It is 6 a.m. in Peradeniya, twenty minutes outside Kandy, and the air smells of rain and something sweet that is hard to name until you see the cinnamon trees. Rohan Perera, our co-founder, has been doing this walk for twenty-five years.
The Peelers
Cinnamon peeling is a skilled trade passed down through generations of a caste of craftspeople called Salagama. The best peelers can process 15–20 kg of finished quills per day — but it takes years to develop the feel for when the bark is ready. The tool is deceptively simple: a brass-handled rod called a kumariya, about the length of a finger. The peeler uses it to loosen the outer bark in long, spiralling strokes, then peels the inner bark in a single clean sheet. That sheet curls naturally into a cylinder as it dries.
Grading the Quills
Ceylon cinnamon quills are graded by diameter, thickness, and surface quality. Our export line uses C5 Special and C5 grade almost exclusively. These require the thinnest bark and the most skilled peeling.
- Alba — finest quill, under 6mm diameter, paper-thin bark
- C5 Special — 6–8mm, light colour, premium aroma
- C5 — standard export grade, 8–10mm
If you want to trace your specific shipment back to the farm and the harvest date, we can do that. Ask our team.