Ceylon cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon is called 'true cinnamon', and rightly so, because that is the botanical name. You can recognize Ceylon cinnamon immediately by the thin layers of bark and the way in which they are rolled.

Ceylon cinnamon is the dried bark of a tree that is only found in certain humid, tropical areas, such as the (former) Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. This cinnamon comes from the young offshoots of the tree and has been carefully stripped of the lignified layer. The cinnamon is therefore smooth and full of aroma.

Only the bark of young offshoots is suitable for making cinnamon. To this end, the new six-month-old young offshoots are sawed off once every two years, only to be peeled afterwards. The cinnamon tree has the ability to form new shoots again and again, so that the bark can be harvested every few years.

The quality of cinnamon depends on the quality of the tree, the age of the offshoots (the older the branches, the lower the quality), the method of peeling and the method of drying. By removing the less aromatic, lignified layers, the bark becomes smoother and more aromatic overall. The properly peeled bark contains 0.5 to 1% essential oil, cinnamaldehyde. Lower quality Ceylon cinnamon is not only less aromatic, but also more bitter.

The smaller pieces of bark are rolled to greater lengths, creating a meter-long roll. Only when this long roll is sufficiently dried are the 'sticks' cut. Our Ceylon cinnamon is cut into practical 50mm pieces.

Ceylon cinnamon is only a small part of the total cinnamon production, which mainly consists of the thicker, less aromatic bark of other cinnamon cultures (cassia). Most Ceylon cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, or like the cinnamon we supply, from Madagascar. A lot of ground cinnamon comes from Indonesia from the Cinnamomum burmanii or korintje, a name that you will rarely encounter on packaging.

Use

Cinnamon is used in sweet and savory preparations and is part of many spice mixtures, including ras-el-hanout and gingerbread spices. Common applications of cinnamon include desserts and baked goods, from biscuits and cakes to bread.

By using cinnamon sticks instead of powder, the dose of cinnamon can be properly adjusted to the desired taste, because the stick can be removed during preparation, comparable to a bouquet garni or a tea bag.

Attributes:

• 100% rolled bark of Cinnamomum verum 
• origin: Madagascar

Assortment

• available in pouch and glass
  
• standup pouches contain 30, 45, 60, 150 and 300 grams respectively
• glass jar contains 30 grams
• larger quantities on request
  

Gift Wrap

• the jar is available in a tasteful gift box, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper
• for an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the section  gift packaging 

Health

Ceylon cinnamon contains relatively little coumarin, so that the sweet tones predominate, and the slightly bitter undertone that characterizes cassia is missing. Ceylon cinnamon powder also contains hardly any coumarin.

Coumarin is an aromatic substance that inhibits blood clotting and in exceptional cases can cause liver damage. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has banned the addition of synthetically produced coumarin to foods, and has set a maximum tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for natural coumarin.

Cassia contains 20 to 400 times as much coumarin as Ceylon cinnamon (0.017 grams per 100 grams).

General advice

• keep cinnamon in a dark, dry and cool place
  
• the best before date is an indication
• best before August 2025 (08/25)
• cinnamon sticks cannot be frozen