There are hundreds of types of Cinnamon. But only 4 types or varieties of Cinnamon are used for commercial purposes. These are Ceylon Cinnamon, Cassia Cinnamon, Saigon Cinnamon and Korintje Cinnamon.
With the exception of Ceylon Cinnamon, Cassia, Saigon and Korintje Cinnamon are also classified under the Cassia Cinnamon category because they are very similar to each other with only slight variations in color, taste, shape and Coumarin content. All Cassia type Cinnamon are hard and have high levels of Coumarin a substance known to cause liver damage, while Ceylon Cinnamon is the only soft and brittle Cinnamon with ultra low Coumarin levels.
|Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Cinnamomum Verum
Korintje Cinnamon, Padang Cassia
|Saigon cinnamon, Vietnamese Cassia. Vietnamese Cinnamon
|Cassia Cinnamon or Chinese Cinnamon
Most of Europe uses Ceylon Cinnamon primarily because this was the first spice European explores brought back from their conquests of the orient nearly 400 years ago.
Which Cinnamon Has the Lowest Levels of Coumarin?
Coumarin is a substance that can cause liver damage or complete failure. Only Ceylon Cinnamon has low levels of Coumarin, while all other varieties of Cinnamon have high levels of Coumarin. At one stage the German government banned Cassia type Cinnamon. But take a closer look at this university of Mississippi study which shows the high levels of Coumarin in all other types of Cinnamon, except Ceylon Cinnamon. So if you are taking Cinnamon for health reasons, then you must and should switch to Ceylon Cinnamon. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg/kg body weight for Cinnamon.
|Type of Cinnamon
|Ceylon Cinnamon, True Cinnamon, Mexican Cinnamon
|Indonesian Cinnamon, Korintje Cinnamon, Padang Cassia
|Saigon cinnamon, Vietnamese Cassia, Vietnamese Cinnamon
|Cassia Cinnamon or Chinese Cinnamon
Around 70% of North America uses Cassia Cinnamon. Indonesia is the chief supplier of Cassia Cinnamon. This is because it is much cheaper than Ceylon Cinnamon which tends to be expensive because of the hand crafted process needed to harvest it and roll it in multiple thin layers. Cassia Cinnamon is a hard bark that is spicy, smells pretty strong and sometimes bitter.
Saigon Cinnamon is another Cinnamon which has gained in popularity recently. It tends to be even more spicy and strong and sweet at the same time. It's a little more expensive than Cassia Cinnamon but has the highest levels of Coumarin (see chart below).
Ceylon Cinnamon has one advantage over all other types of Cinnamon. It has ultra low coumarin levels. Coumarin in high doses causes liver failure, so for people who take Cinnamon on a daily basis,Ceylon Cinnamon is the preferred choice. Click here to read the research on Cassia Cinnamon and Coumarin.
For fine desserts Ceylon Cinnamon is an absolute must because it is subtle, smells very mild and is slightly sweeter in taste. It never takes center stage in the recipe but adds a very complex flavor. Although Ceylon Cinnamon smells mild, if you grind and add it to baked goods or Cinnamon french toast for example, the aroma it gives off is a very sophisticated and fragrant smell.
Most well established recipes that call for Cinnamon came from Europe or the middle east and should use Ceylon Cinnamon. The same applies to any Mexican recipes that calls for Cinnamon. This is because the taste profile of these desserts were designed with Ceylon Cinnamon.
However because the supply in the US is overwhelmingly Cassia Cinnamon, most people have been using Cassia Cinnamon. That makes the desserts taste very different. Even many Mexican desserts made in the US erroneously substitute Cassia Cinnamon, which ruins the original taste profile of the dessert. Because Ceylon Cinnamon tends to be mild and sweet, it lends itself to creating sophisticated layers of flavors that is not possible with harsher Cassia Cinnamon.