Collection: What is the difference between cassia cinnamon and ceylon cinnamon?

And a frequently asked question to which you understand the answer when you also establish the similarity, the reason why cassia, Ceylon cinnamon, but also 'cinnamon' are called 'cinnamon'. In the first place because the plants from which it is harvested all belong to the plant genus Cinnamonum. And in different concentrations. cinnamaldehyde contain an essential oil responsible for the cinnamon aromas, Ceylon cinnamon significantly more than cassia. And coumarin, conversely, cassia significantly—more than Ceylon cinnamon.

An important visual difference, which you will have noticed, is the thickness of the bark, for what we colloquially call cinnamon is the bark of both plants. With Ceylon cinnamon, this is harvested from the stem and is peeled on both sides, and is thinner than that of cassia, which is harvested from the branches and is peeled on only one side. And as for the taste? Very variable.

The prevailing view is that cassia is sharper and more bitter than Ceylon cinnamon, which is warmer and milder in taste. However, as we know from experience, not all harvests are the same, and the taste can vary by region. On the 'warmth' scale, we currently place our Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka tied with our cassia cinnamon buds at No. 1, and wild African cinnamon at No. 3. We do not currently sell cassia bark.