Saffron
Premium Afghan Saffron Threads, 3g Bottle — Raihan Super Negin
Price
$45.00
The Saffron Shop
Afghan Saffron — Super Negin Threads
Afghan saffron is picked at dawn in the highlands around Herat, where cold nights and dry days concentrate the compounds that a laboratory can measure. It comes from our family's own fields there. We test each harvest before we take it and hand-pack it into sealed crystal-clear bottles in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Every bottle on this page is Super Negin: the longest, thickest, deepest red threads a harvest produces, with the pale yellow style cut away entirely. You are paying for stigma, not filler. The current lot carries Herat laboratory report 004389, which reads crocin 296.5, picrocrocin 114.2 and safranal 32.7. That is ISO 3632 Category I on every tested parameter, and the full report is published on our lab report page rather than summarised.
Which size to choose
A standard pinch is about 0.1 g, roughly 20 to 30 threads, and seasons a dish for four. That makes the arithmetic simple: 1 g is about 10 dishes, 3 g about 30, 10 g about 100. Most households settle on the 3 g bottle, which works out at about $1.50 a dish. Cooks who use saffron weekly, and small kitchens, tend to move to the 10 g, where the same dish costs about $0.99.
An opened bottle keeps its aroma for roughly two years if it is stored cool, dark and closed. Buying more than two years of saffron to save a few dollars a gram is a false economy, which is why we would rather sell you the right size than the largest one.
What Afghan saffron is not
It is not powder, which is the easiest form to adulterate. It is not a blend of grades sold under the best grade's name. And it is not safflower, marigold or dyed corn silk, all of which are sold as saffron somewhere on the internet this morning. If you want to check what you already own before you buy anything, the seven at-home tests take about thirty seconds each.
Herat, Afghanistan · Est. 1996
The 2026 harvest, every size.
All-red threads from a single highland lot — hand-bottled by our family in Lynn, Massachusetts, with same-day shipping, Monday to Saturday, on orders placed by 4 PM ET.
Bottles from $20 · Crocin 296.5 · lab certificate · dosage calculator
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Named origin
Our family's own fields in the Herat valley, picked at dawn while the crocus is still closed.
The paper to prove it
The full laboratory report is published for every lot: alongside the crocin figure above, picrocrocin 114.2 and safranal 32.7 — tested by the Herat Directorate of Agriculture.
Only the red
No powder, no blends, no yellow style padding the weight — whole crimson stigmas only, the part that carries color, aroma, and flavor.
A family trade
Founder Amrudin Qutubzad imports each harvest directly and packs every bottle himself — a bridge from Herat to American kitchens since 1996.
New to it? Start with 1 g · 3 g and up ship free · Restaurants → wholesale & bulk
- ISO 3632 Category ILaboratory-graded
- Hand-harvested HeratAfghanistan
- Free U.S. shippingOn orders over $39
- 30-day guaranteeFull potency, refunded
Saffron
Premium Afghan Saffron Threads, 1g Bottle — Raihan Super Negin
Price
$20.00
Saffron
Afghan Super Negin Saffron Threads, 10g — The 100-Dish Bottle | Raihan
Price
$99.00
Saffron
Premium Afghan Saffron Threads, 2g Bottle — Raihan Super Negin
Price
$35.00
Saffron
Premium Afghan Saffron Threads, 5g Bottle — Raihan Super Negin
Price
$65.00
Saffron Bundle
Saffron Starter Kit, 1g + 2g Bottles — Raihan Premium Afghan Super Negin
Price
$49.00
Saffron
Premium Saffron Gift Box with How-to Guide — Raihan Afghan Super Negin
Price
$119.00
About our saffron
Raihan Saffron is a premium saffron house. We control our saffron from source to packaging — hand-picked at dawn in Herat, Afghanistan and hand-packed in Lynn, Massachusetts. Every lot is laboratory-graded against ISO 3632 Category I and sold as whole, all-red Super Negin threads — never powder, never dyed.
How to use saffron
Use 10 to 15 threads per pot of tea or rice, bloomed in warm water or milk for 5 to 10 minutes before adding. For risotto or paella, use about 1 to 2 pinches (~20 threads) per four servings. Less is more — saffron should warm a dish, not overpower it.
How to store saffron
Store sealed in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Stored well, our saffron keeps full potency for about 24 months — and every bottle is dated, so you always know when it was packed.
Wholesale & foodservice
We ship to restaurants, cafés, tea shops, and specialty grocers across the United States. The 10 g bottle is our most-ordered foodservice size. See our wholesale page for a rate sheet.
Find your bottle
Three ways to start.
For first-timers
The 1 g starter bottle
About 250 threads — enough for 15–20 family meals. The lowest-risk way to taste the difference.
$20Shop 1 g
For weekly cooks
The 3 g kitchen bottle
A full season of rice nights, teas, and desserts — the best balance of value and freshness. Ships free.
$45Shop 3 g
For gifting
The gift bundle
A sealed burgundy-and-gold gift box with a printed how-to-use guide — ready to hand over.
$119Shop gift
Every bottle, compared.
| Bottle | Threads | Makes | Best for | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 g bottle | ~250 | 15–20 meals | First taste | $20 | Shop → |
| 2 g bottle | ~500 | 30–40 meals | Weekly cooking | $35 | Shop → |
| 3 g bottle | ~750 | 45–60 meals | Most popular · ships free | $45 | Shop → |
| 5 g bottle | ~1,250 | 75–100 meals | Households & gifting | $65 | Shop → |
| 10 g bottle | ~2,500 | 150–200 meals | Restaurants & foodservice | $99 | Shop → |
Source to seal
Picked in Herat. Packed in Lynn.
Every bottle in this collection is hand-harvested at dawn in the Herat valley of western Afghanistan, where the high-desert climate produces the longest, deepest-red Super Negin stigmas in the world. Each lot is laboratory-graded against ISO 3632 Category I, then shipped to our small facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, where it is bottled by hand and sent out the same day, Monday through Saturday.
- Hand-harvested at dawn in Herat, Afghanistan
- Laboratory-graded to ISO 3632 Category I
- All-red threads only — never powder, never dyed
- Hand-bottled in Lynn, MA and shipped the same day, Mon–Sat
Still deciding?
Start with the 1 g bottle — about 250 threads, enough for 15–20 family meals, at the lowest risk.
Buyer questions
The questions we get most.
Which size should I order if I'm new to cooking with saffron?
Start with the 1 g bottle or the 2 g bottle. The 1 g gives you about 250 threads — enough for 15–20 family meals — and is the lowest-risk way to try the brand. The 2 g is what most of our cooks settle into within their first month.
What does "Super Negin" and ISO 3632 Category I mean?
Super Negin is the grade name for long, all-red saffron stigmas with no yellow style attached — the highest visual grade. ISO 3632 Category I is a laboratory standard that measures crocin (color), picrocrocin (bitterness/flavor), and safranal (aroma). Category I is the strongest tier on the scale, and every Raihan lot is tested against it.
How long does saffron last?
Stored sealed, in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight, our saffron retains full potency for about 24 months. The bottle you receive is dated — you'll always know when it was packed.
How much saffron should I use per dish?
About 10–15 threads per pot of rice or tea, bloomed in warm water or milk for 5–10 minutes before adding. For risotto or paella, 1–2 pinches (~20 threads) per 4 servings. Less is more — saffron should warm a dish, not overpower it.
Is the gift bundle ready to give as-is?
Yes — the gift bundle ships in a sealed burgundy-and-gold gift box with a printed how-to-use guide, ready to hand over. We can include a gift note at checkout if you'd like.
How does shipping work?
Orders placed by 4 PM Eastern ship the same day, Monday to Saturday, from Lynn, Massachusetts — Sunday orders ship Monday morning. U.S. shipping is $6.95 and orders over $39 ship free. We also ship to Canada ($9.60, 40% off the regular $16) and the United Kingdom ($15.60, 40% off the regular $26); the free-shipping threshold applies to U.S. orders only.
Do you offer wholesale or restaurant pricing?
Yes — we ship to restaurants, cafés, and tea shops across the U.S. The 10 g bottle is our most-ordered foodservice size. Reach out for a wholesale rate sheet.
What if my bottle doesn't taste right?
Email us within 30 days and we'll refund the bottle or send a replacement. Our 30-day money-back guarantee is on every order.