Mongra vs Super Negin
The two top grades, one from each origin. Same ISO 3632 category, different thread — and a meaningful difference in what you pay.
| Specification | Kashmiri Mongra | Iranian Super Negin |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 3632 category | Category I | Category I |
| Crocin (minimum) | ≥ 190 | ≥ 190 |
| Picrocrocin (minimum) | ≥ 70 | ≥ 70 |
| Safranal | ≈ 35 | ≈ 38 |
| Origin | Pampore, Kashmir · India | Khorasan · Iran |
| Form | Whole dried stigma (filament) | Whole dried stigma, style removed |
| Thread length | Approx. 18–22 mm | Approx. 22–26 mm |
| Floral waste | ≤ 0.5% | ≤ 0.5% |
| Shelf life | 36 months, sealed, away from light | 36 months, sealed, away from light |
| Minimum order | 500 g | 500 g |
| Best suited to | Gifting, premium retail, saffron sold on presentation | Retail vials, repeat schedules, consistent lot-to-lot supply |
Both are Category I. That is the starting point.
Neither grade is 'better' in the sense the marketing usually implies. Both are certified against the same published minimums: crocin ≥ 190, picrocrocin ≥ 70, safranal within 20–50. If a supplier claims one is categorically superior without quoting a measured figure, ask for the number.
Where they genuinely differ
Length and uniformity. Super Negin is sorted for long, even threads with a pronounced trumpet, which makes it the more photogenic grade in a glass vial. Mongra is shorter and darker. In a pot of rice, that difference disappears entirely — which is why the choice is really about your packaging and your customer, not your recipe.
Cost per unit of colour
This is the calculation most buyers skip. Divide the price per kilo by the measured crocin value and you get cost per unit of colouring strength. On that basis Super Negin usually wins, sometimes comfortably. If your product is judged on the finished dish rather than the thread, that number should decide it.
When Mongra is worth the premium
Gifting, festive retail, pharmacy shelves, and any market where 'Kashmiri' carries weight with the end customer. In the Gulf and among South Asian diaspora retail in the UK, the provenance premium is real and reliably recovered at the till.
A practical test
Buy a small quantity of each and run them through your actual product. Not a tasting — your product, at your dose rate, judged by whoever normally signs it off. It settles the argument faster than any specification sheet, including this one.
Sample first. Decide after.
Tell us the grade and volume you are working to and we will send an indicative offer, the specification sheet, and a sample dispatch window — normally within one working day.