This is a bundle of whole Ceylon true cinnamon quills in the C5 Extra Special grade, tied by hand with natural jute twine. C5 Extra Special belongs to the Continental family of grades and sits just below Alba, the finest and thinnest quill Sri Lanka produces, so you are getting slender, closely rolled sticks with the sweet, gentle flavour the island's cinnamon is known for.
True cinnamon is the inner bark of Cinnamomum verum. Sri Lankan peelers strip the thin inner bark from young stems while it is still pliable and roll it by hand, fitting shorter pieces inside longer ones to build each quill before it dries. Look at the end of any stick in this bundle and you will see the result: many fine, papery layers curled inside one another, rather than the single thick curl of a cassia stick. The colour is a light tan-gold, and the quills are fragile enough to snap cleanly between your fingers.
Grading follows the finished quill. The Continental grades are separated by how slender and evenly rolled the sticks are, and the Extra Special sub-grade asks for a tighter, more uniform roll than standard C5. That makes these quills a natural choice where the cinnamon is seen as well as tasted: standing in a jar, dropped into a pot of mulled wine or tied onto a gift.
In the kitchen, the flavour is warm and sweet without the sharp bite of cassia, which suits desserts, baking, rice pudding, poached fruit, spiced tea and coffee, and hot chocolate. A whole quill can simmer in a curry, a syrup or a pan of milk and be lifted out before serving, and the papery bark grinds easily if you want freshly ground cinnamon for sprinkling over a latte or into a cake batter.
Choose the quill length and the pack weight to suit how you cook. The 5" cut gives longer, more decorative sticks, while the 3" cut fits a spice jar or a teapot and portions easily into a single pan. Each length comes in a 250g (8.8oz) or 500g (17.6oz) pack. Keep the quills in an airtight container away from heat and direct sunlight to hold on to their aroma.
