Mehr Saffron, Premium All Red Saffron / 1/2 Oz (14 Gram)

Better saffron that a lot of junk I'd bought in past that was passed off as good quality but wasn't. And this is packaged like royalty: a satin-lined heavy cardboard box cradles the glass jar of saffron. The opening of the jar is wide enough to grab a good pinch. The flavor was excellent. Sometimes, you just have to plunk down for the best.Luckily, a small amount of saffron does the trick in cooking. If you didn't already know this, you make a slurry of the dry pistils of saffron in a warm liquid--one containing an oil is best because like many herbs and spices, the active essential oils are not very water soluble. I usually use few tablespoons of warm milk or cream. But if you aren't using milk, water with a touch of butter or olive oil, heated up but not boiling works very well. Then you can sprinkle this liquid over the top of your rice, or mix it into your dish and get saffron flavor well distributed.

I made saffron rice with this and the flavor is amazing. There are so many counterfeit products out there claiming to be saffron that have no flavor, they only provide color. I will definitely purchase this again when I run out!

We love this brand. Aroma is amazing and quality is top notch

I compared this saffron with two other alternatives sold by Amazon, Spicy World Spanish Saffron Filaments, 1-Gram Acrylic Box (Pack of 3) ($5.31/gm) and Pure Spanish Saffron Mancha Threads 1 Ounce Tin($1.93/gm). This product is currently selling for $6.49/gm.The Premium Red was the deepest red of the three and produced the yellowest, most flavorful product (my brother made garbanza bean soup and spanish rice). To achieve a color and flavor close to the Premium Red, we have to use three times as much of the less expensive Pure Spanish Saffron Mancha, making the total cost of the Mehr saffron slightly below that of the Premium Red.I'm sticking with this one.Addendum: We just finished our first order and I'm ordering two more bottles. I read that saffron loses potency over time and you shouldn't keep it for more than a year but we went through a bottle in a month. My brother (the chef) said it's the best saffron he's ever used and we have added salmon and saffron rice to our weekly menu. Price has gone up about a $1.50.Addendum 4/29/15 - Ready to order more and it's price has gone up 35% in 8 months. Currently selling for $7.16/gram. So I ordered the 10 gram bottle instead at $4.80/gram.

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.

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.