Received the package 3 days after ordering. Came O.K. packed in the box of two plastic jars. Upon opening a jar, i noticed that it was not sealed. It had the typical paper type of seal with pull tabs under the lid, but it was not sealed to the jar -a bit concerning. So next I tried to smell. When I stuck my nose right into the jar, I could detect a mild aroma, much less than i was expecting for a large new jar. I figured the one jar had broken seal and maybe the cinnamon wasn’t as fresh as it should have been otherwise. Jar was well labeled, but no production date or best used by date either. I then opened the other jar, the very same thing. My next thoughts were that these probably came out of an open bulk bin and were packaged by the vendor, maybe with old, stale contents. My suspicians were at least partly confirmed when I read the packing slip with a handwritten note:

Dear —–

Complimentary jar packing for you!
Enjoy real Ceylon cinnamon
Indus Sales

My thoughts were, Gee isn’t that generous of you. For the pittance of only $42 I paid, I was not expecting much and I only thought you should just throw the sticks loose into the packing box, haha.

Anyway, next I decided to taste. I simmered one half of a stick ( more than I would have used of Cassia in a cup of my chai) broken up coarsely in 6 ounces of water for about ten minutes, it seemed to have just O.K. aroma, but the water was barely colored at all, and there was very little taste to my senses. Then i ground some up finely, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, toasted a piece of bread, spread with butter and honey, and sprinkled the CC on. I honestly wasn’t sure whether I could even taste anything except the butter and honey. My spouse thought the same way. Maybe baking with it will do better? If nothing else, i guess it could always be rendered to the compost pile. On second thought, the antimicrobial properties of the various cinnamomum species would probably mess up the composting process.

If my sampling is a good example of what the touted Ceylon cinnamon is all about, then I will probably go back to my cassia, but at a reduced level. After all, isn’t coumarin compounds ability to prevent clots, reduce blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and the antimicrobial qualities, a big part of the health benefits of cinnamon (cassia or not) anyway, as long as not done in excess? I mean taking excessive, or the improper dosages of prescription Coumadin, (tradename for a related presription compound, I believe) could be VERY VERY dangerous to one’s health also and probably even very much more so, that’s why patients are so closely monitored. If Ceylon has only ten percent of the coumarin that cassia has, but if i am using 3 times as much, and making it 9X the cost of cassia, that may be too much af a sacrifice for me. I think maybe better to just restrict my intake to 1/4 teaspoon cassia/day on average, enjoy the taste, and enjoy other things with the money saved. Unless I just got an old, or poor quality batch. At any rate, i don’t like what i got, so 2 stars.

Update March 4, 2012:

I think by now I have given this tasteless garbage that is hyped as “true” cinnamon, a fair shake, about 2 1/2 months. I gradually reduced the amount of so called “bad” and “fake” cinnamon I was using, while upping the ceylon until I ran out, about 2 months ago, and only used the Ceylon crap since. A recent visit to my doctor revealed that my blood pressure had gone higher, lab test results later showed my cholesterol and triglcerides had also gone up noticeably. Also I hadn’t been feeling so well. Doc wanted to know if I was doing anything differently. I told him about the cinnamon change. He advised I go back to doing whatever I had been doing before.

The peddlers/hypers of this Ceylon type of cinnamon tell you about the very low amount of coumarin versus other species of cinnamon. What they don’t tell, is that it also has less of the beneficial essential oils and cinnamaldehyde.

As far as the coumarin, many plants naturally contain coumarins, including chamomile, sweet clover, cherries, strawberries, celery, apricots, vanilla grass, sweet woodruff, and many more. And coumarins are natural appetite suppressants, have been used in treatment of asthma and lymphedema, and reportedly are actively anti-HIV, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, anti-coagulant,anti-hypertension, anti-arrhythmia, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis, anti-septic, and analgesic.

Almost anything used in extremes can be harmful or dangerous.

So I just got a new supply of what I call “real” cinnamon, and it’s not the Ceylon variety. Oh boy, it tastes soooo goooood, and i’m very much enjoying cinnamon again for the first time in months.

Update March 11 2010;

O.K. so maybe I was to harsh in my first review and last update, so just to be fair, there were a couple of uses for the Ceylon C that we liked O.K. Ground and mixed with whipped cream and used for topping, especially as topping on hot chocolate. Ground and used for ice cream was also pretty good. The wife liked in some pastries, but was not a good substitute at all for cinnamon bread, rolls, or on toast, IMO. And if you’re trying to use in Chai, or anything else with other dominant spice(s), the very subtle taste of the Ceylon cinnamon is completely lost. Works O.K. as a single subtle flavoring/aroma in a light tea, such as darjeeling, though.

I have done more research and share what I have learned below;

There are 4 main species of cinnamomum sold as cinnamon. All are related, same genus and family, although burmannii and loureiroi are more closely related to aromaticum (Chinese Cassia), than to the Ceylon cinnamon.

1) Cinnamomum burmannii. Also known as Indonesian or Korintje cassia/cinnamon. This is the variety you see sold as those neat, dark, thick, and hard quills, curled from each side. It also is probably the most likely variety to be sold as ground cinnamon, and probably what most people in the U.S. are used to consuming. Generally the cheapest of all, it also has the lowest (of the 3 so-called cassia varieties), in volatile/essential oils. Also has lower coumarin content than the other cassia varieties. Has a harsh, somewhat acrid taste that usually takes alot of sugar to counter.

2) Cinnamomum aromaticum. Also known as Chinese cassia. Fairly common tree in China/Southeast Asia. Whole form is not commonly sold to U.S consumers, and does not come in neat “quills”. Could be used in some ground cinnamon products commercially or to the consumer?

3) Cinnamomum loureiroi. Also known as Saigon or Vietnamese cinnamon/cassia. Trees take a long time to grow, usually about 20 years before production. It is the highest priced of the “cassia” varieties. Saigon cinnamon has again become more available, after so many trees were destroyed in the war. Whole loureiroi comes not in rolled quills, but in slightly curved, pieces of irregular shaped/sized bark, with a beautiful color. Has a potent, very sweet, and somewhat fiery taste. It’s 6 to 7% volatile oil content is the highest of all varieties, and contributes to it’s intense flavor, the form most similar in taste to cinnamon candy. Combines well with ginger, cardamom, and other dominant spices. This is now most definitely my preferred variety for most uses, and I have just happily obtained a quality supply of it, whole pieces, (not from Amazon) at only slightly more than 1/2 the price of this “Ceylon” cinnamon. Excessive and everday use of loureiroi variety could certainly cause some concern about coumarin though, especially if a person has some sort of liver or kidney disease.

4) Cinnamomum verum. Also known as Ceylon, Sri Lankan, or true cinnamon. The main difference here is that the outer bark easily separates from the inner bark and only the inner bark is used. The inner bark is almost parchment thin and rolls up in many thin layers to make a “quill”. Has the lowest volatile oil content (usually less than 1%) of all the species, giving it the weakest, most subtle taste/flavor, but also has the lowest coumarin content of any variety, if that is a concern to you. Some say it is more aromatic, than most other varieties, which may usually be true, but not necessarily so, in my particular experience.
—————–

The bottom line for me, is that the Ceylon Cinnamon probably has some limited use in my household, at least until it’s used up, but the Vietnamese will be my staple.

Why is this noteworthy? Because most of the stuff labeled “cinnamon” isn’t. The stuff in the grocery store – even Whole Foods – is Cassia, which is botanically related to cinnamon, but simply isn’t actually cinnamon. Why did it become OK for this imposter to be sold as cinnamon? I don’t know, but it is just another case of the consumer being lied to in order to promote sales. It is worth noting that most Cassia comes from China, and has very different properties than cinnamon. Cassia has a flat, harsh, blunt flavor. Cinnamon is a delicate, complex, subtly sweet spice. Cassia contains hundreds of times more coumarin than cinnamon – which makes Cassia toxic in large does, and I believe harmful if eaten regularly. Cinnamon has extraordinary health benefits (documented in controlled studies).

If you want real cinnamon, this is it: Ceylon cinnamon grown in Sri Lanka. You can do the research yourself, or save the time and try this cinnamon.

Be warned that if you are used to the hard, hollow, harsh stuff sold in stores (at least in the US), that is Cassia, and, you will find cinnamon is different in every way: it looks, feels, tastes, smells, favors as cinnamon has for thousands of years before corporate food came along.

I don’t mean to lecture, but itt is worth relearning about this amazing spice.

I will certainly be reordering when I finish consuming my 1 pound bag, which is already about half depleted.

Highly recommended.