Our story
Golden threads of Pampore, since 1971
A saffron name from Kashmir’s saffron town, now bringing its saffron directly to your kitchen.
The problem
It’s hard to trust saffron today.
Saffron is precious, and that makes it one of the most faked foods in the world. Dyed silk, paper, safflower and corn silk are sold as kesar every day. Most buyers never find out.
So people either overpay for something that isn’t real, or stop buying good saffron altogether.
We started selling directly so that you don’t have to guess.
Whole threads
Origin on every label
The Zarif Kesar promise
Honest origin.
Careful selection.
Clear answers.
Honesty about origin
Our Premium Kashmiri Saffron is from Kashmir. Our Signature Saffron is a carefully selected imported grade, and the label says so.
Careful selection and packing
We choose every batch for colour, aroma and thread quality, and pack it in airtight jars in Pampore.
Education over hype
We would rather teach you how to judge saffron than ask you to take our word for it. Try the home tests.
- 1971Part of Pampore’s saffron story since
- PamporeThe saffron town of Kashmir, where we pack
- 2 gradesKashmiri and Signature, clearly labelled
- All IndiaDelivered to your door, with a GST invoice
A year in saffron
From a bulb in the karewa to a jar at your door
Saffron follows the seasons. This is how a year looks in Pampore.
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1Aug – Sep
Planting
Crocus bulbs are planted by hand in the dry karewa soil and wait underground for the first autumn rain.
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2Late Oct
Bloom
Violet flowers open across the fields for just two or three weeks. They are picked at dawn, before the sun wilts them.
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3Same day
Separation
Each flower is opened by hand and its three red stigmas are pulled out. About 150 flowers make one gram.
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4Nov
Drying and grading
The threads are dried slowly in the shade, then sorted by colour and length.
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5All year
Packed and sent
We seal every batch in airtight jars and ship it to you with a GST invoice.
Where we come from
Pampore, the saffron town of Kashmir
Pampore sits on the banks of the Jhelum, just outside Srinagar. Every autumn its karewa fields turn violet with crocus flowers, and the town fills with the scent of drying saffron.
Zarif Kesar has been part of this saffron story since 1971. For decades our name travelled through traders, families and kitchens across India. Today, for the first time, we are bringing our saffron directly to you, with nothing lost along the way.
Shop our saffronWhat we sell
From a pinch for kesar doodh to a wedding gift
Who we are
A real business you can reach
Zarif Kesar is a sole proprietorship of Naveed Tariq, registered under GST. If you ever have a question about an order, you talk to us directly.
- GSTIN
- 01CDMPT1374B2ZS
- Address
- Ground Floor, Near Airtel Tower, Gousia Colony, Namblabal, Pampore, District Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir 192121, India
- Phone / WhatsApp
- +91 91035 06365
Wherever you are, saffron you can trust is a message away
Shop online with delivery across India, or ask us anything on WhatsApp.