CINNAMON OR TRUE CINNAMON - Intercom Exports

The names Honan or Yunnan cassia which were formerly used to describe the finest
qualities of Kwangsi cassia,are now no longer used, and the Chinese sell kwangsi and
kwantung cassias under the brand names Tung Sing and Si chang respectievely. Cassia is
supplied by mainland china to Hongkong in bales of approximately 50 kg which are
made up of bundles of 4 lb [about 2 kg].
VIETNAMESE CASSIA
According to Landes (1952), Saigon cassia was produced in the district of Binndinh
and in the regions of the Tchany and Tchampong mountains, and exported from Saigon
in 4 grades based upon the thickness of the bark, namely:
1) Thin bark, usually 1/32 in [0.8 mm], but thin bark from the Tchamy region was usually
paper thin.
2) Medium bark, usually over 1/16 to 1/8 in thick.
3) Thick bark usually over 1/8 in [3.2 mm] thick.
4) Broken bark – all the Saigon cassias wre usually very tightly curled in several layers
and, in the process of eliminating the dirt, much of the bark was broken; added to it were
the pieces cut off the rolls[quills] when they were being bundled.
Information from C.C.C. International Ltd [1974, personal communication] showed
that, upto about 1964, the vast majority of shipments into the USA consisted if Saigon
thin and medium broken cassia ,but since that time supplies have been extremely scarce
and no comments on the thickness of the bark have been possible. The volatile oil content
of saigon cassia can vary from 1 to 7%, although in the majority of samples the oil
content is between 3.75 to 4.5%.
In the USA, spice millers cut selected pieces of the 3 types of cassia bark into short
lengths for sale as ‘whole cinnamon’. The great bulk of the cassias imported is ground to
produce ‘ground cassia- cinnamon’. The various kinds of cassia bark are different in
flavour and degree of aroma, but all are agreeable, fragrant and aromatic. Saigon cassia is
generally acknowledged to possess the fullest and finenst flavour and it is the preferred
type in the USA. The various types are ground separately or blended to meet the needs of
the bajery and food processing industries, being used directly in the ground form or for