Vietnamese cinnamon products are widely consumed in markets such as the US, EU, Middle East, Japan, China, and India… Particularly in India, 80% of the country’s imported cinnamon output comes from Vietnam. So, what are the characteristics of cinnamon from Vietnam that make it so popular?
Contents
General characteristics of cinnamon from Vietnam
Cinnamon from Vietnam is a part obtained from the bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon has a spicy, aromatic taste, used to make medicine and spice in food processing.
Origin
Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known around 2000 BC. The Chinese were the world’s first discoverers and users. After that, it was brought to Europe by the Silk Road. At that time cinnamon was considered a useful medicinal herb and was used mainly in the preparation of medicines as well as in some religious rituals.
In the world today, there are two main types of cinnamon: Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon. In particular, Ceylon cinnamon is considered the real cinnamon, the best cinnamon that is only available in Sri Lanka. Cassia cinnamon is the more common type of cinnamon and is grown in many parts of the world such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, India, Myanmar, etc. Currently, Ceylon cinnamon sticks vs Cassia sticks are among the 2 most widely used types of cinnamon on the market.
Because of its origin, Cassia cinnamon is frequently referred to as Chinese cinnamon; however, Cassia can be categorized into three varieties based on the country of production: Chinese cinnamon, Vietnamese cinnamon or Saigon cinnamon, and Indonesian cinnamon. However, their quality is not the same even though they belong to the same family due to natural conditions among countries. Cinnamon from Vietnam (or Saigon cinnamon) belongs to Cassia cinnamon and is considered to be the best quality Cassia cinnamon.
Color
Cinnamon from Vietnam has the natural yellow-brown color of a woody trunk. Depending on the time of harvest, the cinnamon pieces can have different colors but will vary from light yellow to dark brown, or red-brown. When dried in the sun or dried, cinnamon can turn lighter in color.
Flavor
Like other types of cinnamon, Vietnamese cinnamon has a sweet and pungent taste, with a characteristic woody aroma. Thanks to its unique flavor, cinnamon from Vietnam is used as a spice in cooking, especially in Indian dishes. It is used both to make savory dishes and to make desserts and drinks. Besides, Vietnamese cinnamon is also used to make medicine and is an indispensable herb in traditional medicine.
What makes taste of cinnamon from Vietnam so different?
The difference in flavor between types of cinnamon can be attributed to a number of interdependent factors. The first is based on the volatile oil content of the cinnamon tree. They will be identified by a variety of compounds, but 65% to 75% of the ingredients are cinnamaldehyde, the main ingredient responsible for the taste and smell. The higher the volatile oil content of cinnamon, the more cinnamaldehyde it contains and the stronger its flavor.
Cinnamon from Vietnam is generally considered to be the strongest flavor of the Cassia cinnamon varieties and typically has the highest volatile oil content. However, the strong spice content of cinnamon is often easily diminished when it is in the store for a long time or after it is prepared and packaged. That’s why when choosing to buy cinnamon, K-Agriculture Factory recommends buying products that have a long shelf life and it’s better to buy new ones.
4 differences between cinnamon from Vietnam and cinnamon from China
Currently, China and Vietnam are the two largest Cassia cinnamon producers and exporters in the world. So, what are the differences between cinnamon products from these 2 countries? Why is cinnamon from Vietnam often preferred?
Cinnamon from Vietnam is lighter in color
Because of different sunny, windy, and climatic conditions, cinnamon from Vietnam often has a lighter color, leaning more towards yellow brown while cinnamon from China has a rather dark color, leaning towards dark brown or reddish brown.
However, when stored for a long time, sun-dried, or dried in the right conditions, both types of cinnamon can have similar colors that are difficult to distinguish just by looking at their colors. At this time, you need to rely on other criteria to distinguish these two types of cinnamon.
Cinnamon from Vietnam is thicker on the skin
Cinnamon from Vietnam is usually thicker than Chinese cinnamon. The thicker the cinnamon, the more mature and well-cared for the cinnamon tree, so it usually has a higher essential oil content and better quality.
Cinnamon from Vietnam has a higher essential oil content
The content of essential oil in cinnamon bark is generally quite high (1.0 – 4.0%), while in leaves and young branches is usually low (0.3 – 0.8%). The essential oil from the peel is pale yellow-brown, comparable, spicy, aromatic, sweet, and hot with the main ingredient being (E) – cinnamaldehyde (70 – 95 %); no eugenol but small amounts of cinnamic acid, cinnamyl acetate, o-methoxycinnamaldehyde, cinnzeylanol, and cinnzeylanin. In addition, cinnamon bark also contains tannin, resin, sugar, calcium oxalate, coumarin, and mucilage.
To better visualize the difference between these 2 types of cinnamon:
Vietnamese cinnamon usually has a fairly high oil content of 3 – 5%, while Chinese cinnamon has only 1.5 – 3% essential oil. As a result, cinnamon from Vietnam has a much stronger flavor and aroma.
Vietnamese cinnamon is famous for its hot spicy and mildly sweet taste, while Chinese cinnamon is famous for its sweet and less spicy taste. Therefore, for dishes that need a typical cinnamon flavor, cinnamon from Vietnam will be a better choice. In addition, Vietnamese cinnamon is often used in medicine more effectively.
Cinnamon from Vietnam is more expensive
For the above reasons, Vietnamese cinnamon is often more expensive than Chinese cinnamon. On average, 1 kg of average Vietnamese cinnamon costs about $40, while Chinese cinnamon is only about $3x. However, cinnamon from Vietnam is still being sold at a cheaper price than its true quality.
If you regularly study the Vietnamese cinnamon market, you will find that sometimes the price of Vietnamese cinnamon and the price of Chinese cinnamon is not much different. There are cases that Chinese suppliers often push their cinnamon prices up quite high to pretend to be Vietnamese cinnamon, in many places up to $50 – $60 1 kg; while Vietnamese suppliers mix Vietnamese goods with Chinese goods, or fake goods to push down the price of cinnamon to attract customers. Both cases you should consider carefully before buying. At K-Agriculture Factory – a reputable Cassia cinnamon sticks factory in Vietnam, we always supply high-quality cinnamon at the most competitive prices.
Top 3 leading exporters of cinnamon from Vietnam
Cinnamon from Vietnam is advertised and sold a lot in the market, but not everywhere is a place to sell reputable Vietnamese cinnamon. What customers are most interested in is buying high-quality products at competitive prices. If you are in need of importing cinnamon from Vietnam but have not found a reputable supplier, please refer to the 3 suppliers below!
K-Agriculture Factory: The leading exporter of cinnamon from Vietnam
K-Agriculture Factory is one of the leading cinnamon manufacturers and exporters in Vietnam. The company has more than 25 years of establishment and development associated with successful experience in exporting agricultural products to more than 80 countries and territories around the world.
K-Agriculture offers a variety of cinnamon types such as split cinnamon, stick cinnamon, tube cinnamon, and broken cinnamon, … at different prices, from cheap to high-end. Customers can rest assured when buying cinnamon from Vietnam at K-Agriculture Factory because we have a full range of product quality inspection papers.
Contact K-Agriculture via:
- Website: k-agriculture.com
- Mail: sales@k-agriculture.com
- Phone: +84855555837 (Ms Kris)
S-Spices: The leading manufacturer of cinnamon from Vietnam
One of the most famous export spice brands in Vietnam is S-Spices. Because of owning a large factory system for each product, the company provides a variety of spices such as cinnamon, star anise, and pepper, … of high quality at extremely competitive prices in the market. S-Spices also has quality inspection papers, so customers can rest assured when importing cinnamon from Vietnam in large quantities.
Vilaconic: One of the most reputable suppliers of Vietnamese cinnamon
Vilaconic is a corporation operating in many industries, including trading all kinds of rice and spices in Vietnam. The company provides aromatic rice and spices such as cinnamon, star anise, and pepper,… With more than 10 years of establishment and development, Vilaconic certainly understands your market and provides the best support.
Excellent company
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