Organic cinnamon is sorted into four main grades: Alba, Continental, Mexican, and Hamburg. This is based on the thickness of the cinnamon sticks (quills). Alba is the most expensive grade, with a diameter of 6 mm.
Alba Cinnamon
Alba cinnamon is the best quality organic cinnamon available. It is made from the finest and thinnest inner bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree, making it very rare and highly prized for its excellent taste. Because of these special qualities, Alba Cinnamon is also the most expensive in the market.
Alba Cinnamon is sold as both sticks and powder. The sticks are usually about 6 to 7 mm in diameter, similar to the size of a pencil. This type of cinnamon has a light golden-brown color.
C5 Special
C5 Special is a high-quality type of cinnamon from Sri Lanka. It is considered the second-best cinnamon grade, just below Alba Cinnamon. Like Alba, C5 Special is known for its unique character, taste, smell, and excellent flavor. This type of Ceylon cinnamon is very popular in Europe. The sticks of C5 Special have a diameter of 7 mm to 9 mm.
C5
Following the top-quality C5 Special cinnamon, the C5 grade is the third highest quality available in Sri Lanka. This type of cinnamon is smooth and slender, with a sweet taste and a deep yellow color. Its diameter ranges from 10 mm to 12 mm.
C4
C4 is a type of cinnamon that is part of the Continental cinnamon category. Its quality is lower than C5 Special and C5. Despite this, C4 is still popular because of its smooth texture, pleasant fragrance, pale yellow color, and sweet taste. The diameter of C4 cinnamon ranges from 13 mm to 14 mm.
M5
Among the different grades of Mexican cinnamon, the M5 grade is considered the highest quality. The sticks are golden brown, sometimes with slightly reddish patches on the surface. They are thinner and have a rough, coarse texture. The diameter of M5 cinnamon sticks ranges from 16 mm to 18 mm.
M4
In nature, M4 cinnamon grade is very similar to M5 cinnamon grade, mainly differing in diameter, which is typically between 18 mm and 20 mm. Because of its pleasant smell and taste, it is very popular in Mexico and European countries.
Hamburg (H)
The H grade of cinnamon has 5 subgrades: H1, H2 Super, H2 Normal, H2 FAQ, and H3. Unlike other cinnamon grades where a higher number means better quality, H1 is the best and most expensive. H1 is very popular in South America. H2 Super is thicker than H1 and has high-quality golden yellow quills. H2 Normal is even thicker than H2 Super and up to 90% of it is golden yellow quills. H2 FAQ is thicker than all the previous grades and has brittle quills. H3 is the thickest of all the Hamburg cinnamon grades and consists of rough bark made from brittle quills.
Quillings
There are three grades of Quilling cinnamon: Quillings No.1, Quillings No.2, and Quillings No.3. These grades come from the bailing process and are sorted by the size of their broken pieces. Quillings No.1 has the largest pieces, followed by No.2 and No.3, with each grade having smaller pieces than the previous one.