super Negin, single-origin and harvest-dated.
For the ritual
The Ritual Set
The bottle plus the porcelain teacup and saucer.
$44.991 g + teacup & saucer
Shop the set
For the kitchen
The Connoisseur Jar — 5 g
For the kitchen that cooks with saffron, not around it.
$59.99$12.00/g
Shop 5 g
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