There’s nothing like a hot drink on a cold day! How about a hot chocolate? Spiced apple cider? Maybe a warm cup of freshly steeped saffron? That last one might sound odd to us, but it’s a popular drink across many cultures and has been for hundreds of years.
Saffron, a spice made from the stigma of a type of crocus, has been prized for its flavor, color, fragrance and purported health benefits since antiquity. As a drink, it can be steeped as an herbal tea (or, as some tea purists insist, tisane or herbal infusion) on its own or with other spices or herbs; or it can be blended with tea leaves to add color and flavor to the brew.
Saffron tea was fashionable for a time in Victorian England, with special teapots made specifically for it, like this one made by silversmith Charles Fox in the mid-1800s. It sold for $218 at World Auction Gallery. It is about 4-inches tall.
Saffron teapots were smaller than common teapots and meant to brew small quantities. Saffron tea would have been a luxury, taken only a little bit at a time. Throughout the long history of its use, saffron has always been, and still is, expensive. At some points in history, it has been worth its weight in gold, or even more!
Q: I have not been able to identify the mark on a beautiful vase. It has the letters “RH” inside a shield underneath a crown, all in red. Any idea who the company is?
