Ceylon Cinnamon

• Sri Lanka is the largest producer and exporter of ‘true

cinnamon’ in the world and cinnamon is believed to have
originated in the central part of Sri Lanka
• However, cinnamon has subsequently been introduced to
coastal areas and now most cinnamon cultivation is
concentrated in the coastal areas of Galle and Matara Districts
• Cinnamon tree bark is the major component used as a spice
and leaves are used for oil distillation
• Cinnamon quills, cinnamon powder, bark oil and leaf oil are the
major products from the cinnamon tree
• Cinnamon bark is used in Sri Lankan cooking as a spice.
 Evergreen perennial plant

Plant height - 10 -15 m

Girth of 30-50 cm
Could be maintained as a bush of
2-2.5 m height

Mainly originated in Central hilly areas- Kandy,

Mathale, Belihulloya, Haputhale and the
Sinharaja forest range

Present Cinnamon cultivation- in the costal

belt stretching from Kaluthara to Mathara
Export value and share in Sri Lanka’s exports of focus
spices
Share of Sri Lanka in world spice export basket- Cinnamon
Major export destinations for Sri Lankan cinnamon in
2016
Source: Central Bank Annual Report 2018
Source: Central Bank Annual Report 2018
 Ceylon Cinnamon Cassia/Chinese Cinnamon
A highly valued culinary and medicinal spice.
Commonly available and very cheap. You get a
Price can be up to 10 times more than the
bag of the sticks for less than a dollar.
Cassia/Chinese cinnamon.

Contains a high level of coumarin content

which can be harmful for the liver and kidney
Contains a small, negligible amount of  when consumed daily or regularly. Not a
coumarin, a naturally occurring blood-thinning concern for occasional use. (Note: Saigon
substance. Recommended for regular use, eg Cinnamon, a type of cinnamon from Vietnam
for correcting blood sugar level. that shares a similar appearance with Cassia,
also contains a relatively high level of
Coumarin.)

Tan brown in colour. Reddish dark brown.

Thin and paper-like textured bark that forms Uneven thick bark that forms only a few layers
multiple layers when rolled up. when rolled up.

Tough, difficult (if not impossible) to grind to

Fragile, easily broken.
powder with an electric home kitchen grinder.

Delicate, sweet with subtle notes of clove.

Pungent, full-bodied taste. Suitable for
Creates an excellent flavor profile for pastries,
cakes and desserts. Chinese braised meat recipes.

Mostly originated from Sri Lanka and used in Primarily sourced from China and supplied to
most part of Europe. the USA and Asia.