Whole quills is used to perfume rice, broths and poaching syrups. Fresh ground is sometimes used for baking to lift rather than weight. It blooms beautifully in ghee or oil; a brief sizzle wakes its aldehydes, which then settle into sweetness. For spice blends, paired with cardamom and clove for a poised, high-toned profile.
Hand-peeled and hand-rolled quills from Sri Lankan smallholders. Delicate and floral sweetness.
Taste and Aroma
Think warm wood shavings and light honey. Ceylon is gentle, floral and bright, with notes that feel like orange peel and leaf tea. Unlike Cassia, Ceylon Cinnamon reads like a fine line, precise enough to draw flavour without drowning it.
The Origin
True Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of Cinnamomum verum, a tree native to Sri Lanka, where it has been cultivated for over two millennia. Ancient chronicles describe Cinnamon as a treasure offered to kings and temples, and Arab traders once carried it across the Indian Ocean to Europe, guarding its source with myth. In Sri Lanka, the craft of peeling and hand-rolling Cinnamon quills is still passed down within families: young shoots are harvested after the rains, the outer bark carefully scraped away, and the paper-thin inner bark coaxed into delicate rolls. These are layered, sun-cured, and tied into quills whose pale gold hue and gentle perfume became known as “true” Cinnamon, distinct from the harsher Cassia of other regions. Beyond trade and cuisine, Cinnamon was woven into Ayurveda, ritual offerings, and even embalming traditions, its fragrance seen as both cleansing and protective.
