Seryni saffron VS other saffrons | Why is Seryni saffron the best in the world?
Saffron: the most expensive spice
Saffron, or red gold, is a fragrant and expensive spice, often produced in Iran, Afghanistan or Spain. In Afghanistan, the province of Herat is the most famous of all the regions where the flowers of this red spice are planted and harvested.
In fact, the Herat region produces around 10% of the world's saffron, most of which is exported to other countries. Afghan saffron has repeatedly won the title of "World's Best Saffron" in international competitions.
What do you know about Afghan saffron? Today, some people around the world and even in our own country claim that the quality of Afghan saffron is superior to that of Iranian saffron. In this article, we compare Afghan saffron with other types of saffron from around the world.
Crocine is the key
Crocine is actually a chemical compound found in saffron flowers that gives this spice its red color. What's more, the higher the amount of crocin in saffron, the darker the color, and it also has more healing properties, which translates into superior quality.
According to some sources, the amount of crocine in Afghan saffron is 10.34%, well above the 6.82% of Iranian saffron and 8.75% of Kashmir saffron. This seems to be contrary to popular belief.
However, laboratory studies show that today the highest quality Seryni saffron in the world, with a crocin content of over 340%, is produced in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Iranian saffron, despite being grown in rich soil, could only achieve a crocin quality of 200. After that, Indian saffron, with a score of 120 to 130, is on the market.
The different qualities of saffron
To compare Afghan saffron with other types of saffron, particularly Spanish saffron, we first need to examine their characteristics.
There are several types of saffron that can be grown in Afghanistan, each obtained from different parts of the saffron plant and each with its own characteristics.
The quality of saffron is determined by several criteria, including color, aroma and strength of taste. Saffron is categorized into different grades, and among them, "Sargol", "Super Negin", "Negin" and "Pushal" are considered among the most common. Here's a brief description of each:
Super Negin: This is one of the highest grades of saffron. Super Negin filaments are longer than those of Sargol, and are even purer and more intense in color. The Super Negin grade is often considered the best in terms of quality, and its price is generally higher than that of other grades. This is the saffron used by Seryni.
Sargol: This is pure saffron without the white or yellow part of the filament. The word "Sargol" is Persian and means "flower head". It consists solely of the red part of the stigma. Sargol saffron is therefore very powerful and highly prized.
Negin: Similar to Super Negin, Negin saffron has long filaments, but is perhaps less regular or slightly less intense in color than Super Negin. Nevertheless, it is still of superior quality to other types of saffron.
Pushal: This grade of saffron includes both the red part (stigma) and a small part of the yellow/white filament. Although less pure than Sargol and Negin, Pushal is appreciated for its good balance between color and aroma.
There are other grades and categories of saffron in different parts of the world, but these are the most widely recognized and used in the international saffron trade.
Saffron grades:
The classification of saffron by category (or grade) is based on international standards that measure the color strength, aroma and flavor of saffron. These criteria are defined by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in standard ISO 3632. This standard divides saffron into three main categories:
Category I (or Grade 1): This is the highest quality. Saffron in this grade has the highest color strength (measured in specific absorption units). This means that Grade I saffron contains the fewest impurities and the highest concentration of active compounds.
Category II (or Grade 2): This grade has a slightly lower color strength than Grade I. Although still of good quality, it contains slightly more impurities and a lower concentration of active compounds.
Category III (or Grade 3): This is the lowest grade for saffron. It has the lowest color strength of the three grades. It may contain more impurities and a much lower concentration of active compounds.
It's worth noting that even Grade III saffron is still considered a quality product, but it simply doesn't have the same intensive properties as the higher grades.
Spanish saffron:
Although Spain is not the world's largest producer, it nevertheless produces a satisfying saffron. Saffron grown in Spain's La Mancha region is clearly one of the most popular and unique varieties on the market. This is because the supply of this saffron is much lower than its Persian counterpart. Spain also organizes and limits the amount of this saffron that can be exported, making it difficult for wholesalers to obtain.
Coupe: The highest quality saffron produced in Spain is called Coupe. Coupe has entirely red threads with no yellow style (saffron stem). It is equivalent to Persian "Sargol" filaments.
Rio: "Ordinary" saffron. This grade 3 saffron is a relatively low-grade saffron, but a cheaper alternative to higher-grade saffrons such as Coupe and La Mancha.
Why Seryni?
As we made clear in our article comparing Afghan saffron to other types of saffron, it's clear that saffron produced in Afghanistan is much purer. At seryni.com, we supply the finest quality Afghan saffron, carefully collected and sourced from the most natural farms in Afghanistan. We also ensure that this saffron is processed with the most reliable machines to preserve its taste, aroma and color for our customers.
Unlike the big industrialists, we only use category 1 super negin saffron.
