48 h
to dispatch
Packed in Srinagar
Your order leaves within two working days. In the parcel: the vial or tin, a lot card with the crocin number, harvest month and grower, a how-to card, and the lab summary for customs.
Lot KT25A · harvested October 2025 · Lethpora, Pampore
Kashmiri Mongra Saffron from Pampore, GI No. 635, lab-tested per lot
GI Registration No. 635 · ISO 3632-1 Category I · Mongra (stigma only, no style)
Whole, stigma-only Mongra threads from the Karewa plateaus of Pampore, Kashmir. Hand-picked at dawn during the three-week October bloom, dried the same day, and lab-tested per batch to ISO 3632. The crocin number, harvest date and grower are printed on every vial.
- Crocin, ISO 3632
- Report pending
- Safranal
- Report pending
- Grower
- Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Lethpora, Pampore
- Price per gram (1 g)
- £16.99
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GI No. 635
Registered Kashmir origin
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ISO 3632 Category I
Per-batch NABL report
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Mongra only
Stigma, no style
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Named grower
Printed on every label
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Double money back
If it tests below the label
Kashmiri Mongra Saffron
Which size
Three honest answers to "how much should I buy?"
Trying saffron properly
First vial, curious cook, kahwa a few times a month.
1 g is 150–180 threads, about 8–12 dishes. If you have only had supermarket sachets, start here; the 0.5 g trial is the same lot in a smaller vial.
Cooking with it most weeks
Biryani, kheer, risotto, saffron milk as a habit.
The 5 g tin brings the per-gram price down by a quarter and still gets used up well inside its two-year shelf life. 2 g if you want a vial, not a tin.
Gifting, chefs and big households
Weddings, Diwali and Eid hampers, a restaurant kitchen.
The 10 g tin is the gifting size, with the lot card inside. Restaurants and resellers usually take 20 g to 100 g, or ask for a wholesale quote.
The report for this lot
What the label says, and what the lab says.
Each vial prints its lot code. The same code opens this report. Compare the printed crocin number with the laboratory's figure and you have the only saffron test that does not rely on trust.
Lot KT25A
Mongra (stigma only), Lethpora, Pampore
Harvested 24 October 2025 – 8 November 2025 · 1640 m · 420 g dried
Ghulam Nabi Bhat · grower
Lab report · pending
This lot is with a NABL-accredited laboratory for ISO 3632 testing. The crocin, picrocrocin and safranal readings, the report number and the PDF will appear here as soon as they are issued, and the same numbers go on every vial's label.
In the parcel
What arrives, and why each piece is there.
- Glass vial or tin
- UV-dark glass for 0.5–2 g, a lined tin from 5 g. Sealed at packing, never decanted.
- Lot card
- Lot KT25A, harvest month, grower Ghulam Nabi Bhat, village and the ISO 3632 crocin number for this batch.
- How-to card
- Blooming, dosing per dish, storage. The same guidance as our journal, in your hand.
- Lab summary
- A one-page summary of the lot report in the parcel for customs, and the QR that opens the full report.
Mongra, specifically
Stigma only. No style, no filler weight.
Each crocus gives three red stigmas joined to a pale yellow style. Lacha grade keeps part of the style attached; it is honest when labelled, but the style carries almost no crocin, so you pay saffron prices for colourless weight. Mongra is the stigma alone, pinched off by hand the afternoon it is picked. It takes roughly 150 flowers to make one gram.
That is why a gram of Mongra colours more dishes than a gram of almost anything else sold as saffron, and why the crocin number on the vial is the honest way to compare prices per gram. The grades guide maps Mongra, Lacha, Negin and Coupe onto the ISO categories.
Compared
Kashmiri Mongra next to Persian and Spanish saffron
All three can test Category I. The differences are thread, aroma, scale and proof. Figures are from our October 2026 market notes; the per-lot report matters more than the border.
| Measure | Kashmiri Mongra | Persian Super Negin | Spanish Coupe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thread | Short, thick, curled, stigma only (Mongra) | Long, straight, stigma only | Finer, stigma only in Coupe grade |
| Aroma | Deep, honeyed, earthy; built for rice, milk, kahwa and sweets | Cleaner and more floral | Lighter and delicate; traditional in paella |
| Colouring strength | Seller-reported 230–270 for good lots | Category I when lab-tested; varies by lot | Category I when lab-tested; varies by lot |
| Annual crop | Around 20 tonnes, a few family plots per lot | About 90 % of world supply | Small; Spain also packs imported saffron |
| Protected name | Kashmir Saffron GI No. 635 | Grade names only (Super Negin, Sargol) | D.O.P. Azafrán de La Mancha |
| Typical 1 g retail, US | USD 18–21 | USD 5–10 | USD 7–14 |
The long version, with sources: Kashmiri vs Persian vs Spanish saffron and saffron price per gram in 2026.
Before you buy anywhere
How to spot fake Kashmiri saffron
Trade studies put adulteration at up to 60 % of saffron sold in India and 20–30 % worldwide: dyed safflower, corn silk, Lacha sold as Mongra, Iranian saffron relabelled. Four checks catch most of it; a per-lot report catches the rest.
- Water test. Real threads stay red and release a slow, clear gold over 15 minutes. Fakes bleed orange in seconds.
- No yellow. Pale bases mean style was left on and you are paying for weight that does not colour.
- Smell and taste. Honey and hay, slightly bitter. Sweet means sugar-coated; nothing means old.
- Ask for the report. Lot code on the pack, same code on an ISO 3632 report from an accredited lab. Ours is on the verify page.
Full guide: how to spot fake saffron.
Price per gram
What it costs, by the gram and by the dish.
A 1 g vial is £16.99 per gram and about 10 dishes, so roughly £1.70 a dish. The per-gram price falls at every step up the ladder, to £9.40 per gram at 100 g. US resellers list Kashmiri saffron at USD 18–21 per gram without a batch report; Persian Super Negin sells at USD 5–10.
Compare per gram, compare the grade, and compare the crocin number. The full ladder in USD, GBP, AED, AUD and CAD, with shipping and duties, is on the price page; what the grade names mean is on the Mongra page.
How to use it
A pinch goes further than you think.
- Bloom first
- Crush 15–20 threads lightly and steep in 2 tbsp warm water or milk for 15 minutes. Add liquid and threads together.
- Biryani & pulao
- A pinch bloomed in warm milk, drizzled over the top layer before the dum.
- Kehwa
- 6–8 threads per cup with green tea, cardamom, cinnamon and crushed almonds. Never boil the threads.
- Risotto & paella
- Bloom in a ladle of warm stock; add halfway through cooking for colour and at the end for aroma.
- Desserts
- 25–30 threads per litre of milk for kheer, phirni, panna cotta or ice cream.
- Saffron milk & water
- 4–5 threads in a glass of warm milk at night, or steeped in a bottle of water for the day.
Recipes and dosing in the journal: how to use saffron, kahwa, saffron milk, storage.
Shipping to United Kingdom
From our packing table to your kitchen.
Four steps, one lot code the whole way. Keep scrolling: each stage is what happens between Srinagar and the United Kingdom.
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Step 1
Packed in Srinagar
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Step 2
Flown to the United Kingdom
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Step 3
Nothing at the door
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Step 4
Checked at your table
5–10
days, tracked
Flown to the United Kingdom
DHL Express / Royal Mail. The tracking number reaches your inbox the moment the parcel is scanned. Shipping is free over £60.
Prepaid
duties and taxes
Nothing at the door
UK import VAT is included at checkout. No surprise fees at the door.
30
days to return
Checked at your table
Match the lot code on the label to the report on our verify page. Unopened vials can come back within 30 days; if an independent ISO 3632 test reads below the label, you get double your money back.
Full details on the shipping and returns page.
Shipping to United Kingdom
From our packing table to your kitchen.
Four steps, one lot code the whole way.
-
Step 1
48 h
to dispatch
Packed in Srinagar
Your order leaves within two working days. In the parcel: the vial or tin, a lot card with the crocin number, harvest month and grower, a how-to card, and the lab summary for customs.
-
Step 2
5–10
days, tracked
Flown to the United Kingdom
DHL Express / Royal Mail. The tracking number reaches your inbox the moment the parcel is scanned. Shipping is free over £60.
-
Step 3
Prepaid
duties and taxes
Nothing at the door
UK import VAT is included at checkout. No surprise fees at the door.
-
Step 4
30
days to return
Checked at your table
Match the lot code on the label to the report on our verify page. Unopened vials can come back within 30 days; if an independent ISO 3632 test reads below the label, you get double your money back.
Full details on the shipping and returns page.
Is this really Kashmiri saffron, not Iranian saffron repacked?
Yes. Every lot is bought directly from named growers around Pampore and tested by a NABL-accredited Indian laboratory to ISO 3632. The lot code on your vial opens the full report on our verify page, including the crocin number and the harvest dates. If an independent ISO 3632 test ever shows a lower category than printed, we refund you twice the price.
What does "Mongra" mean and why does it cost more than Persian saffron?
Mongra is stigma only: the three red tips are separated by hand from the pale yellow style, so there is no filler weight. Kashmir grows roughly 20 tonnes a year against Iran's several hundred, the Karewa plateaus sit at 1,600–1,800 m, and the hand separation is slow. Internationally, Kashmiri Mongra retails at about twice the price of a good Persian Super Negin.
How much saffron do I need?
About 15–20 threads (a small pinch) for a biryani or risotto serving four, 6–8 threads per cup of kehwa, and 25–30 threads for a milk-based dessert. A 1 g vial is roughly 150–180 threads, so 8–12 dishes. Bloom the threads in two tablespoons of warm (not boiling) water or milk for 15 minutes before adding.
What is the difference between Mongra and Lacha?
Lacha keeps part of the yellow style attached to the red stigma; Mongra is the stigma alone. Lacha is honest when labelled, and cheaper per gram, but it colours less per gram. We sell only Mongra.
Is the saffron organic?
Our growers farm without synthetic pesticides on small family plots, and each lot is tested for artificial colourants. We do not currently hold a third-party organic certificate; when we do, the certificate number will appear on the lot page.
Is saffron safe in pregnancy?
Culinary amounts (a pinch in food) are considered safe in most guidance; medicinal doses are not recommended in pregnancy. This is not medical advice; please ask your doctor.
Do I pay customs or import duty on delivery?
US, UK, UAE and Australia orders ship with duties and taxes handled by us, so the price at checkout is final. For other countries the carrier collects any duty before delivery; the amount is usually small for a vial but we show the rule for your market at checkout and never hide it.
How long does delivery take from Kashmir?
Orders leave Srinagar within two working days with full tracking. Typical transit is 3–7 days to the Gulf, 5–10 days to the US and UK, and 6–12 days to Australia and Canada. Every parcel includes its lot code and lab summary so customs can see exactly what it is.
How should I store saffron and how long does it keep?
In its sealed glass vial, away from light and heat. Kept like that, crocin strength holds for 2–3 years. Never store saffron in plastic or near the stove; both degrade aroma within months.
Can I get a lab report for my specific vial?
Yes. Type the lot code printed on the label into the verify page. You will see the laboratory, report number, ISO 3632 numbers, harvest dates, grower and village for that batch, and can download the PDF.
Before you order
The four pages people read before they buy.
Proof
Quality & testing
What ISO 3632 measures, what a good crocin number looks like, and how to read our lab reports.
Read the report guide
Gifting
Saffron as a gift
Which size to give, handwritten cards, and delivery times for Diwali, Eid, Nowruz and Christmas.
Choose a gift size
Season
Harvest 2026
The new lot is being picked in Pampore now. Join the first-pick list; no payment to reserve.
Join the list
Trade
Bulk & wholesale
Tins from 20 g to 100 g and quotes above that, for restaurants, retailers and corporate gifts.
Ask for a quote