What is Quillings No 1 cinnamon grade?

Quillings No 1 is the highest grade within the Ceylon cinnamon quillings category, consisting of the largest broken pieces of cinnamon bark produced during the baling and packing process. All quillings grades come from genuine Cinnamomum verum bark and are sorted purely by fragment size, with No 1 being the largest, followed by No 2 and No 3.

What is the difference between cinnamon quillings and cinnamon sticks?

Cinnamon sticks (quills) are intact, hand-rolled tubes of dried cinnamon bark cut to a standard length and graded by diameter and quality. Quillings are the broken fragments that result when quills crack during baling. Both come from the same bark, but quillings are irregular in shape and typically cost less than whole-quill grades of comparable quality.

Are Ceylon cinnamon quillings as good as whole quills?

In terms of flavour chemistry and low coumarin content, quillings from the same batch of bark are essentially equivalent to whole quills. The difference is aesthetic and practical — fragments are harder to retrieve from dishes and less uniform in appearance, but the essential oils and flavour compounds are the same.

Can I use cinnamon quillings for grinding into powder?

Yes, and it is one of the best uses for Quillings No 1 specifically. Larger pieces feed more easily into a spice grinder or blender than fine dust, producing fresh ground cinnamon with better aroma than pre-ground powder that has been sitting on a shelf. Grind only what you need and store the rest as pieces.

Why does Ceylon cinnamon have less coumarin than cassia?

Coumarin content is a function of the plant species, not processing. Cinnamomum verum (true cinnamon, grown primarily in Sri Lanka) naturally produces very little coumarin in its bark. Cassia species — Cinnamomum cassia and related varieties — contain significantly higher coumarin levels. European food safety regulators have set tolerable daily intake limits for coumarin, which is why choosing Ceylon true cinnamon matters for daily consumers.

How many quillings grades are there in Ceylon cinnamon?

There are three quillings grades in the Ceylon cinnamon grading system: No 1 (largest pieces), No 2 (medium pieces), and No 3 (smallest pieces). The grading is governed by Sri Lanka's cinnamon export standards, ensuring consistency for commercial buyers.

What is the best way to use Quillings No 1 in cooking?

Quillings No 1 works well in any application where whole-spice cinnamon is called for — slow-cooked curries, rice dishes, mulled drinks, infused syrups, and pickling brines. The larger piece size means they release flavour gradually, making them especially suited to long-simmered recipes. They can also be ground at home for fresher-tasting cinnamon powder.

Ceylon True Cinnamon No 1 Quillings Grade

Ceylon True Cinnamon Quillings are a by-product of the bark-rolling process, formed when cinnamon quills break during baling. Rather than discarding these fragments, Sri Lankan cinnamon processors sort them into three distinct grades — No 1, No 2, and No 3 — based on the size of the broken pieces. Quillings No 1 sits at the top of this hierarchy, containing the largest fragments and therefore the most commercially desirable material within the quillings category.

What are Ceylon True Cinnamon Quillings?

When cinnamon sticks (quills) are packed and compressed into bales for export, some inevitably crack or splinter. The resulting broken pieces are collected and graded separately as quillings. This is a standard part of the Ceylon cinnamon supply chain — not a defect to be hidden, but a recognised and traded product category in its own right.

All three quillings grades come from the same Cinnamomum verum bark as full quills, so the fundamental quality and chemical profile — including the low coumarin content that sets Ceylon cinnamon apart from cassia — remains intact. The difference is purely physical: piece size.

How does No 1 Quillings compare to No 2 and No 3?

Grade	Fragment size	Typical use
Quillings No 1	Largest pieces	Whole-spice cooking, infusions, value retail packs
Quillings No 2	Medium pieces	Spice blends, grinding into powder
Quillings No 3	Smallest pieces	Industrial milling, flavouring extracts

Because No 1 pieces are the largest, they release flavour more gradually than finer fragments — making them well suited to slow-cooked dishes, stocks, and mulled drinks where a whole-spice presence is desirable.

What makes Ceylon cinnamon different from cassia?

Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, also called true cinnamon) is botanically distinct from the cassia varieties sold as cinnamon in many markets. Ceylon bark is thin and multi-layered, forming the characteristic tight quill; cassia bark is thicker, harder, and rolls into a single layer. More importantly for regular consumers, Ceylon cinnamon contains dramatically lower levels of coumarin — a naturally occurring compound that health regulators in several countries flag as a concern when consumed in large quantities. For anyone using cinnamon daily in cooking or wellness routines, this distinction matters.

Sri Lanka grows the overwhelming majority of the world's true cinnamon, concentrated in the low-country wet zone around Matara, Galle, and Kalutara districts. Exploring the Sinharaja Forest Reserve region offers a glimpse into the kind of lush, humid landscape where cinnamon cultivation thrives just outside the forest buffer.

How is the No 1 Quillings grade produced?

Cinnamon harvesting begins with skilled peelers stripping the outer bark from cinnamon branches, then carefully teasing away the inner bark in long, parchment-thin sheets. These sheets are layered and rolled into quills by hand — a craft practised for generations in Sri Lanka's cinnamon-growing districts. Once dried, the quills are sorted for export. During the baling and packing stage, some quills break; the largest of these fragments are sorted and classified as Quillings No 1.

The grading process is guided by standards set under Sri Lanka's cinnamon export regulations, ensuring that each quillings grade is consistent enough for commercial buyers to specify confidently.

What are the best culinary uses for Quillings No 1?

The size of No 1 pieces makes them practical in several contexts where smaller fragments would be too fine to retrieve or too quickly over-powering:

Slow cooking: Add a few pieces to rice, lentil dishes (dhal), or curries during the initial frying stage for a warm, complex base note.
Infused syrups and beverages: Simmer pieces in water with sugar to make a cinnamon simple syrup; use in teas, cocktails, or coffee drinks.
Pickling and preserving: Quillings integrate well into spiced vinegar brines for fruits and vegetables.
Mulled drinks: Pieces hold together through extended simmering in mulled wine or cider without disintegrating into the liquid.
Grinding at home: Larger pieces are easier to process in a spice grinder or mortar than fine dust, giving you fresher-tasting ground cinnamon on demand.

Quillings also pair naturally with other Sri Lankan spices. Ceylon black pepper, for instance, complements cinnamon in both savoury and sweet applications, and the two are often blended in traditional Sri Lankan spice mixes.

How should Quillings No 1 be stored?

Like all dried spices, cinnamon quillings are sensitive to moisture, light, and heat. Store them in an airtight glass or ceramic container, away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Under these conditions, the flavour and aromatic oils in the bark remain potent for around 12 to 18 months. Avoid storing near the stove or in a humid kitchen cabinet.

If you source quillings in bulk — as is practical for restaurants or regular home cooks — consider splitting the supply into smaller portions and keeping only one portion open at a time, resealing the rest.

Is Quillings No 1 the same as whole cinnamon sticks?

Not quite. Whole cinnamon sticks (quills) are the intact rolled bark in standardised lengths, typically available in graded forms such as Alba, C5 Special, H1, and so on, where grading reflects quill diameter, roll tightness, and bark thickness. Quillings No 1, by contrast, are fragments — irregular in shape and length, but coming from the same high-quality bark. They are generally priced lower than equivalent whole-quill grades precisely because they are a processing by-product, making them a cost-effective way to access genuine Ceylon true cinnamon.

Where can I buy authentic Quillings No 1 cinnamon?

Provenance is everything with Ceylon cinnamon, since the name "cinnamon" covers several different species globally. Authentic Ceylon true cinnamon carries export certification from Sri Lanka's Spices and Allied Products Authority. When purchasing online, look for suppliers who can trace their cinnamon to Sri Lankan farms and who clearly distinguish Cinnamomum verum from cassia.

Ceylon True Cinnamon "No 1 Quillings" Grade