Grades, explained
Mongra saffron: what the grade means, and how to tell it from Lacha
Every saffron crocus gives three red stigmas joined to a pale yellow style. Which part of that goes into the pack, and how much of it, is the whole difference between the Kashmiri grades. Mongra is the stigma alone. Everything on this page follows from that.
The four Kashmiri grades
| Grade | What is in the pack | Colour | ISO 3632 tendency | Persian equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mongra | Red stigma tips only, style trimmed away by hand | Uniform deep red | Category I; 230–270 crocin in good Pampore lots | Sargol / Negin |
| Lacha | Stigma with part of the yellow style attached | Red with yellow or orange bases | Category I to II by weight, depending on how much style | Pushal |
| Guchhi | Whole threads, stigma and style, tied in small bundles | Red tips, long yellow tails | Category II to III by weight | Dasteh (bunch) |
| Zarda | The yellow style alone, after the stigma is removed | Yellow | Little colouring strength; not saffron in the culinary sense | Konj / white saffron |
Grade names vary by village and trader; these are the Pampore trade usages. ISO figures are tendencies, not guarantees; only a per-lot report is a number.
How Mongra is made
Flowers are picked at first light during the three-week October bloom, before the sun opens the petals. The same afternoon, at home, each flower is opened. The three stigmas are pinched off at the point where red turns to yellow. The red tips dry on cloth in warm shade for a day. The yellow style is kept separately as Zarda. It takes roughly 150 flowers, and a few hours of a family’s time, to make one gram. Nothing is mechanised, which is part of why Kashmiri saffron costs what it does.
Why stigma-only matters to the buyer
Colour, taste and aroma all live in the stigma: crocin, picrocrocin and safranal. The style carries almost none. So when style is left on, you pay saffron prices for colourless weight, and the lab reads lower per gram. Mongra at 250 crocin colours about a quarter more than a Lacha lot at 200, which is why the per-gram price comparison only works between the same grade. Our quality and testing page explains the three ISO 3632 readings and the thresholds for each category.
How to recognise Mongra
- No yellow. Every thread dark red from tip to base. A few pale bases means Lacha; many means Guchhi.
- Trumpet tips. Kashmiri stigmas flare at the top and curl; Persian threads are longer and straighter.
- Dry and brittle. Properly dried Mongra snaps rather than bends. Soft, damp threads are heavier and will mould.
- Honey and hay. The smell is sweet and earthy. No smell means old; a sharp chemical smell means dyed.
- Slow gold in water. Real threads stay red and release a clear yellow over 15 minutes. The full set of checks is in how to spot fake saffron.
Mongra next to Persian and Spanish grades
Persian saffron is graded by how the stigma is cut: Negin and Super Negin (stigmas intact, joined at the base), Sargol (tips only), Pushal (with style). Spanish saffron uses Coupe (red only) and Mancha. Mongra sits with Sargol and Super Negin as a stigma-only grade; the differences are thread shape, aroma and supply. The long comparison is in Kashmiri vs Persian vs Spanish saffron, and the full grade-to-ISO mapping in saffron grades and ISO 3632.
What we sell
Only Mongra, only from Pampore, only in lots we have tested. Each lot is bought from a named grower, tested by a NABL-accredited laboratory to ISO 3632, and packed with the lot code, harvest month, grower and crocin number on the label. The report for every lot is on the verify page. Sizes run from a 0.5 g trial vial to 100 g tins; the per-gram ladder is on the price page.
Using Mongra
Because it is stronger per gram, use fewer threads than a recipe written for supermarket saffron suggests: 15–20 threads for a biryani or risotto serving four, 6–8 per cup of kahwa, 25–30 per litre of milk for kheer. Always bloom first in two tablespoons of warm water or milk for 15 minutes. More in how to use saffron and how much saffron per dish.
Mongra questions
What is Mongra saffron?
Mongra (also spelt Mogra) is the top Kashmiri grade of saffron: the dried red stigma tips only, separated by hand from the pale yellow style the same day the flower is picked. It is the Kashmiri equivalent of Persian Sargol or Negin. Because nothing but stigma goes into the pack, it has the highest colouring strength per gram and reads 230 to 270 on the ISO 3632 crocin scale in good Pampore lots.
What is the difference between Mongra and Lacha saffron?
Lacha keeps part of the yellow style attached to each red stigma. It is honest when labelled, and cheaper per gram, but the style carries almost no crocin, so a gram of Lacha colours and flavours less than a gram of Mongra. Mongra is the stigma alone. Lacha sold at Mongra prices, or Lacha with the yellow trimmed and dyed, is the most common way Kashmiri saffron buyers are overcharged.
Is Mongra the same as Super Negin?
Close. Both are stigma-only grades. Persian Negin and Super Negin keep the three stigmas of a flower joined at the base, in a longer, straighter thread. Kashmiri Mongra threads are shorter, thicker and more curled, with a trumpet-shaped tip and a deeper, more honeyed aroma. Both can test ISO 3632 Category I. The lab report of the specific lot matters more than the grade name.
How can I tell real Mongra saffron?
Look for uniformly dark red threads with no yellow or white bases, a flared trumpet tip on each thread, a dry, slightly brittle feel and a smell of honey and hay. In warm water the threads release a slow, clear golden yellow over 15 minutes while staying red themselves; dyed fakes stain the water orange in seconds and go pale. The only proof of grade is a per-lot ISO 3632 report with the lot code on the pack.
How much does Mongra saffron cost?
Genuine Kashmiri Mongra retails internationally at about USD 18 to 21 per gram from resellers. Direct from Pampore, ours is £16.99 per gram for a 1 g vial, less in tins; all sizes are on the price page.
Which is better for cooking, Mongra or Lacha?
Mongra, if you compare equal weights: more colour, more aroma, less to pick out of the dish. Lacha is fine for everyday use when it is priced as Lacha. For kahwa, biryani, kheer and gifting, where the saffron is the point, use Mongra and use fewer threads.