Is Your Saffron Real? A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying Fakes

Table of Contents

Why Fake Saffron Is, Like, A Thing (and kinda a scam!)
The Visuals: Checking Saffron By Sight (color is key, you know!)
The Touch Test: How Does Real Saffron Feel? (get touchy feely)
The Smell Test: Saffron’s Seductive Scents (sniff it, like it’s coffee!)
The Taste Test: The Sweet and Subtle Flavors (if you’re daring enough!)
The Water Test: Color Me Surprised (or not… it depends)
Price Point: Cheap Saffron = Huge Red Flag! (money doesn’t grow on saffron trees)
Where To Buy Saffron: Trust Me On This One, Dude (where should you really go for it)
So What Should You do when you are not sure it’s legit? (when to cut it loose.)
Conclusion: Be a Smart Cookie And not a Lemon With Your Saffron
Your Questions Answered – Like really answered (FAQs and the gang)

Is Your Saffron Real? A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying Fakes

1. Why Fake Saffron Is, Like, A Thing (and kinda a scam!)

Alright, first things first. Let’s talk about why anyone would even bother faking saffron, I mean, other than to be jerks to us culinary dreamers. Well, saffron’s basically the rock star of spices and all of them because those crocus flower stamens? Super rare, super fragile and super demanding to harvest (so demanding). it means that prices can get nuts! I feel that people are tempted to be in “shady dealings,” they fake it to make extra cash – more like a total profit, cause they selling colored fibers and saying its real saffron, its truly nuts how people get creative when it come to swindling the public. . Some real shady players, they like use threads and bits of other plants dyed or they add random food color. So when you come by those bright red saffron prices which are too low you should get wary, its definitely some red flag showing right at your face. Don’t let that happened. I just don’t wanna feel the rug is pulled off under my foot!

2. The Visuals: Checking Saffron By Sight (color is key, you know!)

Now let’s look at stuff by just glancing – real saffron have such a distinctive look! it does has like a darkish red look or a rich-orange but def not the color that you think that food color has. They don’t need too shine bright just rich in the hue that tells that its top quality stuff. Some of that “fake” crap will appear a sort of overly glossy bright red (way too saturated), or dull yellow, it also does feels kinda plastic-ish, maybe too bright to be real thing so keep this things in mind, a slight difference should point the flags up immediately. If a certain color its making the alarms beeping you shouldn’t be getting your self deeper on that path. Those are huge indicators. Look closelier before moving into conclusions, do research from real online pages! (I do!) .

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3. The Touch Test: How Does Real Saffron Feel? (get touchy feely)

You’ve eyed it, it looks somewhat the same, or seems like its matching, you are next to get tactile – yes lets gets into the touch, how it feels. Real saffron have sort of dried and papery feel and you know how it feel, just try that at home and it feels a certain way.. . Not too soft or very smooth (just a bit on the crinkly type), some say that you need it be flexible like slightly firm. You got too be a Sherlock Holme with this stuff ( I am!). That cheap faker crap tends to feels kinda plastic-ish like we pointed before. sometimes it could even be powdery instead of dried thread ( I really dislike when that happens!). So if it makes your inner sensory going off I say take that signal real well and pay a real good attention.
If that is giving the off beat then just avoid buying stuff with same pattern in the shop you have been at.

4. The Smell Test: Saffron’s Seductive Scents (sniff it, like it’s coffee!)

Ok, so your finger tests didn’t failed, what’s next you might say?. time to nose that baby like we are into serious business. Real saffron have unique aroma; Some would describe it being a mix of a honey and hay feel mixed with a pinch of metal thing too. No need to act confused – yeah I didn’t made sense of the metal description myself too!. If it makes you nose wrinkled it’s either it does nothing (and real one should smell a distinct unique aroma) and sometimes you feel that the seller tried to spice it with something extra (in a way that don’t belong in any manner) like adding something pungent with zero saffron tones (smelly!). If the seller tried to fool us into smell this junk should be red flag, right away, right now!. trust me on that.

5. The Taste Test: The Sweet and Subtle Flavors (if you’re daring enough!)

Ok, if you are truly daring as myself you might think that doing a “flavor check,” yeah it sounds so out of place right?. Anyway let get right at it: if it really, REALLY real saffron the flavor is kinda mild and you need to pay attention! (it doesn’t taste much just like light taste and a tinge on something subtly). It shouldn’t taste salty or bitter that makes your teeth like “oh hell no!”, and even some “funny taste” from what was probably put in its process! that definitely should mean is fake. It is supposed to add a touch on flavor not destroy it at your mouth. If you end up having a feeling your mouth did a bad decision it definitely wasn’t for the saffron cause what I am speaking, I tested. Be prepared to get it, if is bad quality – toss it!.

6. The Water Test: Color Me Surprised (or not… it depends)

Ok lets see the saffron soaking with some hot H2O action; Put couple of your strands into some very hot water then do a very, VERY long wait of maybe around like 15- 20 mins, what gonna happened will probably surprise ya! (unless you read it in many other page as i did haha!). With a genuine batch the color that gonna bleed out (slowly) should be yellow to orangey/gold. And, importantly the saffron threads? Those things, don’t lose all color so don’t worry on that!. Now, If the color that shows in water becomes very quickly bright red, like when they drop that food colorant stuff to some cooking show stuff – its so much fake stuff in this process and for that stuff only go back to seller to talk with that human! . Don’t get fool this is easy thing to remember. I did test at my kitchen, twice, for you to know.

7. Price Point: Cheap Saffron = Huge Red Flag! (money doesn’t grow on saffron trees)

Now its coming to talking bout what makes our hearts drop! Saffron cost

$ (if not its highly suspicious, I tell ya). Its expensive due it the very laborious work behind the process that require tons of love. This ain’t cheap cause it isn’t supposed to. Its not fair trade, at least for who do the labor so just a fair price is reasonable – nothing overly expansive, mind you, that is the seller, ripping your soul!. That stuff who’s sold for super low prices in shop at weird shop location probably means something its super wrong cause there are many fake things to find out when its too low – just make use of your good eyes (and google, duh!). Now some saffron vendors are nice at offering fair price on good stuff but the average seller that has an actual real price usually mean good stuff! I personally buy from places I have a positive reputation with their products so I am secured (and never buy at that odd shady shops).

8. Where To Buy Saffron: Trust Me On This One, Dude (where should you really go for it)

Let’s speak of where and how you need to buy and all related on this!. Well , i am all ears, and also an experience customer that have many mistakes so trust me that if possible don’t purchase that random “super low priced stuff,” even in supermarket when price is suspiciously low for your knowledge level cause a little research doesn’t hurts, I mean this is 21 century and our computers can do more!. Stick to some brands you kinda trust on those food specialist, who focus and do great on niche herbs – if the vendor specializes it mean they get it really, or even go to real online pages where real deal seller with review are showing on screen; read the review pages!. Avoid like a plague that no review thingie stores as well as obscure stuff from back alley places as we have all seem in our lives at this point!. I trust real farmers or known providers, for real, they wont risk their good reputation, plus I don’t feel like getting my pockets drain off to non- sense, cause all effort goes into a good place where its earned!

9. So What Should You do when you are not sure it’s legit? (when to cut it loose.)

If some part or many on the checking steps makes your head itch, then dont spend more time: Just let it go!, it makes little sense trying to make bad choices for yourself if those tests are all off for some reason!. Don’t use the item, don’t go try it, just drop it like is on fire and return. Ask for refunds (with patience – i had that many times before), complain loudly and just use your “never buy from there anymore” sense – trust me that one thing alone can make you see how some “brands or shop” change its standards based on complaints so please complain as many times needed till things changes to your eyes.

Listen guys, at the end the most important point is knowing that Saffron has its price, yes expensive price cause the work behind is huge; Don’t get swindled over stuff so you should educate and learn and follow the steps here described; Don’t buy the lowest cheap price possible just stick on knowing that low price could means lots of scam – even in reputable shops they can sometimes sells the fake; And finally: keep using this little testing things that i gave ya! If you don’t remember, bookmark, print and tape your refrigerator till you master the knowledges about it. Now go out there, buy, test and enjoy your lovely saffron recipes! Remember this guy right here that give his piece on this – yeah i am right here haha!.

11. Your Questions Answered – Like really answered (FAQs and the gang)

Okay, some questions are popping in, I guess, so lets cover it a bit right here right now :

Q: My saffron has no aroma! What now?
A: Well, real saffron, by now you should know this (right?!), gotta have its particular honey smell; If its none existent you know the score my dear!
Go for testing to be secure you’re being fair to yourself, and throw that crap immediately into garbage to the deepest part, where its gonna belongs, along other waste from this week’s garbage bags!

Q: Does real saffron fade easily?
A: Yep, if keep out and out in sunlight and on air then fades away (a lot). You have to keep it in dark spaces like in the kitchen at room temperature and on hermetic jars. Its a long term investment so keeping on correct way gives real positive result on its taste profile. I do have my batches very organized in many layers of plastic cover so it doesnt ruin the spices.. that really goes into being good and very organised!

Q: What the real main thing that points on being the real thing
A: Well as explained there are different thing that might scream FAKE at first: the color if its off or too glossy its first thing then if feels like plastic its too much of red flags! the scent ( if doesnt smell well) plus if the water color is off with other colored water quickly you are seeing the fakery – or tasting on salty of “funny stuff,” like it doesnt makes sense!. and Finally you need to learn your shops by its brand name. its not an option for you to give it all to randomness here!. so pay much attention at your shops before the choice is final.

I really do hope this thing helps! Remember the tests – or have fun trying to keep yourself safe cause I like all that info on my head. Till next post maybe something with cheese… i LOVE cheese! . Bye!

Superior Saffron

Is Your Saffron Real? A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying Fakes