There are different types. Real saffron is used sparingly and I doubt anyone is throwing a bunch of it in tea. My friends from Afghanistan would add a thread or two to their kahwah. Before they left they gifted me a massive bag of "saffron". I was a bit confused because it would be equivalent to a lifetime's worth based on how they used it. I think I concluded it might have been part of a different part of the plant or something, but it wasn't the "real" saffron they were using for sure.