How Ceylon Cinnamon Quills Are Made

Traditionally the work starts at dawn. Freshly cut stems are rubbed with a brass rod to loosen the bark, then scored and peeled in a single unbroken sheet. A skilled peeler produces quills of even thickness for hours without measuring anything.

Why hand work survives

No machine has matched the peeler's judgement. The inner bark must be lifted without tearing and without carrying the bitter outer layer. Graders then nest sheets inside one another so the finished quill dries straight.

• Cut and rub: loosening bark within hours of harvest.
• Peel: separating inner bark in continuous sheets.
• Nest and roll: building the quill by hand.
• Dry: four to five days in shade, then sun.

That handwork is why true Ceylon quills look and snap the way they do, and why they differ so much from thick, single-curl cassia bark.