Re: Cinnamons

[Guest guest]

Hi Anya & Others.

Cinamomum zeylanicum is true cinnamon, used mostly in Europe and

Mexico as the spice. During WWII the USA switched to Cassia.

The Trade term for Cinamomum zeylanicum is " Ceylon Cinnamon " and the

Trade term for Cassia can vary but the main one, and the one

cosidered to be the best is Saigon Cinnamon. There are different

grades, usually represented by oil content. There are also different

Vietnamese and Chinese varieties.

I have some info here:

http://www.oller.net/cinnamons.htm

Cinnamon was my great Wild Goose chase To make a long story short

I was trying to find the cinnamon aroma in a particular incense. I

order samples from all over the world and spent months chasing this

goose.

Unable to ever match the scent, the great epiphany occurred when I

order a cup of Herbal Seasonings " all-natural " Cinnamon & Apple

Spiced Tea. That was the Cinnamon! So I looked on the package and it

said " extracts of apple and cinnamon " Then I remembered K. Nakata

telling me " It's easy to make incense using chemicals " which I

understood to mean synthetics, but that's not what he meant. What we

once called " artificial flavoring " we now call " natural flavoring " A

couple of chemicals, a certain molecular structure, are responsible

for flavor and aroma, you can extract these chemicals or produce them

synthetically, but ovbiously that little tea bag didn't have cassia

bark powder or apple juice.

That's how we make great tasting Polypropelene Doughnuts!

Yes, if you get a good high oil content Saigon cinnamon it is amazing

for cooking, it's much stronger and full of flavor. Most stores sell

inferior cinnamon, and that's why Chefs at Top Restaurants are able

to serve dishes that seem impossible to create at home. They buy from

Restaurant suppliers and know the materials they are working with,

they don't shop at Grocery Stores.

> >Can someone please explain the difference between Cinnamomum

cassia and

> >Cinnamomum zeylaricum? Which one is common cinnamon ? And both

are

> >used as spices, correct?

>

> That does it. I'm gonna call . He's an expert in aloeswood

*and*

> cinnamon. He once sent me some cinnamon *leaf* oil, organic, that

is so

> sweet and heavenly.

> >

> >I ask because I got some Vietnamese Cassia " Saigon " Cinnamon

Powder from

> >a spice company, and it is _out of this world amazing._ I am so

> >enjoying baking and cooking with this. It's definately different

than

> >regular cinnamon, it's darker, and more spicey. I also got some

cassia

> >buds, and they are great in turkey brines - FYI.

>

> >I WANT this oil - but I want to make sure I get the right one.

> >

> >Any thoughts?

>

> Well, many reputable dealers provide the botanical name of the oil

they

> carry. Additionally, they provide small samples. Just be careful --

> cinnamon oil - the wood - can be very, very sensitizing.

>

> Anya

> http://member.newsguy.com/~herblady

[Guest guest]

Anya,

I've been a big fan of Penzey's since, well, since you told me about

their website.

I recently found the thespicehouse.com though. What sparked my

interest was the small co-op, organic, hungarian paprika. Yowza. It

was so good I went back for the cinnamons and other things - now I've

got a spice problem to match my scent problem.

I see that Nature's gift has cassia oil, maybe I'll try some and

compare to the C. zeylanicum I already have. Then of course, I'll

have to get more cinnamon for holiday baking too. Let me know what

you think of the saigon cinnamon.

Thanks for the info hunt.

JenB