Storage, shelf life, daily dose, pregnancy, kids, cooking heat, milk vs water — the most common questions from the customer-care inbox, with our straight answers.
The questions we hear most
We collect every question from our customer-care inbox each quarter and answer the most common ones here. If your question isn't covered, write to us and we'll add it.
How to use it
The daily milk. Crush 5–10 threads (or one 35mg Instant Saffron sachet) into a glass of warm milk. Add a pinch of cardamom and a teaspoon of honey if you like. Drink before bed for sleep, or in the morning for focus.
Cooking. Always bloom first. Warm — not boiling — milk or water for 15 to 20 minutes. Then add the bloomed liquid (threads and all) at the end of cooking. Adding dry saffron to a hot pan wastes most of it.
Topical. A pinch of bloomed saffron added to your usual face mask base (yoghurt, honey, sandalwood) is a centuries-old practice. Patch test first.
How to store it
A glass jar or tin, airtight, kept in the refrigerator at 0–4 °C, away from light and moisture. Let it come back to room temperature before you open it, so condensation doesn't form on the threads. Properly stored, our kesar stays at peak quality for two to three years.
The Instant Saffron sachets are individually nitrogen-flushed, so they keep even longer; the foil itself is the storage.
When to be careful
Pregnancy: culinary amounts are generally considered fine in the second and third trimesters in many traditional cuisines. Supplemental doses are not recommended. Ask your obstetrician.
High doses: the safe daily ceiling is around 1.5g — that's roughly fifty times the wellness dose. Going above this can cause nausea and dizziness. Stick to culinary or wellness amounts.
Allergy: rare, but possible. If you've never had saffron before, start with a few threads.
When in doubt
Email care@babysaffron.com or write to us on the contact page. We answer every question, usually within a day.
Frequently asked
How much saffron should I use per day?
Culinary use: a pinch (roughly 5–10 threads, or about 30mg) per serving. Daily wellness use: 30mg per day is the dose used in most peer-reviewed saffron research. Do not exceed 1.5g of saffron per day.
Is saffron safe during pregnancy?
Culinary amounts (a pinch in food) are generally considered safe in the second and third trimesters in many traditional cuisines. High supplemental doses are not recommended. Always check with your obstetrician.
Can children have saffron?
Yes, in culinary amounts — a few threads in warm milk is a centuries-old practice in Indian households. Avoid supplemental doses for children under 12 unless prescribed.
How should I store saffron?
In an airtight tin or jar in the refrigerator at 0–4 °C, away from light and moisture. Let it return to room temperature before opening so condensation doesn't form on the threads. Properly stored, saffron stays at peak quality for 2–3 years.
Does heat destroy saffron?
Direct high heat damages the aroma compounds. Always bloom saffron in warm (not boiling) milk or water for 15–20 minutes first, then add the bloomed liquid to your dish at the end of cooking.
Milk or water — which is better for blooming?
Warm milk for desserts (kheer, payasam, lassi), warm water for savoury dishes (biryani, pulao). The fat in milk extracts more of the aroma; water extracts more of the colour.
Why is real saffron so expensive?
Every gram of saffron is the hand-picked, hand-separated stigma of about 150 crocus flowers. A single flower yields only three stigmas, and the harvest window is just two weeks per year. There is no machine-harvested saffron.
