Cinnamon Alba quill drying: unbleached cotton string suspension and air circulation in shade?
7 Answers from travellers
Curing premium Alba grade Ceylon cinnamon quills requires controlled indoor drying. Once rolled, the moist, flexible bark cylinders (measuring under 6mm in diameter) are transferred to well-ventilated shade lofts. They are laid parallel across suspended horizontal strings made of unbleached jute or coir rope. Quills must not touch one another during the first 48 hours to ensure air circulation around the cylindrical circumference. Direct sunlight is barred; rapid sun-drying turns quills brittle, warps the straight geometry, and evaporates volatile cinnamaldehyde essential oils.
Humidity in the curing loft must stay between 60% and 70%; excessive dampness promotes Aspergillus fungal mold on tender inner phloem layers.
Workers gently roll drying quills on smooth wooden benches every morning to maintain round cylindrical cross-sections as moisture recedes.
Authentic Alba quills display a pale, warm golden-brown color, distinct from thick, dark reddish-brown imported cassia.
After five days of shade curing, moisture content drops to 12-14%, rendering the quills firm and ready for export grading.
Quills are trimmed with fine hand saws to standard 42-inch export lengths, with trimmings collected for steam bark-oil distillation.
Storage areas must use natural cedar or eucalyptus insect deterrents; chemical insecticide spraying in processing rooms violates export spice safety rules.
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