Why Kashmiri saffron is graded differently
Mongra, Lachha, and the reason a gram of one is not a gram of the other.
Saffron is the stigma of a crocus flower. Each flower gives three. A gram takes roughly 150 flowers, all picked by hand, all in a few weeks each autumn.
Mongra and Lachha
Kashmiri saffron is graded by how much of the stigma you actually get.
Mongra is the dark red stigma alone, with the pale style cut away. It is the strongest grade, and the one worth buying.
Lachha keeps the style attached. It weighs more for the same number of flowers, which is exactly why it is cheaper by weight and weaker in the cup.
A gram of Mongra and a gram of Lachha are not the same purchase.
Testing what you were sold
Put a few threads in cold water. Real saffron releases colour slowly, over several minutes, and the threads keep their red. Dyed substitutes bleed immediately and go pale.
Warmth and a faintly bitter, honeyed smell are right. A sweet smell is not.
