Ceylon Cinnamon

[sheryl]

Ceylon Cinnamon is a small, evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka.   I have used Cassia cinnamon for years and do not know how I just learned about Ceylon cinnamon in 2022 or 2023!  I've ditched the cassia (except to maybe put the stick in tea).  Will not buy cassia again.  Started buying Ceylon and it's so much better because it's considered to be the "true" cinnamon.   I bought a grinder for whole coffee beans and spices.   I've been happily grinding the ceylon quills into powder!  I use it now in my baked goods, yogurt, cereal and so much more!    Question-

1.  How on earth do you wash ceylon?  The back of the package says to wash before use and I never have.  Have you seen how the quills are harvested?  You Tube it.   Interesting.   But, once when I wiped the quills with water only, they disintegrate.  It's like baking with parchment paper and if heated to a certain point, the paper just crumbles as you ball it up to throw away. 

 

[Faith-manor]

I have only ever bought Ceylon already powdered. Interesting!

[Indigo Blue]

I’ve only bought powdered, too. I discovered it a few years ago and have been using it instead of cassia. 

[ScoutTN]

I like Penzey’s, which has both kinds and their own blend. SO much better than grocery-bought.

[sheryl]

I've completely switched from cassia (and, yes, I used to "hand zest" the hard cassia to the tune of wearing down a zester or two and buying new replacements) to the ceylon only.  The cassia took me 30 min to yield what I need at that time.  So, I switched because the true ceylon can't be beat and it's a 2nd winner b/c my grinder does the grinding in 30 seconds!  

[athena1277]

Where do you get the Ceylon cinnamon?  I’ve heard so much good about it, but never knew where to get it.  Can you get it already ground?

[marbel]

10 hours ago, athena1277 said:

Where do you get the Ceylon cinnamon?  I’ve heard so much good about it, but never knew where to get it.  Can you get it already ground?

Frontier Coop brand sells Ceylon cinnamon in stick and ground form. I usually buy it from Vitacost but I think it is pretty widely available. My local Whole Foods sells it already ground.

Edited April 19 by marbel

[Faith-manor]

I bought a big bag on Amazon of ground. I keep it in a quarter Mason and with a cap on top, and a silica packet inside on the back shelf of cupboard in the hopes of it remaining fresh for a while.

[sheryl]

14 hours ago, athena1277 said:

Where do you get the Ceylon cinnamon?  I’ve heard so much good about it, but never knew where to get it.  Can you get it already ground?

I buy the quills at the local Asian Mkt.  You can buy from an Hispanic store.  I don't buy it ground but buy the quills and grind myself.  My little Cuisinart coffee bean/spick grinder was $40 and each package of ceylon was maybe $3-4.   One package yields 5-6 quills. Grinding 2 quills equals maybe 1/3 c. or a small bottle so well worth it for me to grind.  Takes seconds.   If you buy Ceylon look for the "large" and loosely wrapped quills.  That's ceylon.  Cassia is hard and wrapped more tightly - smaller circumference.