Chai-e zaferani is the quiet ritual of a Persian afternoon: black tea steeped with a few saffron threads and bruised cardamom, poured pale gold, and taken with a cube of nabat held between the teeth. Herat, where our saffron is grown, sits within the same Persianate cultural sphere that shaped this tradition — reason enough to bloom the threads slowly and let the color come through on its own time.
At a glance
Makes 2 cups
Steep 5 min
Total 6 min
Saffron: 6 threads (≈0.02 g)
Ingredients
- 6 threads Raihan Afghan Super Negin saffron
- 2 tsp loose black tea (Ceylon or Earl Grey)
- 2 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 cups water
- Nabat (rock sugar) to taste
Instructions
- Bring water just to a boil. Off the heat 30 seconds.
- Add tea, saffron, cardamom to a teapot. Pour over.
- Steep 5 minutes. Strain.
- Serve with nabat.
Chef's note
Let the pot sit the full five minutes before you strain it — saffron keeps releasing color for a minute or two after the kettle leaves the heat, so a cup that looks pale at the two-minute mark is usually just getting started.
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