Ceylon Cinnamon Grades Explained: Alba, C5, C4, M & H
Alba, C5, C4, M5, H1 — Sri Lanka grades its cinnamon quills with a system almost no buyer outside the trade understands, and plenty of sellers use that confusion to charge premium prices for ordinary sticks. Here's what the grades actually mean, what they're worth, and — just as important — what a grade stamp can't tell you.
The grade ladder, thinnest to thickest
Diameters per the Sri Lankan quill-grading convention (SLS 81; Alba → Continental → Mexican → Hamburg, thinnest to thickest). Below the quill grades sit quillings (broken pieces), featherings, chips, and ground powder.
Every grade compared
| Grade | Quill diameter (approx.) | Look & flavour | Best for | Price tier | From our farm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alba | ≤ 6 mm | Pale gold, paper-thin layers, delicate and sweet — crumbles easily by hand | Gifting, fine teas, desserts, grinding fresh at home | $$$$ — 2–4× the standard grades | Alba quills & powder |
| C5 Special / C5 | ≈ 7–12 mm | Golden-brown, tightly rolled, classic sweet Ceylon flavour | Daily tea, coffee, curries, baking — the sweet spot of quality and price | $$ | C5 quills · C5 powder |
| C4 | ≈ 13–14 mm | Slightly thicker and darker, a touch more robust | Everyday cooking where sticks simmer in the pot | $$ | — |
| M5 / M4 | ≈ 16–20 mm | Thicker quills, bolder aroma, less delicate | Slow-cooked dishes, mulled drinks, bulk use | $ | — |
| H1 / H2 / H3 | ≈ 17–23 mm + | Thickest bark, strongest flavour, coarsest appearance | Industrial grinding, extracts, budget bulk | $ | — |
| Quillings, featherings & chips | broken / offcuts | Same bark, irregular pieces | Tea brewing, grinding, anywhere looks don't matter — best flavour per dollar | $ | — |
What the grade can't tell you
A grade stamp is a claim about appearance. Three things buyers routinely assume it covers — and it doesn't:
- Coumarin. All true Ceylon is low in coumarin because of the species, but within Ceylon the level varies by tree and harvest, batch to batch — not by grade. An Alba stamp is not a coumarin number. We wrote the full honest guide to this here.
- Lead and heavy metals. Contamination is a property of the batch and its supply chain, never the grade. The FDA's 2024–2025 cinnamon alerts were about untested supply chains, not thick quills. Our per-batch lead results are published here.
- That it's even Ceylon. "Alba grade" written on a listing doesn't verify the species. Cassia sticks are visually distinct (a single thick curl instead of layered thin sheets), but powder hides everything — only a species-ID test settles it.
How to check a grade claim yourself: real Alba quills are pencil-thin (about the diameter of a drinking straw), pale gold, and made of many papery layers you can crush between two fingers. If the "Alba" sticks are thick, dark, hard as wood, or a single rolled curl — you're looking at a lower grade or cassia. And for anything you'll eat daily, ask for the batch's certificate of analysis: species, heavy metals, coumarin. If the seller doesn't have one, the grade claim is unverified too.
Which grade should you buy?
- For a gift, fine tea, or grinding fresh powder at home: Alba — you're paying for craftsmanship, delicacy, and presentation, and it's worth it in those contexts.
- For daily use — tea, coffee, oats, curries, baking: C5 — nearly all of Alba's flavour character at a fraction of the price. This is what we'd tell a friend to buy first.
- For simmering, mulling, and bulk cooking: C4/M grades or quillings — the delicacy premium disappears in a stew.
- Whatever the grade: buy from a seller who publishes the batch's lab report. Grade is the aesthetic choice; the COA is the safety one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alba grade Ceylon cinnamon?
Alba is the finest and rarest grade of Ceylon cinnamon quill — pencil-thin (about 6 mm), pale gold, hand-rolled from the innermost bark. The name refers to the quill's fineness and appearance, not to a different species or coumarin level. It commands 2–4× the price of standard grades.
What's the difference between Alba and C5?
Thickness, appearance, and price. Alba quills are thinner, paler, and more delicate; C5 is the premium everyday standard — slightly thicker, nearly identical in flavour character, and much cheaper. Both are the same species with the same low-coumarin profile. For daily cooking most people should buy C5; Alba earns its premium for gifting and fine tea.
Is a higher grade of Ceylon cinnamon safer or healthier?
No. Grade describes the quill's appearance and thickness. Safety factors — coumarin, lead, heavy metals, adulteration — are batch properties that only a lab test measures. A cheap C5 batch with a published certificate of analysis is a safer buy than an "Alba" listing with no test.
How do I know if "Alba" cinnamon is genuine?
Measure and crush: genuine Alba is about 6 mm in diameter, pale gold, built of many papery layers that crumble between your fingers. Thick, dark, woody sticks — or a single hard curl — are lower grades or cassia. For certainty, ask for the batch's certificate of analysis with species identification.
What are quillings and chips?
Broken pieces and offcuts of the same Ceylon bark that didn't make it into whole quills. Identical flavour and species at the lowest price — the best value if you're brewing tea or grinding powder and don't need intact sticks.
Both ends of the ladder, one testing standard
We grow, grade, and test our own cinnamon in Sri Lanka — from Alba showpieces to everyday C5 — and every batch ships with its lab certificate.
Shop Alba Grade Shop C5 Grade