The Ceylon cinnamon journal, notes from the estate.
On the remarkable history of Ceylon cinnamon, the craft of growing it, the economics of fair trade, and the small daily rituals that make it worth the journey.
Snickerdoodles with a Soft Centre and a Cinnamon Coat
Crackled snickerdoodles rolled in fragrant true Ceylon cinnamon, ready for the cooling rack, the biscuit tin and the first cup of tea.
Read →Greece's Savoury Cinnamon: The Spice Hiding in the Mince
Greece puts cinnamon in the tomato sauce, not the biscuit tin. Pastitsio, moussaka and slow-cooked beef, and why the spice rounds off the sharpness.
Read →Why Single-Origin Matters for Spice (Not Just Coffee)
Single-origin spice, explained by a family that grows it. Why one estate, one soil and a short journey give you fresher, more traceable Ceylon cinnamon.
Read →A Bowl of Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds for Passing Around
Crisp roasted almonds in a fine cinnamon shell, with true Ceylon cinnamon keeping the sweetness aromatic and the bowl inviting.
Read →What Else Is in Your Cinnamon Jar?
A jar of cinnamon should hold one thing. Here is what fumigation, irradiation and added ingredients actually mean in the spice trade, told straight.
Read →Cinnamon and Gut Health: What We Know
Cinnamon and gut health, without the overclaiming. What the research suggests, what it does not, and the everyday ways people actually use it.
Read →Carrot Cake for the Generous Slice
A deeply comforting carrot cake with true Ceylon cinnamon bringing fragrance, balance and a lighter finish to every rich slice.
Read →Tarcin: The Ottoman Sweet Tooth That Never Left
In Turkey cinnamon is tarcin, and it lives on top of things. A warm look at sahlep, sutlac, the Ottoman palace puddings, baklava, and coffee and tea culture.
Read →Cinnamon Tea: How to Brew It and What It May Do
Cinnamon tea benefits explained honestly: how to brew Ceylon cinnamon tea properly, plus the hedged research on antioxidants and blood sugar, with sources.
Read →Soft Oatmeal Cookies and the Afternoon Tin
Soft-centred oatmeal cookies with a fragrant Ceylon cinnamon warmth, made for tea, sharing and the dependable biscuit tin.
Read →Pure Lavender Oil: How Much Is Too Much?
A friendly guide to pure lavender essential oil: gentle evening uses, how to dilute it safely, what the research does and does not say, and how to store it.
Read →The District Our Cinnamon Comes From
Both our farms are in the Matara District in the south of Sri Lanka. Tea, rice, rubber and cinnamon, mostly grown by smallholders.
Read →The Apple Crisp That Calls for Second Helpings
Tender apples under a craggy golden topping, with true Ceylon cinnamon bringing fragrance and lift to a dependable cold-weather pudding.
Read →Does Ceylon Cinnamon Help With Weight Loss?
Two reviews of the research found cinnamon supplements made a small difference to weight, about a kilogram or less. NCCIH says it is still unclear.
Read →In Lebanon, Cinnamon Lives in the Rice Pot
In Lebanon and Syria cinnamon lives in the rice pot and the mince, not the cake tin. This is a warm look at baharat, kibbeh, hashweh and the Levantine table.
Read →How We Grow and Hand-Roll Cinnamon on Our Estate
How we grow and hand-roll true Ceylon cinnamon on our family estate in Sri Lanka, from bark to quill, and why direct trade means a fairer share for growers.
Read →The Forts That Cinnamon Paid For
The Portuguese and Dutch built forts at Matara to hold the spice trade. Our farms are inland from them, in the same district.
Read →Three Promises in One Cinnamon Bun
Soft, moist and gooey are ambitious promises for one tray of cinnamon buns, balanced by true Ceylon cinnamon's clear, rounded fragrance.
Read →Can You Reuse Cinnamon Sticks? How to Tell When One Is Done
Yes. One Ceylon cinnamon quill gives a second brew and can flavour rice. Dry it so it does not go musty, and snap and smell it to tell when it is spent.
Read →How a Ceylon Cinnamon Quill Is Made, by Hand
A quill is not cut from a tree. It is peeled, scraped, rubbed and rolled by hand. Here is how Ceylon cinnamon is really made, and why machines cannot do it.
Read →The Two Molecules That Decide Your Cinnamon
One molecule gives cinnamon its flavour. The other is why cassia and Ceylon cinnamon are treated so differently by food safety agencies, explained simply.
Read →Cinnamon for Breakfast: Oats, French Toast and Smoothies
Cinnamon for breakfast made easy: warm baked oats, proper French toast and creamy smoothies, with simple ways to use real Ceylon cinnamon every morning.
Read →The Neighbours: What Else Lives Where Our Cinnamon Grows
Monkeys eat young cinnamon plants and new plantings need protecting. In the reserve above the farm, mixed bird flocks have been studied since 1981.
Read →Thomas DeLauer Says Cinnamon Shrinks Belly Fat. Does It?
Thomas DeLauer has a second video on cinnamon, belly fat and GLP-1. The mechanism is real and interesting. So far it is pig gut tissue in a dish, and mice.
Read →Donut Muffins and the Joy of the Cinnamon-Coated Top
Tender muffins borrow the best part of a cinnamon doughnut through a fragrant coating, made gentler and more aromatic with true Ceylon cinnamon.
Read →Persia's Slow Stews: Cinnamon in the Iranian Kitchen
Iranian cooking keeps cinnamon on the savoury side. A warm look at khoresh, the advieh spice tin, jewelled rice, and the celebration food that carries it.
Read →Lemongrass Oil Around the Home, Never in the Pan
Use it in a diffuser, a surface spray or a linen mist, and dilute it properly for skin. Why it does not belong in food, and what to use when a recipe asks.
Read →Wilpita, and the Fish Named After It
Our second farm is at Wilpita in the Matara District, where a freshwater fish found only in south-western Sri Lanka carries the name of the place.
Read →Pumpkin Pie with a Lighter Cinnamon Finish
Smooth pumpkin filling and a clean pastry edge create a classic pie, with true Ceylon cinnamon offering warmth, fragrance and room for the pumpkin.
Read →Thomas DeLauer's Cinnamon Coffee Claim, Fact Checked
Thomas DeLauer has four million subscribers and a video saying a teaspoon in your coffee stops insulin resistance. Here is what the research supports.
Read →Cinnamon Has Terroir, Just Like Wine
Two hillsides, two flavours, one tree. Wine has terroir and so does cinnamon, and Sri Lanka's wet zone is where you can taste the difference.
Read →Citronella Oil: A Natural Way to Help Keep Bugs at Bay
Does citronella actually keep insects away? An honest look at what the evidence shows, a simple spray you can make tonight, and how to dilute it.
Read →Where Our Farm Ends, the Rainforest Begins
Follow the road up from the coast and the forest becomes the fence. This is Morawaka, where our cinnamon grows on the edge of the Sinharaja rainforest.
Read →The Baked Oatmeal Breakfast That Waits for Everyone
A generous dish of baked oats turns an ordinary morning into a shared breakfast, with true Ceylon cinnamon bringing warmth without weighing it down.
Read →In Morocco, Cinnamon Goes on the Lamb, Not the Cake
In Morocco, cinnamon goes on the lamb, not just the cake. A warm look at qerfa in tagines, pastilla, ras el hanout and the sweets served with mint tea.
Read →Grades of Ceylon Cinnamon Explained: C4, C5, Alba and Mixed
A clear guide to the grades of Ceylon cinnamon, from Alba and C5 Special to C4 and Mixed, what the letters and numbers mean, and how to choose the right one.
Read →Why Are Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks Expensive? Buying in Bulk
Why Ceylon cinnamon sticks cost more than supermarket ones, and how to buy them in bulk direct from us, in 850g packs or as a quoted special order.
Read →Churros for Eating While They Are Warm
Ridged golden churros rolled in cinnamon sugar, with true Ceylon cinnamon turning the warm coating fragrant rather than fierce.
Read →The Cinnamon Bird Myth That Held for 2,000 Years
Giant birds, unreachable cliffs and a price to match. The stories traders told to hide where cinnamon grew, and how the secret finally broke.
Read →How to Make and Use Cinnamon Sugar
Cinnamon sugar needs only cinnamon and sugar. Here is a simple home ratio, and our favourite ways to use it on toast, in coffee and in baking.
Read →Cinnamon Rolls for the Centre of the Table
Warm cinnamon rolls with deep spirals and soft icing, using true Ceylon cinnamon for fragrance that reaches every folded layer.
Read →Canela: How Mexico Fell in Love With True Ceylon Cinnamon
Mexico buys more true Ceylon cinnamon than almost anywhere on earth and puts it in everything. Here is where canela turns up, and why it stuck.
Read →Cinnamon in Coffee: Simple Ways to Use It Every Morning
A stick in the pot, a dusting on the foam, or neither. How to get real Ceylon cinnamon flavour into your morning without adding any sugar at all.
Read →French Toast for the First Quiet Hour
A high, golden plate of fluffy French toast, with true Ceylon cinnamon bringing a clear fragrance to the custardy middle.
Read →Why Ceylon Cinnamon Smells Gentler Than Cassia
The scent is not in the wood but in a trace of oil hidden inside it, led by a compound called cinnamaldehyde. Ceylon cinnamon is soft where cassia is hot.
Read →The Coumarin Question, Without the Scare Story
The coumarin question explained simply. Why Ceylon cinnamon is naturally low in coumarin, how it compares to cassia, and why that matters for everyday use.
Read →Pumpkin Pancakes for a Slow Start
The slow-morning stack worth staying in for. Pumpkin pancakes where true Ceylon cinnamon carries the spice without sitting heavy on the plate.
Read →Sweden's Fika and the Beloved Kanelbulle
How Sweden built a whole ritual around coffee, cake and cinnamon, and why the humble kanelbulle earned its own national day on 4 October.
Read →Cooking With Cinnamon in Curries, Rice and Tagines
Across South Asia and beyond, cinnamon goes in the curry rather than the cake. How to use Ceylon cinnamon in rice, tagines and mince without sweetness.
Read →A Cinnamon Roll Morning Worth Lingering Over
Soft spirals, warm glaze and the gentler fragrance of true Ceylon cinnamon. This is the kind of Wednesday bake that makes the whole morning feel generous.
Read →How to Store Cinnamon, and How Long It Really Keeps
Pick the jar, pick the shelf, and avoid the spot by the stove. Whole sticks hold their aroma around two years or more, ground cinnamon six months to a year.
Read →Cinnamon and Blood Sugar: What the Research Actually Shows
The research everyone quotes, read properly. What the studies suggest, what they do not, and where true Ceylon cinnamon honestly fits into your day.
Read →Ceylon Cinnamon for Baking: What Changes in the Oven
Ceylon cinnamon for baking behaves differently from supermarket cassia. Here is why, how much to use, and the bakes where the true spice truly shines.
Read →Ceylon Cinnamon Benefits: What the Research Actually Says
What does Ceylon cinnamon do for your body? An honest read of the research on coumarin, blood sugar and inflammation, and who should be careful.
Read →How to Use Cinnamon Sticks (and Reuse Them)
Yes, a good stick gives a second use: leave it in for another brew, or rinse and dry it for a pot of rice. Plus tea, coffee, curries, baking and syrups.
Read →Is Supermarket Cinnamon Real Cinnamon?
Go and check the jar in your cupboard. Most supermarket cinnamon in Australia is cassia, not true Ceylon cinnamon, and here is how to tell them apart.
Read →Ceylon Cinnamon History: Portuguese, Dutch and British Rule
Portugal reached Sri Lanka in 1505, the Dutch VOC drove it out by 1658, and Britain held the cinnamon monopoly until 1833. Sources are linked below.
Read →How to Brew a Proper Ceylon Cinnamon Tea
The daily ritual our family has kept for generations, and the way one customer in Canada drinks 2 to 4 sticks a day. Here's how to do it properly.
Read →The 60% Goal: Sending More Back to the Growers
Our goal is to return 60% of profit to the growers and the ecosystem behind our cinnamon. Here is why we set it, and what direct trade actually changes.
Read →Ceylon Cinnamon: The Spice We Think Deserves the Crown
Delicately sweet, naturally low in coumarin, and quite different from cassia. Why we think Ceylon cinnamon deserves the crown, and how to tell the two apart.
Read →Ceylon Cinnamon vs Cassia: The Differences, Side by Side
Ceylon cinnamon and cassia side by side, with the two trees, how to tell the sticks apart, flavour, price and the coumarin figures Austria's AGES measured.
Read →Natural Remedies for PCOS, and Where Cinnamon Fits
Health bodies say a healthy lifestyle is important for PCOS, now called PMOS. We read the cinnamon trials on insulin and what NCCIH says about cinnamon.
Read →6 Pure Essential Oils to Bring Into Your Day
Six pure essential oils from The Cinnamon Estate: lavender, citronella, lemongrass, black pepper, and our own Ceylon cinnamon bark and leaf.
Read →Black Pepper Essential Oil: A Warm Scent With a Long History
Black pepper essential oil, from ancient spice routes to a warm, grounding scent in your diffuser and massage blends today.
Read →Make Your Own Cinnamon Syrup for Pancakes & Waffles
A simple homemade Ceylon cinnamon syrup for pancakes, waffles, coffee and cocktails. Four ingredients, one saucepan, and it keeps in the fridge for weeks.
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