Saffron, noted

Over the years, I have often commented how a recipe I was trying was supposed to use saffron, but I never have it on hand (in fact, had never bought it.)

That changed on the weekend - at the West End markets, a spice selling stall had it, with one gram (from Iran) going for $8.    The stall holder told me it was much cheaper than at the supermarket, and he was right - I see this morning that Coles sells .25 g for $14.90.   But then again - did I really get a full gram in the small container I bought?  I didn't weigh it, but if this is .25 gram:

...it looks suspiciously like the same amount I got.   Anyway, even if I got only that amount, it was still substantially cheaper.

So, I finally got to put a pinch full in a bit of hot water, watch it go golden, and smell it.  I thought it reminded me strongly of tobacco, which I doubt is the intention.   But then again, I just found this on someone's website (my bold):

Many authorities describe the smell of saffron as sweet. I would say it reminds me of paella – a distinctive smell that is not entirely sweet. Rather, I find it both sweet and husky. It is no surprise that saffron brings paella to mind. That dish include saffron in the rice and the addition of the spice gives paella an unforgettable aroma. For examples of how to use saffron in paella rice, check out this seafood paella or this chicken, mushroom and shrimp paella, both from José Andres. One saffron producer describes the aroma of real saffron as “a blend of earth, tobacco, vanilla, honey, salty sweet.”

So I guess there is no reason to doubt it is real saffron.

In any case, I was using it in chicken chermoula tagine, and while it did help the colour, I doubt that in such a strong combination of flavour that it made much difference.  I will try a paella with it, though, or maybe just a simple saffron rice, and see how much sense of flavour I can get from it.