Ground Cinnamon
Ground bark, used dusted over a drink rather than stirred into one. Almost all of it sold as cinnamon is cassia, a related bark that is harsher and more assertive than true Ceylon cinnamon, and the two behave differently over a foam.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Soft, warming spice with sweet woody notes and gentle heat. Aromatic rather than sharp when used sparingly.
Recommended Brands
Budget Choice
Supermarket ground cinnamon: almost always cassia, which is fine dusted over a drink
Premium Choice
Ground Ceylon cinnamon: lighter and more floral, and worth it where the spice is tasted rather than smelled
Storage & Handling
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Keep away from moisture and heat. Replace regularly to maintain aroma and flavour.
Shelf Life
6–12 months once opened for optimal aroma
Usage
Dusted through a fine sieve over the surface of a hot or creamy drink, or mixed with caster sugar for a rim. It does not dissolve, so it belongs on top of a drink or infused into a syrup, never stirred into a cold one.
Cassia and Ceylon Are Not the Same Bark
Most ground cinnamon on a British shelf is cassia, taken from a related tree and considerably cheaper. It is dark red-brown, strong and slightly hot, and it is the flavour most people picture when they think of cinnamon. True Ceylon cinnamon is paler, more fragrant and much more delicate, with citrus and floral notes that cassia flattens. Neither is wrong. Cassia carries better over a strong drink or a cola build, and Ceylon is worth the difference over anything creamy or subtle where its complexity is not going to be drowned.
It Does Not Dissolve
Ground cinnamon is bark, not sugar, and it will not go into solution. Stirred into a cold drink it clumps, floats and leaves grit at the bottom of the glass, which is why it belongs on the surface as an aromatic rather than inside as a flavour. Where cinnamon flavour is genuinely wanted through a drink, the route is a syrup infused with whole sticks, or a warm preparation where the powder is worked into butter or sugar first. Dusting is a garnish decision and a syrup is a recipe decision.
Dusting Well
A fine sieve or a tea strainer held a hand above the glass gives an even veil; tapping the jar gives clumps that sit wet and dark on the surface. Timing matters as much as method. On a drink with a foam, dust once the head has settled, because cinnamon added while the bubbles are still rising drops through them. Over a hot drink the powder will darken as it takes up moisture, so it goes on at the moment of service rather than at the pass.
It Goes Stale Quietly
The flavour of cinnamon lives in volatile oils, and grinding exposes an enormous amount of surface area to air. A jar loses most of what makes it worth using within about a year of opening, and considerably faster if it lives above a hob or beside a window. The failure is quiet, since it never smells bad, only progressively of nothing. The test is the smell: a jar that reads dusty rather than sweet and warm is finished, and no amount of it will fix a drink.
Pro Tip
If cinnamon tastes dusty, it’s past its prime: replace it.
Top Tips
- Sieve it rather than shaking it from the jar. A tap gives you clumps and a bare patch.
- Dust after the foam has settled, not before. Cinnamon added early sinks with the bubbles.
- Smell the jar before you use it. If it smells of dust rather than of spice, it is finished.
Possible Substitutions
- Cinnamon stick (less immediate aroma)
Production Method
Produced by drying cinnamon bark and grinding it into a fine powder. True cinnamon (Ceylon) is milder and sweeter than cassia varieties.
History & Context
Cinnamon has been used in punches and hot drinks since the earliest days of mixed beverages, valued for its warming aroma and compatibility with rum, sugar, and butter-based preparations.
Common Questions
How do you dust cinnamon without clumps?
Put it through a fine sieve or a tea strainer held roughly a hand above the glass, and tap the side of the sieve rather than shaking the jar. Tapping the jar directly drops uneven clumps that sit wet and dark on the surface instead of a veil.
When do you dust: before or after foam settles?
After. Cinnamon added while the bubbles are still rising falls through them and ends up in the drink rather than on it. Let the head settle for a few seconds, then dust. On a hot drink, dust at the moment of service, since the powder darkens as it takes up steam.
What is the cinnamon sugar rim ratio?
Four parts caster sugar to one part cinnamon is a sound starting point, and it wants shifting towards six to one if the jar is cassia rather than Ceylon, which is the harsher of the two. Mix it thoroughly, because an uneven rim gives one harsh mouthful and one bland.
How do you know ground cinnamon is past it?
By smell alone. It never smells bad, it just stops smelling of anything much, and a jar reading dusty rather than sweet and warm is finished. Most lose what makes them worth using within a year of opening, faster if the jar lives above a hob.