Ceylon Cinnamon vs Cassia: What's Actually Different?
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Most of the “cinnamon” sold around the world isn't the cinnamon you think it is. It's cassia — a related but different tree, with a harsher bark, a sharper bite and a much lower price. True Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, “true cinnamon”) is a different plant altogether, grown almost entirely in Sri Lanka.
Different plants, different bark
Roll a quill between your fingers and the difference is obvious. Ceylon cinnamon is made of many paper-thin layers rolled like a cigar — brittle, delicate, easy to crumble. Cassia is a single thick, hard curl. That structure mirrors the flavour: Ceylon is delicately sweet, floral and layered; cassia is blunt heat.
The coumarin difference
The two also differ in composition. Cassia bark is naturally high in coumarin, a compound that regulators in the EU and elsewhere set daily intake guidance for. True Ceylon cinnamon is naturally very low in coumarin — one of the reasons it commands a premium. (We're a tea and spice merchant, not a health authority — for any dietary or medical questions about cinnamon, please speak to a qualified professional.)
Why the price gap keeps widening
Sri Lankan cinnamon exports were commanding around US$12.66 per kilo in late 2025 against roughly US$2.36 for Vietnamese cassia — a five-fold premium, and the gap is growing as buyers get more selective. When ground to powder the two are nearly impossible to tell apart by eye, which is exactly how cheap cassia ends up in “cinnamon” jars.
How to buy the real thing
- Look for Cinnamomum verum or “Ceylon cinnamon” on the label — country of origin: Sri Lanka.
- Whole quills should show many thin layers, not one thick curl.
- Expect to pay more. Real Ceylon cinnamon is never the cheapest jar on the shelf.
SOO Ceylon True Cinnamon is 100% Cinnamomum verum, harvested in Sri Lanka's highlands and sealed at origin — available as whole quills or fine powder.