Saffron Royal Negin

Saffron use in West Asia dates back some 50,000 years. Pigments that used saffron have been uncovered in modern day Iran that date back 50,000 years. In West Asia there is continuous documented use of saffron for 3500 years. It is believed that from this region saffron has spread across the world. Today Saffron is grown in Afghanistan, Iran, Spain, Kashmir, Morrocco and even the UAE.

The use of saffron has been far and wide across the different world cultures. Saffron threads have been used as decoration woven into clothing, in rituals to divinities, and used in dyes, perfumes, medicines, and body washes.

Saffron has a number of different grades in West Asia, the most highly regarded and rare being the Royal Negin. The Negin is when the full thread of saffron is lush red, and the threads are well formed and flat. The highest quality saffron the Royal Negin sells for many thousands of dollars per kilogram in the open market, some have gone for as high as $11,000 USD per KG. Unfortunately, in today’s market this type of saffron is stored away for the rich and famous and it is seldom reachable to the general public.

Since 2015 Afghanistan’s Saffron fields have been taking the world by storm, winning the International Taste Institutes 3 golden star awards a number of times since, the latest being in 2021. Since 2021 after I smelt a small batch of Afghani Saffron, I have been on the hunt to get my hands on the Royal Negin from Afghanistan. Previously I have worked with the best of Kashmiri and Irani Saffrons composing the Yasameen Attar, Ward Attar, Jasmine Parfum and Ward Parfum. Saffron contains some 28 volatile and aroma compounds. Its main aroma active compound is safranal responsible for the saffron aroma.

Whilst other grades of saffron are much easier to acquire and fairly common, both in Iran and Afghanistan the Royal Negin is kept like treasure that increases in value as the winter months in the northern hemisphere kick in. Once winter is in full swing, the sealed cases of Royal Negin are then delivered in person to the usual VIPS, and no one else even gets to see them, let alone smell them.

To put things into perspective; one kilogram of saffron collected from the field requires 150,000 flowers. From that only 10% is Negin and 1% is Royal Negin.

I have finally been able to acquire a small batch of Royal Negin from the ancient City of Herat in Afghanistan. It was a mission to locate the Royal Negin. Here I am offering a portion of this batch to my dear customers and the other half is going into a upcoming fragrance.

When you open the jar, the whole room immediately fills with the most beauty earthy, first rain, early morning mountain air. This Saffron is an absolute delight, it is unbelievable fragrant, you have to try it to understand the extent of beauty here.