GUIDE
Saffron Grades Guide
Understand grade differences, uses, and pricing to choose the right saffron for your market.
Saffron is graded by which part of the stigma is present and how it has been cut. The differences are visible, measurable and priced accordingly — but a higher grade is not automatically the right grade. The best choice is the cheapest grade that still meets what your product actually needs.
The grades, in plain terms
Super Negin is long, unbroken stigma with no style at all — the most visually striking and the most expensive. Negin is long cut threads with the same colour strength but slightly less presentation value. Sargol is top-cut stigma separated from the style, which is what most food manufacturers use. Pushal includes a small part of the style, which lowers the price and the colour strength together. Dasteh is bunched saffron with the style intact, still sold in traditional markets. Powder is milled saffron, used where even colour dispersion matters more than appearance.
How to choose
If the saffron will be seen — premium retail, gifting, a visible garnish — appearance is part of what you are buying, and Super Negin or Negin earns its price. If it will be dissolved into a product, colour strength per gram is what matters and Sargol usually gives the best value. Pushal is a sensible choice for volume cooking where a slightly lower colour strength is acceptable. Powder suits industrial dosing but is also the format where adulteration is hardest to spot, so buy it only from a supplier who will provide a certificate.
What to verify before ordering
Ask for the ISO 3632 colour strength (crocin) figure, the moisture content, and confirmation that no dye or filler has been added. Ask for a sample drawn from the actual lot reserved for you rather than a representative sample. If a price is far below the market for its stated grade, the grade is usually the thing that is wrong.
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