Mehr Saffron, Premium All Red Saffron/0.18 Oz (5 Gram)

We love this brand. Aroma is amazing and quality is top notch

Better saffron that a lot of junk I'd bought in past that was passed off as good quality but wasn't. And this is packaged like royalty: a satin-lined heavy cardboard box cradles the glass jar of saffron. The opening of the jar is wide enough to grab a good pinch. The flavor was excellent. Sometimes, you just have to plunk down for the best.Luckily, a small amount of saffron does the trick in cooking. If you didn't already know this, you make a slurry of the dry pistils of saffron in a warm liquid--one containing an oil is best because like many herbs and spices, the active essential oils are not very water soluble. I usually use few tablespoons of warm milk or cream. But if you aren't using milk, water with a touch of butter or olive oil, heated up but not boiling works very well. Then you can sprinkle this liquid over the top of your rice, or mix it into your dish and get saffron flavor well distributed.

I must admit that I'm probably not enough of a gourmet cook to accurately judge premium saffron. I'll give my observations, which is the best I can do.First of all, the packaging is premium and gives the feeling that you've acquired the very best. Always a plus when you pay this much for such a small amount. These days good saffron is pricier than gold or silver. The fine golden box, the heavy, thick glass of the bottle, and the massive precisely cut cork (which resembles a vault door more than a stopper) all whisper quality.The aroma is strong, which points to freshness. The strands are long and while, not broken and powdery.And of course, just a pinch transforms any dish that you add it to.Exquisite. Worth every dollar.The only downside? The beautiful golden box came with an ugly inventory sticker plastered on with industrial strength glue! Too bad. It's a nice little box.

I've purchased saffron before from different stores. Many times they have a lot of the yellow portions of the stigma but you pay premium price. This saffron was nearly all red thread; I literally found only 2 or 3 yellow portions! And the price is very modest.As for the quality of the saffron; what can I say? Quite possibly the most aromatic, flavorful, and colorful saffron I've had to date. Authentic saffron, none of that fake junk that dissolves. And the smell is earthy, not musky (some have a hard time distinguishing, I don't know why) so you know it's fresh.A little saffron goes a long way so it'll be a while before I buy some more. But (high) chances are I'm sticking with Mehr Saffron from now on.Makes a great tea, too!

Product is delivered in a glass container with a cork (not the tin that is also pictured). It has a wonderful smell that hits you as soon as you open the shipping box. All of the product was a nice deep dark red. There was no yellow. Delivery was prompt, and the saffron was in excellent condition. While I purchase saffron every 3 years or so, I simply do not cook with it frequently enough to give it a 5 star rating. From look and smell alone, it is definitely above average. I will say that since I was able to smell it when I opened the amazon box, I left it in its original container and then put that container in an air tight container normally used to store teas. I figured that the smell was a sure hint that the container provided was not air tight. Store your saffron in a cool dark cupboard, and it will last several years.

The picture is of a tea blend I made with saffron after 4 infusion. I picked out of the saffron from the bag and placed it in the bowl so you can see that even after several infusion the saffron has not lost its colour.Disclosure: I did receive this product for a discounted price for my honest review.Pros-Arrived on time-Packaged beautifully-Most importantly this is high quality saffron! Although I am not a connoisseur of saffron you can tell that this product is exceptionally good because it’s the right colour, dry, brittle, and it has that amazing saffron smell. I used this saffron to make a white tea blend with chamomile, lemongrass and saffron, and not only did this saffron make delicious tea I was able to make many more tasty infusions. I also plan on freezing the tea bags and using them on my eyes since saffron is really good for the skin.Cons-none for me at least