Alba is the highest grade of Ceylon cinnamon, and it occupies that position for a specific, tangible reason: the quills are the narrowest of any grade, measuring roughly six to seven millimetres across — about the diameter of a pencil. Achieving that diameter means selecting only the finest, innermost layers of the bark from Cinnamomum verum trees, the botanical species known as true cinnamon, native to Sri Lanka. The result is a pale, warm golden-brown quill, tightly hand-rolled, with a delicate layered structure quite unlike the darker, harder sticks of cassia varieties.
Processing Alba is painstaking work. Skilled peelers scrape away the outer bark, then carefully lift and hand-roll the papery inner layers into tight quills, which are laid out to sun-dry. Because only the thinnest inner bark qualifies, Alba is produced in smaller volumes than any other grade in the Ceylon cinnamon family — which sits above the Continental, Mexican, and Hamburg grade families in the grading hierarchy governed by Sri Lanka Standards SLS 81:2021. Each Lakpura pack is freshly picked, packed, and shipped directly from Sri Lanka, and the single ingredient on the label reads: 100% Pure Organic Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) Barks.
The flavour of Alba is mild, sweet, and distinctly floral, with a gentle citrus edge — markedly softer than the bold, pungent character of cassia. This mildness makes the sticks particularly well suited to uses where a lighter touch is called for: simmered into hot drinks, stirred through desserts, or ground fresh into powder for baking. High-end hotels have long used Alba quills as stirring sticks in coffee, tea, cocktails, and warm cider, allowing the fragrance to infuse gradually into the drink. Cinnamomum verum contains only trace levels of coumarin, the compound present in notably higher concentrations in cassia varieties and flagged in European Food Safety Authority guidance on cassia consumption.
Lakpura offers these sticks in two cut lengths — three-inch and five-inch — and in pack sizes of 250 g and 500 g, so you can choose the format that suits your kitchen. The packaging carries GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification, confirming compliance with international food-safety manufacturing standards, and EDB certification from the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, which administers the Pure Ceylon Cinnamon designation and oversees organic cultivation and processing. Store the sticks in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to preserve the aroma. To prepare a simple cinnamon infusion, simmer one stick in boiling water for three to five minutes, then remove it before pouring.
