Saffron is considered as one of the most expensive spices in the world today that is why it is important to know how its quality is being measured.

Since it is very expensive, you have to be careful in choosing the right and high quality saffron to provide value for you money.

The Saffron’s quality is actually commonly measured through its coloring strength. It is one of the most falsified and adulterated spices that is why you have to remember if other spices has been added to obtain a certain color. When it comes to the coloring strength, it is important to note that the higher the coloring strength, the higher the quality of saffron. Generally, its coloring strength is being presented by 2 or 3 digit number including ninety-five, one-hundred eighty or two-hundred thirty-five. The higher the number also means the higher the quality of the saffron.

According to the International Organization for Standardization or ISO, any saffron having a coloring strength of one-hundred ninety and above will be called GRADE ONE saffron, which means that it is a good quality saffron. However, the only problem with this is that there are 2 different saffron types which are called Grade 1 saffron which are the one with 190 and 250 coloring strength. However, there is a huge difference in the quality of these types of saffron.

Some people believe that this saffron number must be printed on the packages of saffron, so that the consumers will know what kind of quality of saffron that they buy. It is important for people to remember that saffron’s coloring strength is actually decreasing little by little over some time. Saffron which has a coloring strength of 250 could decrease its quality after being stored for a while. Moreover, this number will actually depend on the process of storing the saffron and how long it is stored.