Why Ceylon Cinnamon Costs More

Ceylon cinnamon costs more than cassia mainly because each quill is peeled and rolled by hand from thin inner bark, a slow, skilled job. It also comes mostly from one country, and the trees give less bark per hectare. So a higher price is normal, and a very cheap "Ceylon" pack deserves a second look.

Put a pack of Ceylon sticks next to the dalchini at your local shop and the gap can look odd for what seems the same spice. This is where the money goes.

Every quill is peeled by hand

Cassia is thick bark stripped off in rough pieces and dried. Ceylon is different. Young shoots are cut, the outer bark is scraped away, the stem is rubbed with a brass rod to loosen the inner bark, and a skilled peeler lifts off thin sheets and rolls them into a long quill, fitting smaller pieces inside. Our post on how Ceylon cinnamon quills are made walks through it.

Almost every step needs trained hands, and no machine does it as well.

There aren't enough peelers

Peeling is a traditional skill, often passed down in families, and fewer young people want the work. A Sri Lankan business report described about 30,000 peelers for a crop that needs closer to 50,000, and said only part of the crop gets harvested as often as it could. When a skill is scarce, it costs more.

Most of it comes from one country

Sri Lanka is the world's leading exporter of true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). Cassia is grown in larger volumes across China, Indonesia and Vietnam. A spice that mostly comes from one place feels that place's weather, labour costs and exchange rates more sharply.

Less spice from the same land

Only the thin inner bark of young shoots is used, so each hectare gives less usable spice than a cassia plantation does. Less spice per acre means each kilo carries more of the cost.

Grades and quill quality

Ceylon is sold in grades, mostly by quill thickness. Thin, even quills take the most skill and fetch the highest prices. Broken pieces, quillings and chips cost much less. Pay for a higher grade only if the look of the quill matters to you. For cooking, freshness counts for more.

Cost factors side by side

Taste and coumarin are in our Ceylon vs cassia comparison.

When a very cheap pack should worry you

If the price is close to ordinary cassia, check a few things before buying:

• Does the photo show thin, layered, pale sticks, or thick single curls?
• Is it sold only as powder? Powder is harder to check, so mixing is easier.
• Does the listing use "cinnamon" and "Ceylon" loosely in one line without saying what's in the pack?
• Can the seller answer a plain question about what's inside?

Once it arrives, the two-minute check for real Ceylon settles most doubts.

Is it worth paying more?

Depends on how you use it. If cinnamon goes into your tea, oats, baking or milk daily, many people find Ceylon worth it for the softer flavour and lower coumarin. If a stick goes into a mutton curry once a month, cassia is fine and much cheaper.

Whole sticks stretch your money too. They keep their aroma far longer than powder, so less goes stale in the jar.

We don't grow cinnamon. Our cinnamon sticks are packed whole with nothing added, and you can message us on WhatsApp with any question before you order. The guide to buying Ceylon cinnamon online has more on choosing well.

Is expensive Ceylon always better?

No. Price mostly follows grade, which is about quill thickness and looks. A mid grade Ceylon that smells fresh and sweet cooks very well.

Why is the powder cheaper than sticks?

Powder is often made from broken pieces, quillings and chips, which are lower grades. It can be perfectly good, but it's harder to check for mixing, so buy it from a seller you trust.

Sources

• Ada Derana Biz English: Labor shortage hits Sri Lanka's cinnamon industry

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