CINNAMON OR TRUE CINNAMON - Intercom Exports

CEYLON CINNAMON
The grading of Ceylon cinnamon is quite elaborate in comparision to other
sources of the spice, and exports include compound quills and certain lower grades ,
obtained as by-products in the preparations of quills, which are known as ‘quillings’,
‘featherings’ and ‘chips’. Grading os essentially done on the basis of physical appearance
and there is no close correlation with volatile- oil content, which may range between 0.5-
2.0%.
Compound quills, measuring 42 ins., long [just over 1m], are sorted into grades
according to the thickness of bark. 3 main qualities are exported:the ‘fine’ or
‘continental’ grades, the intermediate ‘Mexican’ grades, and the ‘Hamberg’ grades.
Within each category, there is a further classification according to the thickness of the
quills.
Ceylon cinnamon quills imported into the United Kingdom are mainly used
industrially in the manufacture of a wide variety of processed foods or for the production
of cinnamon bark oil or cinnamon oleoresin. A small quantity is either cut up into pieces
about 15 cm long or ground into a fine powder or mixed with other spices by spice
merchants or millers for the retail pharmaceutical and grocery trades.
Quillings, which consists of broken pieces of quills of all grades, are used mainly
for grinding, but also for distillation of cinnamon bark oil. Featherings, which consist of
inner bark of twigs and twisted shoots, are used for the same purposes as quillings. Chips
are comprised of trimmings of unpeeled cut shoots, shavings of outer and inner bark and
odd pieces of thick bark. This material is used mainly for distillation.
A more detailed description of the grading of Ceylon cinnamon is provided in the
“The world types and commercial classification” section.
SEYCHELLES CINNAMON
This is variously graded as compound quills, simple quills, and quillings, thin
scraped bark and rough unscraped bark. The last grade is the largest export, and is used
largely in the formulation of mixed spices. Its essential- oil content is low, and according
to trade opinion, averages about 0.8%.