Help & Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about our cinnamon, lab testing process, shipping, and wholesale ordering.
About Ceylon Cinnamon
Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and cassia are two different plant species.
Ceylon cinnamon grows in Sri Lanka. It has paper-thin, multi-layered quills and a mild, complex flavour. Cassia grows mainly in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It has a single thick, hard quill and a sharper taste.
The most important difference is coumarin content. Ceylon cinnamon contains around 0.004% coumarin. Cassia contains 0.07–0.3% — up to 75x more. At high daily doses, cassia's coumarin level can stress the liver. Ceylon's level is too low to cause concern at any normal dietary amount.
The only reliable way to verify Ceylon cinnamon is independent laboratory testing — specifically DNA barcoding or HPLC coumarin analysis.
Visual checks (multi-layered quills, tan colour, papery texture) are a reasonable indicator but not proof. Any supplier can grind cassia and sell it as Ceylon powder. A Certificate of Analysis is the only document that proves species identity.
At Ceylon Spice Garden, every batch is species-authenticated by an independent laboratory before export. The COA is available on request for every order.
Alba is the finest grade of Ceylon cinnamon quill. It is cut from the youngest, thinnest shoots, producing quills with bark walls under 0.5mm — the lightest colour, mildest flavour, and lowest coumarin content of any cinnamon grade.
Ceylon cinnamon grades in descending quality:
- Alba — thinnest wall, lightest colour, finest flavour
- C5 Special
- C5
- C4
- C3 — most common, thickest wall
Most supermarket cinnamon, if it is Ceylon at all, is C4 or C3. Alba is available in limited quantities and is priced accordingly.
Most supermarket cinnamon is cassia — a different, cheaper species that does not require hand-peeling. True Ceylon cinnamon is hand-peeled by skilled chaliya peelers who process around 20kg per day. There is no machine that replicates this process.
Add to that: four independent lab tests per batch, direct sourcing from 25+ Sri Lankan farms with no broker layer, and DHL shipment direct from origin — and the cost structure is genuinely different from commodity supply chains.
The price difference is not branding. It is the labour, testing, and supply chain structure that makes documentation possible.
Yes. "True cinnamon" refers to Cinnamomum verum, which is native to and almost exclusively grown in Sri Lanka — formerly called Ceylon. All other cinnamon species sold commercially (cassia, Saigon, Korintje) are related plants but not the same species.
"True cinnamon" and "Ceylon cinnamon" are used interchangeably in botanical, culinary, and scientific literature.
Lab Testing & Certificates of Analysis
A Certificate of Analysis is a document issued by an independent laboratory that records the test results for a specific batch of product. It shows what was tested, the method used, the measured result, and the acceptable limit.
For spices, a COA covers species identification, contaminant levels, and safety parameters. It is the only document that proves what is actually in the bag — label claims are not verification.
At Ceylon Spice Garden, every batch has its own COA covering four tests. The COA is available on request for every retail and wholesale order.
Every batch is independently tested for four things:
- Species authentication — confirms the material is Cinnamomum verum and not a cassia substitute
- Coumarin level — measured by HPLC, confirms it falls within Ceylon cinnamon's naturally low range
- Heavy metals — lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury tested against international food safety limits
- Microbial safety — total plate count, yeast, mould, and key pathogens
All four tests are conducted by an independent third-party laboratory before any batch is exported or packed for sale.
Email us with your order number and the product name. We will send the COA for the specific batch included in your order.
For wholesale orders, the COA is included as standard with your order documentation — you do not need to request it separately.
You can also request the COA for the current batch in stock before placing an order, if you want to review the results first.
Our Ceylon cinnamon typically tests at 0.003–0.006% coumarin — consistent with the naturally low coumarin content of Cinnamomum verum.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) tolerable daily intake for coumarin is 0.1mg per kg of body weight. At this coumarin level, a 70kg adult can consume approximately 5–6 grams of Ceylon cinnamon daily before approaching that limit.
The COA for the current batch shows the exact measured value for that specific harvest, not a generalised average.
Health & Usage
For general culinary use, 1–2 teaspoons (approximately 2–4 grams) per day is common. Studies examining metabolic effects have typically used doses of 1–6 grams daily.
Because Ceylon cinnamon has very low coumarin content, higher daily doses do not carry the liver risk associated with cassia. This is the primary reason researchers use Ceylon cinnamon in clinical trials rather than cassia.
Always consult a healthcare provider before using cinnamon therapeutically, particularly if you are managing a health condition or taking prescription medications.
Ceylon cinnamon's coumarin content is low enough that long-term daily use at normal culinary doses does not present a coumarin accumulation risk. This is a meaningful distinction from cassia, where long-term high-dose use raises liver toxicity concerns.
Cinnamon is a food, not a regulated medicine, and individual responses vary. If you have liver conditions, are pregnant, or take blood-thinning medications, consult your doctor before using cinnamon as a daily supplement.
Ceylon cinnamon may interact with blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) and diabetes medications, particularly at higher therapeutic doses of 3–6 grams daily.
At normal culinary amounts it presents no unusual risk for most people. If you are on prescription medication, consult your doctor or pharmacist before adding cinnamon as a daily supplement.
Ceylon cinnamon works in both sweet and savoury applications:
- Morning coffee, oatmeal, or smoothies
- Curries, rice dishes, and meat marinades
- Steeped as a simple cinnamon tea (whole quills in hot water)
- Baked goods — the finer powder blends more easily than cassia
Because Ceylon quills are paper-thin, the powder is finer and more aromatic than cassia powder. For maximum freshness, buy whole quills and grind as needed. Ceylon cinnamon pairs well with cardamom, cloves, ginger, and black pepper.
Ordering & Shipping
We ship directly from Sri Lanka. Orders are packed at origin and dispatched via DHL or UPS.
The product goes from our facility in Sri Lanka to your door without warehouse stops or repackaging in a third country. This preserves supply chain integrity — what arrives at your door is what left the farm, with its COA attached.
Most international retail orders arrive within 5–10 business days via DHL or UPS. Tracking is provided for all orders.
Wholesale and bulk orders may have longer lead times depending on batch preparation and export documentation. Delivery times also vary by destination country and customs processing.
Retail orders: commercial invoice and packing list. COA available on request — email us with your order number.
Wholesale orders: commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Analysis, certificate of origin (Sri Lanka), and phytosanitary certificate. Additional import clearance documentation for specific destinations can be arranged on request.
Yes. We ship to most countries worldwide via DHL and UPS.
Some destinations have restrictions on food and botanical imports. If your country has specific import requirements, contact us before ordering and we will confirm whether we can ship and what documentation is required for customs clearance.
Wholesale & B2B
Minimum order quantities depend on the product and format (whole quills, powder, or custom packaging). We work with supplement brands, spice retailers, tea companies, and distributors — each with different MOQ and documentation requirements.
For commercial import orders we provide:
- Certificate of Analysis (COA)
- Certificate of origin (Sri Lanka)
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Commercial invoice & packing list
- HS code documentation
For regulated markets (EU, USA, Australia, Canada), additional documentation is available on request. Contact us with your destination country and product requirements.
About the Brand
No. Ceylon Spice Garden (ceylonspicegarden.com) is a Sri Lankan-owned export brand that sells lab-tested spices, teas, and botanicals internationally. It is not a roadside tourist attraction or visitor experience.
There are many tourist-oriented spice gardens located near Sri Lanka's tourist circuits — these are entirely unrelated businesses. Ceylon Spice Garden is an export brand that ships direct from Sri Lanka to customers and businesses worldwide.
Three things: traceability, lab testing, and origin.
Most cinnamon brands source through commodity traders with no farm-level traceability. We source directly from 25+ partner farms across Sri Lanka's spice-growing regions — no broker layer between farm and export. Every batch is independently tested for species, coumarin, heavy metals, and microbial safety before export. The Certificate of Analysis is available for every order.
We pack in Sri Lanka before export — not in a warehouse in the destination country. Ceylon Spice Garden is Sri Lankan-owned and operated.
Still have questions?
We answer every enquiry directly.
Email us or use the contact form. For wholesale and B2B enquiries, visit the wholesale portal.