What accounts for the differences in color in unrefined sea salt?
Unlike refined sea salt which is always a clinical pure white color (like white sugar), natural unrefined sea salt does vary in color from light grey to creamy-white. Fleur de Sel sea salts: “Flor de Sal” or “Flos Salis” consist of small creamy white crystals, naturally bleached by the sun and harvested from the surface. The color variation of the sea salt depends on the collector’s ( Paludier’s or Marnoto’s ) technique, the gathering time and the texture of the bottom of the salt pans and the climate of the salt-producing region. Generally speaking, a hotter, drier climate such as that of Portugal produces a lighter salt than does a cooler, moister climate such as France.
