Cinnamon

What it is

This page uses Cinnamomum verum as the reference for true or Ceylon cinnamon. Kew accepts that species and separately recognizes other Cinnamomum materials commonly called cinnamon or cassia.

That distinction is important because “cinnamon” in trade is not always C. verum.

What to notice

Cinnamon bark can suggest:

• sweet heat
• dry bark
• woody warmth
• balsamic sweetness
• a warm aldehydic sharpness
• soft clove-like spice

A review of C. verum identifies cinnamaldehyde and eugenol among major essential-oil constituents, alongside several other aromatic compounds.

Bark oil versus leaf oil

The part of the plant matters. Cinnamon bark oil is strongly associated with cinnamaldehyde-rich warmth, while leaf oil can be much more eugenol-forward and therefore more clove-like.

Those should not be treated as interchangeable materials.

Cinnamon versus cassia

Cassia materials can be hotter, heavier or more forceful than Ceylon cinnamon and come from different Cinnamomum species.

When a source identifies cassia, Saigon cinnamon, Chinese cinnamon or another type, the archive should preserve it rather than silently normalizing everything to true cinnamon.