SAFFRON: THE CULTURAL HISTORY The cultural history of saffron can only be understood if one knows that for 1 g of saffron, 150-200 flowers must be picked and the purple stigmas plucked from them. This also explains the high price of the most expensive spice. Saffron was used as a dye thousands of years ago. Often, it was not just about the yellow color, but also about the rooting effect of saffron. Each box contains 20 tea bags.