Types of Saffron: Grades, Origins and How to Spot Fake Saffron

What is saffron?

Saffron comes from the saffron crocus. Inside every blossom, a pale stalk called the style rises from the base and branches near its tip into three deep red stigmas that widen like little trumpets (Acta Biologica Cracoviensia Series Botanica). Those red stigmas, picked by hand and dried, are saffron threads. All that handwork is a big part of why saffron is often called the world's most valuable spice.

Three compounds define its quality. Crocin gives the golden color, picrocrocin gives the slightly bitter taste, and safranal gives the aroma.

Types of saffron by origin

• Iranian (Persian) saffron. Iran produces about 85 to 90% of the world's saffron, mainly in Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan provinces (United Nations). Iranian saffron is often labeled by trim (see below).
• Spanish saffron, La Mancha. Azafrán de La Mancha is a Protected Designation of Origin, registered by Spain's agriculture ministry, for saffron grown and processed in Castilla-La Mancha.
• Kashmiri saffron. Saffron grown in India's Kashmir Valley received a Geographical Indication tag from the Government of India in 2020 (Hindustan Times, 2020).
• Greek saffron, Kozani. Krokos Kozanis is an EU Protected Designation of Origin. The European Commission's records note that Kozani is today the one remaining saffron-growing area in Greece, and the spice from there has a name for deep color and strong flavor.

Types of saffron by cut: Sargol, Negin, Pushal and Bunch

In Iran, saffron is trimmed into several commercial cuts. Researchers analyzing Iranian samples identified six: Sargol, Negin, Pushal, Bunch, Style and Powder (Panara et al., Food Chemistry, 2023). These are trade names, not an official standard, and sellers describe them a little differently. In general:

• Sargol: only the red tips of the stigma, with the yellow part removed. Short, all-red threads.
• Negin: longer, carefully trimmed all-red threads. Often sold as the premium cut, and "Super Negin" is a further-trimmed version.
• Pushal: red stigma with some of the paler style still attached. Slightly less color per gram than all-red cuts.
• Bunch (Dasteh): the whole stigma with its style, dried and tied in bundles.
• Style: the pale lower part on its own. It is not the stigma.

The more yellow or white material in the threads, the less color and aroma you get per gram. The cut name alone does not prove quality, though. Lab grading does.

ISO 3632 saffron grades

ISO 3632 is the international standard for saffron. Labs dissolve a sample in water and measure how strongly it absorbs light at specific wavelengths, which tracks crocin, picrocrocin and safranal. Category I is the highest grade. The minimum values below are as reported from the ISO/TS 3632-2 test method in a Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Methods study.

The numbers are absorbance readings of a 1% solution, not percentages. Moisture and volatile matter must stay under 12% in every category. A reputable seller can show you the lab result for the batch, including the crocin number.

Saffron threads vs powder

Threads let you see what you are buying: deep red color, a slight flare at one end, and little yellow. Powder hides all of that. A 2025 systematic review estimated that 20 to 30% of commercial saffron worldwide is adulterated, with much lower rates in regulated EU markets than in some other markets. Common tricks include substituting safflower, marigold or turmeric, bulking with other plant material, and adding synthetic dyes, some of them carcinogenic (Mehdizadeh et al., Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2025). Turmeric and dyes are much easier to hide in a powder. Unless you trust the source, buy threads and grind them yourself.

How to spot fake saffron

• Price. Real saffron is expensive. A large jar for a few dollars is a warning sign.
• Look. Real threads are dark red, thin, and trumpet-shaped at one end. Safflower, a common substitute, is made of flower petals, not stigmas, so it lacks that trumpet shape. See our safflower petals guide to compare.
• Cold water check. Put a few threads in a glass of cold water and watch. Genuine saffron releases its color gradually, turning the water yellow over somewhere between 20 minutes and an hour, and the threads themselves keep their red color and shape. A sudden burst of color, or threads that break apart, points to dye or a substitute (Tasting Table). Dyes differ, so treat this as a quick screen rather than proof.
• Smell and taste. Real saffron gives an earthy, floral aroma and a slightly bitter taste. Fakes often smell of nothing, or taste metallic.
• Paperwork. A PDO or GI seal, or an ISO 3632 lab report for the batch, is the best evidence you can get as a shopper.

How to use saffron threads

Saffron's color and flavor dissolve in liquid, so steep it before it goes in the pot. Crumble a pinch of threads into a few tablespoons of warm water, broth or milk and let it steep while you prepare the rest of the dish, then add the liquid, threads and all, to paella, rice pilaf, risotto, stews or baked goods. A little goes a long way.

Saffron supplements

Saffron extracts are studied for mood. The largest trial so far gave 202 adults with low mood 28 mg a day of a standardized extract sold under the Affron brand name, or a placebo for 12 weeks. The saffron group improved more on the main depression score, though the placebo group also improved a lot (Lopresti et al., Journal of Nutrition, 2025). Earlier trials of the same branded extract had mixed results: teenagers reported improvement but their parents' reports were inconsistent (2018), and in adults already on antidepressants, clinician ratings improved while self-ratings did not (2019). The research is promising but still young, and the 2025 trial was sponsored by the extract's maker. The supplements we carry, listed below, are other brands; check each label for the extract it uses. Talk with your healthcare provider before using saffron supplements, especially if you take medication for mood, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Find it at William's

We carry saffron supplement capsules: Now Saffron 50 mg (60 veg capsules), Bio Nutrition Saffron Extract capsules (50 count) and Youtheory Saffron Advanced capsules (60 count). Compare labels for the amount of saffron extract per serving and what it is standardized to.

We don't currently list culinary saffron threads online; call the store to check what's on the shelf. For other golden spices, see our turmeric guide and our guide to Kerala spices.

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