# Cinnamon **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227 "2012-05-17T17:10:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/1 "2012-05-17T17:10:47Z")
The [honey thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=652061) got me thinking about cinnamon and its [purported health benefits](http://altmedicine.about.com/od/cinnamon/a/cinnamon.htm). > [@](#): > > Cassia cinnamon, the kind of cinnamon normally found in grocery stores and in supplement form, naturally contains a compound called coumarin. Coumarin is also found in other plants such as celery, chamomile, sweet clover, and parsley. > > At high levels, coumarin can damage the liver. Coumarin can also have a “blood-thinning” effect, so cassia cinnamon supplements shouldn’t be taken with prescription anti-clotting medication, such as Coumadin (warfarin), or by people with bleeding disorders. I haven’t been able to find anything on the labels that indicates what kind of cinnamon I’m buying. Do I need to hit up an organic foods store? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/2 "2012-05-17T17:16:53Z")
If you’re buying cinnamon in the grocery store, it’s almost certainly cassia (at least in the US - though Mexico imports real cinnamon, so Mexican-focused groceries here may have the real stuff), aka “Chinese” cinnamon. Non-cassia varieties are Vietnamese, Ceylon, and Indonesian; any decent gourmet/spice/organic store will clearly label the variety. Check Wiki or a good cooking site for more elaboration on the differences. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/3 "2012-05-17T17:28:49Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > If you’re buying cinnamon in the grocery store, it’s almost certainly cassia (at least in the US - though Mexico imports real cinnamon, so Mexican-focused groceries here may have the real stuff), aka “Chinese” cinnamon. Non-cassia varieties are Vietnamese, Ceylon, and Indonesian; any decent gourmet/spice/organic store will clearly label the variety. Check Wiki or a good cooking site for more elaboration on the differences. It’s generally Ceylon cinnamon that is is _true_ cinnamon and Chinese that is cassia. True cinnamon smells fruity, is lighter in color, and has less of a bite. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/4 "2012-05-17T17:36:51Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > It’s generally Ceylon cinnamon that is is _true_ cinnamon and Chinese that is cassia. True cinnamon smells fruity, is lighter in color, and has less of a bite. That’s what I meant to convey; sorry if it got lost in the wordy-ness. True cinnamon also includes Indonesian and Vietnamese. I find Vietnamese to have quite a nice kick to it, and better flavor than cassia. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/5 "2012-05-17T17:57:26Z")
Yes? McCormick offers Vietnamese cinnamon, and they’re carried in just about every bog-standard grocery store. I also find it to have more of a bite (in a good way). ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/6 "2012-05-17T18:11:21Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > True cinnamon also includes Indonesian and Vietnamese. I find Vietnamese to have quite a nice kick to it, and better flavor than cassia. No, that’s not true. Indonesian, Chinese, and Vietnamese are cassia and Ceylon is true, soft-stick cinnamon. It is possible that they may grow Ceylon cinnamon in China and Vietnam as well, but what you find in the store labeled as Chinese and Vietnamese cinnamon is almost certainly cassia. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/7 "2012-05-17T18:15:55Z")
This [site](http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/cinnamon#content)has a good explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/8 "2012-05-17T18:36:38Z")
:smack: How’d I manage to get that almost but not completely backwards? Right, thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/9 "2012-05-17T18:55:47Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > This [site](http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/cinnamon#content)has a good explanation. That helps. Now that I know what they look like, I’m off to find some sticks of Ceylon. I don’t know if I’ve ever had “true” cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/10 "2012-05-17T20:24:28Z")
I’v been wanting a 3-4 foot long cinnamon stick for an art project. Does anybody know where I could buy one (or maybe several)? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/11 "2012-05-17T21:38:49Z")
I buy only Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzeys. High oil content and intense flavor. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/12 "2012-05-17T23:09:37Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > That helps. Now that I know what they look like, I’m off to find some sticks of Ceylon. I don’t know if I’ve ever had “true” cinnamon. Yeah, Ceylon cinnamon or “true” cinnamon has a much more flaky bark when you get them in quills. You can see it [here](http://www.silverhydra.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/CinnamonTypes.jpg). The Ceylon cinnamon is on the left, cassia is on the right. That said, cinnamon and cassia are both from the same genus, _Cinnamomum._ True cinnamon has a much gentler and “sweeter” flavor than the cassias. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinnamon/622227/13 "2012-05-17T23:24:03Z")
[Cinnamon](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/9/2236.short) [and](http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=127513664524873;res=IELHEA) [Diabetes](http://diabetes.webmd.com/cinnamon-and-benefits-for-diabetes). Just a few articles. From what I have seen, Cassia may actually be more beneficial than ‘real’ Cinnamon.