Why pay $250.00 an ounce for INFERIOR Spanish saffron...

... when you can buy SUPERIOR Persian/Afghanistan saffron for $79.95 per oz? Spanish denomination of origin or any other EU (European Union) denomination has nothing to do with the quality of the saffron; all it means is that it is grown in Spain, and that does NOT make it better as our laboratory parameters show. Saffron is not a native product of Spain but of Persia, where it had been cultivated for 5000 before being brought to Spain in 711. Spain has no saffron regulations of any kind except the ones they invent to deceive the consumer. Spain is a small producer of saffron with about 900 kg. Yet they export 190,000 kg and they sell it for $64,000,000.00 (figures from Ministry of Agriculture, 2010 Spanish Saffron Scandal “The Telegraph 4-12-2001). You divide 64 million into 190 kg and it comes to $336 kg, so how can they sell it at $336 kg, when Spanish saffron sold in 2010 for $3,500 kg and Iranian at $2,550kg? The Spanish Saffron Scandal is simply a problem of adulteration with artificial colors and not a mix with saffron from other countries as they want us to believe. Our laboratory reports and others point toward a massive adulteration with artificial colors. How can you mix 900 kg with 190,000? How much of it is Spanish saffron? How much is foreign? The adulteration is from Spain and nowhere else! When the Spanish saffron is “real”, the Spanish saffron parameters are laboratory documented to be inferior to Persian/Afghanistan saffron and therefore outrageously overpriced. You can buy 3 ounces of Afghanistan saffron for the cost of 1 oz of Spanish denomination of origin, $250.00 oz. Saffron quality can only be measured by photo spectrometry and while Spanish saffron hovers around 200 units of color (so they claim, they never show you a laboratory report) the Persian/Afghanistan is over 242.03+ units of color. It does not matter where the saffron is grown but it does matter how much of the yellow is removed and the more yellow you remove the better the quality of the saffron gets. We only sell the RED part of the saffron “the Coupe", All Red, or the Sargol the upper part of the stigmata. This is what happens when you do not remove the yellow: 1. You add to the weight from 35% to 57%+. The yellow has no saffron and no culinary value but adds weight. 2. The trapped moisture adds up to 12% additional weight to the saffron. 3. The yellow adds unnecessary weight by itself and the moisture it traps. More important this “trapped moisture” reduces the shelf life of the saffron and the saffron will turn “musty smell” that is why you have to “pan dry it” before you use it; but its too late because since the yellow was not removed before drying/curing you will never experience the full flavor of saffron in your saffron dish. In Persian/Afghanistan All RED Sargol saffron the yellow is removed at the beginning of the drying/curing period so that all the “moisture” evaporates and ONLY saffron remains in the “casing”. The result is a saffron with higher true parameters of color, aroma and flavor. Because the moisture evaporates at the open end (remember we remove the yellow) of the saffron “casings” the aroma of the saffron is a honey crisp clean, with an intense flavor that will be the delight of your dinning guest. The saffron is HARD and “crunchy” to the touch with true value and no unnecessary yellow cheating and of course longer shelf life.