Cinnamon buttons (cassia)

Cinnamon buds (kwei tze in Chinese) are the flower bases containing the budding seed of the cassia tree. The buds are used both whole and ground in savory and sweet dishes. They are very aromatic, without bitter notes.

Chinese cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum sinens) is a variety of cinnamon. It is the only species whose flower heads are harvested on a larger scale and traded as a spice. The buds look somewhat like cloves, but appearances are deceiving.

The buds are the fleshy receptacles (receptaculum) that enclose the developing seed, just as is the case with an acorn. The buds are picked shortly after flowering. When the buds are dried properly, the receptacle turns deep brown, in contrast to the light brown, sometimes barely visible berry. You can recognize fresh cassia buds by this color contrast. Because the seeds shrink during drying, the berries sometimes fall out. If cassia buds are stored for too long, the buds turn pale brown and, moreover, lose their aroma.

The buds are less than 1 cm long and half a centimeter in diameter. Although less aromatic than the dried bark, they are 'more floral' and lack the bitter notes of cassia.

Cassia buds have traditionally been used in Chinese medicine. They were first described around 2700 BC in the Chinese herbal book Shen-nung. The Romans used them, thanks to Arab and Phoenician traders who brought them from India. They regularly sailed to the Orient with their sailing ships thanks to their knowledge of the winds, a skill the Romans did not possess.

This spice typically originates from China or Myanmar (formerly Burma), but is increasingly being harvested in other cinnamon-producing countries as well. Our buds come from southern China (Guangdong).

Scent and taste

The main fragrance in cinnamon buds is the rather sweet cinnamyl acetate, which smells like flowers (roses) as well as cinnamon. The buds contain hardly any cinnamaldehyde, the main aroma and flavor component in cinnamon and cassia bark. The buds also contain relatively little coumarin compared to cassia bark, and are therefore less bitter than the bark.

Usage

The buds are used finely ground in desserts, or whole in curries and pulaos, in marmalade and mulled wine. The wine drink Hippocras, in which ginger, grains of paradise, and cinnamon buds are used, dates back to the Middle Ages.

In Germany, people like to use these little buds in winter marmalades. and compotes, such as blood orange marmalade or jelly.

Recipes):

Features:

• 100% dried flower bases of Cinnamomum aromaticum
• origin: China, Guandong

Assortment

• available in glass (45 grams) and stand-up pouch (no test tubes)
• Larger quantities on request

Gift packaging

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

Health

Cinnamon from cassia plants contains a lot of coumarin, the sweet flavor, but in larger quantities also a slightly bitter undertone of this type of cinnamon. True cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon) contains hardly any coumarin. These cassia cinnamon buds do contain it, but the coumarin content is lower than in the bark of the cassia.

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

Cinnamon buds contain almost 20 times as much coumarin as Ceylon cinnamon (0.31 compared to 0.017 grams per 100 grams).

Save:

• store your cinnamon sticks in a closed package
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before August 2027 (08-2027)
• This expiration date is an indication.

Batch number

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originated from. It is listed on the packing slip and the invoice.