Also known as cassia or cassia cinnamon, cinnamon is a beloved culinary spice with a warm and sweet fragrance and flavor. It comes from the aromatic bark of the Cinnamomum cassia tree that, when harvested and dried, curls into tight, scroll-like quills known as cinnamon sticks.

Unlike Ceylon cinnamon (C. verum) whose quills have many delicate layers, Cassia cinnamon quills have only one or two firm, woody layers that are difficult to break by hand. As an alternative to cinnamon sticks, cinnamon chips are convenient and easy-to-handle cuts of cassia bark.

Culinarily, cinnamon chips are used to make cinnamon bark tea, mulled wine, and pickling spice blends. Their small size also makes them convenient for aromatherapy potpourris or sachets. Cinnamon chips can even be used in the garden, where the compound cinnamaldehyde acts as a natural insect repellent.