Types of Ceylon Cinnamon
Ceylon Cinnamon is a popular export of Sri Lanka and popularly known as “Ceylon Cinnamon “ or “True Cinnamon”. Sri Lanka exports organic cinnamon in the forms of bales, quills or cinnamon sticks, cinnamon oil and many other value added products such as Cinnamon Powder and Cinnamon Tablets. Ceylon Cinnamon is well known and preferred in the international market for its unique quality, flavour, colour and the fragrance. Hence, a larger portion of the demand in the world market is catered by Sri Lanka.
Cinnamon; scientifically known as “Cinnamomum Zeylanicum” which belongs to the family of Lauraceae, is an indigenous plant to Sri Lanka. It is a bushy tree of moderate size and stays evergreen throughout the year.
The inner bark and the leaves of the cinnamon tree are the major sources of cinnamon as a spice. Cinnamon in the form of sticks or powder is produced by basically drying the inner bark of the tree. This spice derives a warm, sweet but slightly spicy flavour along with a refreshing fragrant aroma which is almost floral. Ceylon Cinnamon is popularly used as a condiment to enhance the flavour and the aroma of cooked food.
Cinnamon oil is used for medicinal purposes and as a source of natural flavouring. The oil is extracted directly from the barks or leaves and also from the waste products of the dried barks and the cinnamon fruit using water distillation or steam distillation methods. Cinnamon bark oil is a very expensive type and recommended for internal consumption than cinnamon leaf oil.
Cinnamon, which is traditionally known as an ingredient for Asian style cooking, has more popular developments over time. Owing to the unique flavour and the aroma, cinnamon is very much used nowadays as a natural flavouring in the bakery industry. Due to health concerns regarding using synthetic flavours, the demand for natural flavouring such as cinnamon is increasing in the food industry worldwide. Cinnamon tea is also a popular herbal tea loved by all.
It is also known that the Westerners have used cinnamon along with pepper as a food preservation method in the past, especially to preserve meat products. Besides being a popular food ingredient or a condiment, cinnamon is a much needed product in the modern pharmaceutical industry as well as the cosmetic industry.
Considering its numerous health benefits, cinnamon pharmaceutical products and cosmetics are considered to be one of the most expensive as well as sought after. One of the modern developments is cinnamon scented gift items.
Cinnamon Products
Cinnamon Quills / Sticks
The dried inner bark of Cinnamon when tied in rolls of layers are known as Cinnamon Quills. A full tube of cinnamon generally consists of 42 inches long cinnamon sticks where gaps are filled with small dried particles of cinnamon.
Alba
According to the grading specifications of cinnamon, “Alba” is the topmost grade variety of true cinnamon of Sri Lanka. Alba has a maximum diameter of 6 mm and a minimum of 42’’ long quills per kg. The minimum length of quills in a bail is 200 whereas maximum percentage of single quality quills per bail is one. Due to these specifications, skilled labour is required to produce Alba.
Alba has the finest taste with a refreshing aroma and is golden brown in colour. Alba is of the highest commercial value and is sold at the highest price in the market.
Continental, Mexican and Hamburg Grades
Apart from Alba, other grades namely Continental Grades, Mexican and Hamburg grades are sold at a lesser price range since they are of gradually decreasing level of fineness and quality of cinnamon than in Alba.
Cinnamon Quillings
Broken quills or pieces of dried cinnamon barks of different sizes and different grades are known as quillings. It is a by-product of Cinnamon Quills.
Featherings
Unpeelable barks which generate pieces of peelings from the inner bark and found in chunks are specified as featherings.
Cinnamon Chips
After harvest, the remaining that are scraped which also include the outer bark are known as chips.
Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon powder is produced by powdering the cinnamon sticks. It is also known as ground cinnamon. The disadvantage of buying powdered form is that it is difficult to recognize the quality of the product where a producer may produce the powder with deteriorated quality.
Cinnamon Oil
Producing cinnamon essential oil in Sri Lanka is an age-old industry. Cinnamon oil has two basic forms; Cinnamon Bark Oil and Cinnamon Leaf Oil. Cinnamon Bark Oil is also known as Liquid Cinnamon and includes cinnamaldehyde which is good for internal consumption. Cinnamon leaf oil has eugenol which makes it inferior to bark oil. Cinnamon leaf oil is produced with distillation and considered a by-product of this industry. Therefore, the leaf oil is found cheaper than the bark oil.
Cinnamon Health Benefits
Talking about the health benefits, research has identified cinnamon as a means of controlling blood sugar, for decreasing levels of LDL Cholesterol which is bad for the human body while increasing HDL Cholesterol which is good for the human body. Further, it is believed that even small intakes can be effective as a means to lower blood pressure. Above all, cinnamon is also popular as a trigger for weight loss.
Cinnamon is taken as a supplement in western countries whereas cinnamon is mostly used as a condiment in Sri Lankan dishes from the ancient times to today. When it is absorbed as condiment, there is no specified quantity as a maximum. However, when taken as a supplement, the generally accepted and known quantity is approximately 6 grams on a daily basis until around 1 and a half months at a stretch. The Sri Lankan species is considered quite safe even consumed on a regular basis whereas species originated in other countries seem to create liver and kidney issues if taken in large quantities since they include a chemical compound known as coumarin.
Cinnamon Health Benefits
- A means of controlling blood sugar
- For decreasing levels of LDL Cholesterol
- For increasing HDL Cholesterol
- A means to lower blood pressure
- Cinnamon for weight loss
Cinnamon Industry in Sri Lanka.
It is the majority of small scale farmers who contribute to the cinnamon cultivation in Sri Lanka. Harvesting of cinnamon is commenced approximately in two and half years to three years of time and thereafter two times per year. Peeling of the inner bark is mostly done when the new leaves are turned to a light green in colour and peeling is usually avoided during the dry season. Traditionally, there are very skilled peelers in Sri Lanka allowing the highest commercial quality.
Cinnamon Product Specifications
There are standard quality specifications in grading cinnamon.
