Saffron import

Are you talking about a number of small sealed packages, or a bulk purchase? Either way, you should declare it, and the bulk spice in particular will be inspected. They are concerned about fake saffron as well as potential contamination.

This article by a commercial customs broker may provide useful information (but keep in mind they want your business).

https://usacustomsclearance.com/process/importing-saffron-into-the-us/

For more general information on importing spices, you might find information here:

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-335?language=en_US

Yes I know about declarations of what you’re bringing in but I’m just wondering if there is a limit on quantity I’m allowed to bring back for personal use.

Probably won’t be real saffron anyway. And for personal use, how much do you think you would even possibly buy at the high price it costs? Say $300 ounce. Who care about a license for that?
I am sure at the level of personal use there would be no problem. The problem is more the cost and the fact that saffron is something that is counterfeit in most instances for tourists.

Saffron is often referred to as "red gold," for good reason—it's the world's most expensive spice, retailing for anywhere from $10 to $20 for a gram of the real stuff

As far as I know, they have not established a specified limit for “personal use” on spices.

What quantity are you thinking of? I brought back 25 1 gram packets of saffron threads from Spain, packaged in 5 commercial boxes with five 1-gram sealed tins in each box. The inspector did not bat an eye. Could I have brought twice that amount? Who knows.

Or are you thinking of bulk saffron from an open market (which is quite possibly fake)? That is much more likely to be subject to close inspection and duties, and you may need to prove that it comes from a legitimate source.

More information on saffron:

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-source-saffron

It is very likely that if you bring back saffron purchased in bulk at a street market, you will be asked for proof that it did not originate in Iran. Your statement that you bought it in Egypt is not proof, since most of the world’s supply of saffron is grown in Iran, then sold to other countries for packaging as a local product.

I can’t speak for Egypt, but I’ve brought back 8 small boxes, each with 4-5 packets, from Spain on numerous occasions. It comes as both ground or threads. The link is so you can visualize the boxes. Saffron does have a shelf life of 2-3 years, so only buy what you can use in that timeframe. It does lose potency over time.

Most recently I’ve been buying the paella seasoning (also shown in the link) since I use it more than the straight saffron. One doesn’t need much saffron for cooking at home. As with everything, there are different qualities. To the non saffron expert that I am, the store brand is as good as any.

No idea why somebody would say it’s probably not real saffron.

I assume the “fake” comment refers to saffron bought in bulk at a street market—- where they have spices in piles. Not the little packages that you (or I) bought.

I person I know, part of my circle of friends but not really a friend (we did not like each other), invited about 8 of us to a party to tell us all about his trip to Egypt (i.e. brag about his adventures) and eat paella he made with the “saffron” he brought back. He showed us the sandwich-size ziplock bag full of the stuff that he got for a great price at a spice market. Of course it was the fake stuff, dried safflower petals instead of crocus stamens, so he was cheated. But I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him that.

In looking for more information on importing saffron to the US a yesterday, one of the websites I found was this worthless page on ehow:

https://www.ehow.com/how_8298603_import-saffron.html

Most of the safflower that is passed off as saffron is much more convincing than that pile in the photo, which is so obvious I can’t believe that the article’s author used it, or that ehow didn’t vet it better. But I’ve never used that website and am unfamiliar with their methods. Maybe this is typical.

Yeah so say I bought in bulk from the market and packaged them myself in glass jars or temporarily in plastic bags. How much could I potentially bring back?