Mehr Saffron, Premium All Red Saffron/1/9 Oz (3 Gram)

I am Persian and my mom brings saffron back from Iran like it’s the holy Grail. And if you touch it, she will act like it was a crime. So I got my own saffron and after doing a quick search, the website for this one looked promising and I ordered it. It comes in a lovely glass vile with a cork screw top and it’s sealed in an airtight aluminum pouch which preserves its freshness. Immediately when I opened it, it was more fragrant than my mom‘s saffron. When I gave it to my mom She took one look at it, smelled it, and asked me where I got it. She was very pleased with the quality. And for $20 you get a lot that will last you for many cooking projects. I don’t know what other brands are out there that are good, but the Spanish saffron I got from grocery stores was like only 10 strands for $10 and wasn’t near as good as this.

Costco is well known for providing authentic, high quality foods like saffron and olive oil so I wanted to compare their brand to what I usually buy, which is Mehr and see how different they are. First the visuals: Mehr looks like it has been broken and abused or simply milled to be shorter or are from flowers that don't produce very long stamens. Kirkland has long intact stamens that are beautiful and clearly have been gently handled at all stages. Cold water: Mehr instantly releases color when in contact with cold water. Kirkland doesn't produce much color at all. Hot water: After 5 minutes in water from boiling temperature the water is beautifully colored. Kirkland, has released its color with hot water, looks nearly identical to Mehr. Cooked in rice: Mehr saffron is slightly darker than Kirkland. Both come out beautifully. Flavor: both are distinctly saffron, but have slightly different flavors. Neither is better than the other. Conclusion: I'll buy whichever is readily available. Mehr is the real deal, and that is what I wanted to figure out from this process.

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

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.

Mehr saffron has bittersweet aroma. I observed the stamen; they where crushed due to packaging. I would suggest a bigger jar. Mehr saffron has a bitter, earthy taste with a sweet hint.

Anyone that truly enjoys cooking has been in this bind. Guests are coming to dinner the next day, and you realize that you don’t have quite enough an essential ingredient. In my case it was the saffron for the arroz con pollo (chicken with saffron rice). All I had was a very small amount and I needed at least a half-teaspoon. So, I run out to the spice shop where I usually purchase it, and they are temporarily out of the Spanish “coupe” variety I usually buy. All they have available is “superior”. I’ve tried both, and “coupe” is worth the few extra bucks per gram. So I hit up Amazon Prime, and after reading the reviews, it looks like the Mehr Saffron is the closest in quality to what I usually buy. But I checked out the Mehr webpage before making my Amazon purchase. Truth be told, I should have followed my gut, and taken a hint from the grammatical and spelling errors throughout the website! But I needed delivery the following day, so I pulled the trigger. The 5 gram bottle of Mehr saffron @ $31.47 (approximately $6.20 per gram) arrived in a beautiful cardboard box lined with satin fabric. Nice presentation, but when I compared both the size of the filaments, the aroma, and the intensity of color, the Mehr product paled in comparison. Rather than be a total naysayer, I did a side-by-side taste test by soaking each of the saffron in some water. Hands down, the Spanish “coupe” was both more flavorful. I needed to increase the amount of the Mehr product by an additional 1/3 to get the same flavor and color intensity. Bottom line, the Mehr product is OK, but it’s not worth the 5 star reviews. (FYI, the Costco website is selling a 14 gram jar of Plaza de Saffrons “Coupe” variety for $79.99 ($5.71 per gram) including shipping an handling. Sounds too good to be true. Wish I could see the product, however it’s only available for purchase/delivery online. )

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!