What is Saffron? Saffron is a Spice that derives from a flower called Crocus Sativus L. Each flower produces only three threads. To produce a single pound of saffron requires over 175,000 flowers to be picked and hand trimmed to remove the threads. What makes a Saffron High Quality? Saffron has many trim levels. The most important factor is the quality of the saffron bulb and the potency of the threads it produces. Aside from this, the trim level of the Saffron is important. There are 4 trim levels for saffron, Super Negin is the most desired because it’s all-red and has no yellow style. The yellow style is removed because it contains no culinary or medicinal benefits and it increases the weight with no value. How to Prepare Saffron for cooking? There are two main methods to preparing saffron for cooking. Option 1.) Take a pinch of saffron and put it in a Pestle and Mortar (Spice grinder) and grind it into a fine powder. You can add a dash of sugar or salt to make it more granular and make it easier to grind the saffron into a fine powder. Add 4-5 tbsp of hot water and let it steep for 10 minutes, once its done steeping your saffron is ready to be used. Option 2.) Add a pinch of saffron to cold or room temperature water (half a cup) and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the threads have turned the water a bright yellow color it's ready for use.