Cinnamomum verum or Ceylon cinnamon is another spice that was introduced to Grenada and the Caribbean by European settlers looking to amass vast wealth trading spices.
A native of Sri Lanka, Ceylon cinnamon is superior to all other types of cinnamon grown in East Asia and China. It is highly valued for its sweet floral aroma profile with subtle accents of clove and citrus.
At MACEDON perfectly aromatic cinnamon starts with chosing the right tree. We use mature outer branches, which we cut down without harming the parent tree. Suckers will subsequently grow and replace the branches which we have harvested. We do a flavour test of our cinnamon before harvesting, since the intensity of the aromas can vary depending on the present moisture content of the tree and the surrounding vegetation.
Once a mature outer branch has been tested and selected, it is first cleaned from twigs and leaves and sawed into more manageable stumps.
The outer skin is first scraped off, exposing the fragrant cinnamon bark, which quickly turns a burnt orange colour on exposure to the air.
Stop! Inhale!
Savour the sweet cinnamon fragrance as it perfumes the air around.
The bark is "marked" in 6" broad strips using a sharp knife and carefullly lifted off the stem. It is then left to dry in a well-aerated place away from direct sunlight.
The bark of Ceylon cinnamon is much softer, thinner and more brittle than its East Asian and Chinese relatives, so within a few hours of drying, the freshly harvested strips start to roll up into delicate quills. The dried quills can be easily broken with bare hands and grounded at home using an electrical coffee or spice grinder.
Grounded Ceylon cinnamon has a naturally coarser texture than Cassia cinnamon. But we particularly love the different layers of texture and flavours that allows a longer lasting experience on the palate.
At MACEDON we guarantee that the Ceylon cinnamon from our farm is always freshly grounded in small batches and sent to you our dear customers in absolutely premium quality. Our cinnamon has a distinctly sweet floral taste with a subtle spicy punch. It pairs exceptionally well with sweet baked goodies, puddings and deserts.