Field guide
Ceylon cinnamon grades: what Alba, C5, C4 and M actually mean
Grades describe the rolled quill, not the spice inside it. Every grade below is the same species and the same bark. Here is what the letters mean, and where the published numbers stop agreeing with each other.
| Class | Grades | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Alba | Alba | The thinnest and rarest quill. Peeled from the youngest shoots, pale gold, very smooth, priced accordingly. |
| Continental | C5 Special, C5, C4 | Fine golden quills, neat enough for the table, a fraction of the price of Alba. The range most home cooks want. |
| Mexican | M5, M4 | Thicker and rougher, browner, more assertive. Popular in Mexican and European cooking. |
| Hamburg | H1, H2 | Made from more mature bark. Coarse, dark, usually bought for grinding rather than for display. |
| Quillings | No. 1, No. 2 | Broken pieces from the cutting and baling process. Used for powder and tea blends. |
The thing nobody tells you: the numbers disagree
Almost every exporter publishes a table of quill diameters against grades, and almost none of them match. Compare a handful of Sri Lankan suppliers and you will find Alba given as six millimetres by one and as anything under ten by another. C4 is quoted at nine to eleven millimetres in one table and sixteen to eighteen in the next. M5 appears at eleven to thirteen and also at sixteen to eighteen.
What is consistent is the ordering. Alba is finest, Continental sits below it, then Mexican, then Hamburg, then quillings. Every source in the trade agrees on that sequence. What is not consistent is the exact millimetre band attached to each name.
The practical takeaway: read a published grade table as that exporter's own specification, not as an industry standard. If a precise diameter matters to you, ask the seller for theirs rather than assuming.
Does the grade change how it tastes?
A little, and less than the price difference suggests. Thinner quills come from younger bark and are generally sweeter and more delicate. The thicker Hamburg grades are coarser and blunter. But the difference between C5 and C4 on a plate is small, and both are recognisably the same spice.
What the grade does not change at all is the thing that separates Ceylon from cassia. Coumarin content is a matter of species. Every grade here is Cinnamomum verum, so every grade carries only trace amounts, from Alba down to quillings.
What we sell, and why
Our 75 g pouch is C4 and our 28 g pouch is C5. Both sit in the Continental class, which we chose deliberately: fine enough that the quills look right in a jar and crumble between your fingers, without paying the rarity premium that Alba carries. For tea, mulling, rice and baking, that is the sensible middle of the range.
Common questions
What do Ceylon cinnamon grades like Alba, C5 and C4 actually mean?
They describe the rolled quill, not the quality of the spice inside it. Every grade comes from the same species, Cinnamomum verum, and the same bark. The grade records how thin and how uniform the finished quill is, which is a function of how young the shoot was and how skilled the peeler was. Alba is the thinnest and rarest; the Continental grades (C5 Special, C5, C4) come next; then the Mexican grades (M5, M4); then Hamburg (H1, H2), which are made from more mature, coarser bark.
Is a higher grade of cinnamon stronger or better tasting?
Not straightforwardly. Thinner quills are made from younger, finer bark and are generally sweeter and more delicate. Thicker Hamburg grades are coarser and more assertive. But all of them are true cinnamon and all of them carry only trace coumarin, so the choice is about appearance, texture and how fine you want the flavour, not about whether you are getting the real thing.
Why do different sellers give different diameters for the same grade?
Because the published numbers genuinely disagree. Compare exporter websites and you will find Alba quoted anywhere from six millimetres to under ten, and C4 quoted anywhere from nine to eighteen. The ordering of the grades is consistent across the trade; the exact diameter bands are not standardised in the way a buyer might assume. Treat any single published table as that exporter's own specification rather than an industry standard.
Which grade should I buy for cooking at home?
For everyday cooking the Continental grades are the sensible choice. They are neat enough to look good in a jar or a mug of tea, they break by hand, and they cost a fraction of Alba. Alba is worth it if you want the finest possible quill and are willing to pay for rarity. The Hamburg grades are usually bought for grinding rather than for the table.
What grade are Wholesome North cinnamon sticks?
Our 75 g pouch is C4 and our 28 g pouch is C5. Both sit in the Continental class, which is the range most home cooks are best served by: fine, golden, hand-rolled quills that crumble between your fingers, without the price of Alba.
Does grade have anything to do with coumarin?
No. Coumarin content is a matter of species, not grade. Cassia carries roughly one percent coumarin by weight; every grade of Ceylon cinnamon, from Alba to Hamburg, carries only trace amounts, because they are all Cinnamomum verum.