Cassia vs Ceylon cinnamon
Two different species sold under one word, and outside Britain, Mexico and Sri Lanka the word almost always means the cheaper one. The physical difference is obvious once you know to look for it.
botanical
What is being compared
Why these get confused
The single most consequential substitution in the spice trade, and both are legally cinnamon almost everywhere.
Point by point
| Aspect | Cassia | Cinnamon |
|---|---|---|
| The bark | One thick, hard, single-rolled curl that cannot be crumbled by hand. | Thin layered quills of many papery sheets that break apart between the fingers. |
| Where it grows | Southern China, Vietnam and Indonesia, with Vietnamese material carrying the most aroma. | Sri Lanka above all, with some production in southern India and the Seychelles. |
| Flavour | Hot, sweet and bluntly assertive, with more bite and less complexity. | Softer, more floral and more layered, with a citrus lift the other does not have. |
| Where each belongs | Chai, braises, five-spice and anything simmered with milk — it holds up to heat and dairy. | Delicate preparations and baking where its complexity survives, and where cassia would dominate. |
| Price and prevalence | Cheaper and far more widely traded. Most supermarket cinnamon is this. | Several times the price and much less common. Usually labelled explicitly when it is used. |
The short answer
A recipe’s origin usually tells you which it assumed. If you want the softer, more complex spice you have to ask for Ceylon by name, because the shelf will not distinguish.
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