Real cinnamon vs Saigon Cinnamon

Real cinnamon isn’t just a spice—it’s both a culture and a lifestyle, and you can enjoy top-quality true cinnamon from Acril Tea. Also, Sri Lanka is the only country where you can buy true cinnamon.

Is Ceylon cinnamon the same as Saigon cinnamon?

There are four main varieties of cinnamon in the world market, real Ceylon cinnamon, Cassia, Saigon, and Korintje. However, of these varieties, Ceylon Cinnamon is identified as true cinnamon, and the others are all considered Cassia.

Real Ceylon cinnamon has a golden-brown color, an aromatic fragrance, a warm taste, and a sweet flavor. Real cinnamon also has a higher oil content than cassia.

Cinnamon is produced from both the thick and thin bark of the tree. Therefore, all the sun-dried barks are made into sticks or quills.

A true Ceylon cinnamon stick looks more like a cigarette or a pencil. Several thin layers of bark are rolled up into a cinnamon stick. But cassia uses only one thick bark layer to roll up into a stick.

As mentioned above, Cassia, Saigon, and Korintje are all classified under Cassia, because they are very similar to each other with only slight variations in color, taste, shape, and Coumarin content.

Coumarin is a natural flavoring that we can find in many plants. But, Ceylon cinnamon only contains a low amount of coumarin, which is safe. High coumarin consumption is bad for your health. It damages your kidneys and liver.

Real Ceylon Cinnamon is typically more expensive than Cassia. But some sellers make a profit from selling Cassia by mislabeling it as “Real Cinnamon.”

Natural History and Cultivation – Real Cinnamon

Cinnamomum zeylanicum is the botanical name of Ceylon Cinnamon and is sometimes called Cinnamomum Verum. This plant belongs to the family of Lauraceae.

So, cinnamon is mainly planted by seeds, rooted cuttings, and air layering under natural tropical conditions.

In Sri Lanka, it grows under varying weather conditions, ranging from semi-dry to wet-zone conditions. However, the ideal temperature range is between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius.

The plant grows to a height of 10–15m with a girth of 30–50cm. After 2 to 2 and a half years of the period, cinnamon gets older and is harvested.

When the bark of the tree turns brown, it is a good time to harvest. Consequently, in a well-maintained plantation, after the first harvest of cinnamon, harvesting can be done twice a year.

The traditional method of cinnamon peeling and bundling is unique to Sri Lanka. It is a highly labor-intensive operation.

As a result, labor costs account for roughly 60% of total production costs. The process of cinnamon peeling in Sri Lanka involves the harvesting of sticks, removing knots, scraping, rubbing with a brass rod, and peeling with a knife. But Cassia does not have that type of peeling process or labor cost.

According to our marketing department’s export reports, the main markets for our cinnamon are the United States, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Spain.

However, we are exporting a considerable amount of cinnamon to Guatemala, Chile, Germany, France, Canada, and Bolivia.

What do we maintain in our True Ceylon Cinnamon,

Color	Pale brown (Golden brown) to slightly reddish color Ground cinnamon – yellowish to reddish-brown
Aroma	Characteristic fresh aroma
Flavor	Delicate and sweet flavor characteristic of Ceylon cinnamon.
Moisture	Not more than 15% for quills and 12% for other grades
Volatile Oil	Minimum 1% for quills and 0.7% for other grades on a dry basis.