Bunches saffron

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus - Crocus sativus.
Saffron, which has for decades been the world’s most expensive spice by weight.
There are only two or three places in the whole world where saffron grows. Iran has the proud privilege of being one of these places. Click To Enlarge
Iran Saffron is seen as the king of the saffron species.

Bunches Saffron (Daste Saffron): This kind of saffron contains the stigma with the whole style. Order

Pure Iran saffron

Pure Best Quality Saffron Directly sourced from Iran.
There are only two or three places in the whole world where saffron grows. Iran has the proud privilege of being one of these places. There are two locations in Iran where saffron grows. One of these two places is Pampur. Pampur is a small town, which is 13 km from Srinagar. The saffron plant is very small and its flower is the only part which is seen above the ground. The blooming time of this flower is autumn. Saffron has a unique sweet smell and is used in dyeing and cooking.
The orange-red stigmas of the saffron plant produce a pleasant aroma and a warm golden orange color. The yellow stamens are also harvested, however they do not have the same aromatic and color properties of the stigmas. Pure saffron consists of only the orange-red stigmas of the saffron plant. Saffron is also believed to have many medicinal properties. Called Kesar in the rest of India, saffron is used as a flavoring agent in many food preparations, from rice dishes, such as biryani, to various sweets.
The botanical name of Saffron is Crocus sativus. The purple colored flowers appear just above the ground and are a beautiful sight. The orange stigmas of the saffron plant are harvested as saffron and used as a flavoring and coloring agent in various recipes. Saffron is added to Kahwa - the traditional Saffron Tea drunk by people in Iran.

Why is genuine "Mancha" persian saffron so precious ?
The saffron flower must be hand picked at dawn on any of the 15 to 20 days in which it is in bloom mostly during end-October. The flowers are collected in baskets, and transported to the villages where the precious stigmas are removed by hand. To give an idea of the laborious nature of this work we can say that from 160,000 saffron flowers, approximately, 5.25 Kg of stigmas are obtained which, once dried, produce only 1 Kg. of saffron. Due to it's properties, "Mancha" saffron is beneficial to health, and used in many recipes. persian "Mancha" saffron is the best in the world, owing to higher levels of aromatic & flavouring oils. persian saffron’s red-filament are the longest. The charecteristics of genuine persian Mancha saffron is that the stigma's must be joint in the three's at the end of a portion of the style, which is yellow in colour.The stigma's must be longer than the styles and their colour vibrant - red, never dark red.

How was the word Saffron derived?
The word saffron was derived from the Arabic word ' Za`faraan'. It was the Arabs who first planted saffron in Spain, when they came to Spain, over a 1000 years ago.

How should saffron be stored?
Saffron must be protected from dampness & light to retain it’s properties longer. Good quality saffron keeps well for upto 2-3 years, but poor quality saffron deteriorates rapidly, so it is very important to buy only good quality.

How can we tell the difference between genuine saffron and dyed stuff?
If you immerse dyed imitation saffron in water or milk, you will get the colour very quickly and feel pleased that this "saffron" is good, whereas it is the artificial dye coming off quickly. With genuine saffron, the colour develops only after soaking for few minutes and rubbing with a spoon. If the saffron is very cheap, be careful as it could be adulterated.

Why Safinter's Iran (Persian) Saffron is considered the best in the world?
* Iran (Persian) saffron has provided a guarantee of quality to generations of consumers, for decades. When you buy Iran (Persian) saffron, you are assured of the same consistent quality level, pack after pack, year after year.
* Safinter, the producers of Iran (Persian) saffron have collaborated with International Standards Organisation to set the world saffron standards ISO-3632. Iran (Persian) saffron is produced according to these norms.
* You have to use fewer strands of Safinter's Iran (Persian) saffron owing to it’s higher colouring, aromatic & flavouring powers. Iran (Persian) saffron therefore works out economical.
* Iran (Persian) saffron is the brand of saffron preferred by leading chef’s because of it’s guarantee of quality.
* In a changing world, where nothing seems to last, Iran (Persian) saffron provides the re-assurance of consistent quality.. quality trusted for ages.

The reason saffron is the highest-priced of spices is because of the intensive hand labor required to cultivate and harvest it. It is the stigma of a small purple crocus flower; it takes about an acre of land and 75,000 flowers to yield one pound of saffron. Each flower blooms for only about one week of the year, during which the stigmas must be hand-picked and dried.
Purest form of saffron which is used worldwide.

Some useful information about saffron