Cinnamon
Full of sweet and stimulating essential oils, cinnamon is a long-time favourite for invigorating, warming and generally making life more delicious.
The term ‘cinnamon’ refers to the delicate aromatic bark of many different, yet closely related species. The cinnamons we use at Pukka come from several different Cinnamomum species in South East Asia; C. aromaticum, C. burmannii, C. bejolghota, C. verum coming from Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka respectively.
Cinnamon benefits cold and sluggish digestion, metabolism and circulation. It is wonderfully warming, sweet and pungent. Cinnamon strengthens nutritional absorption, it also balances blood sugars, reduces insulin resistance and contributes to achieving a balanced weight. Other uses include painful periods, heavy bleeding and reducing cysts and fibroids.
Tall Tales of Cinnamon
Until the 16th century the origins of cinnamon were a fiercely guarded secret; global trade was controlled by wealthy Arabs who protected their monopoly and justified exorbitant prices by fabricating extraordinary tales, including how cinnamon was only found in giant birds’ nests perched on insurmountable mountain peaks, or in deep canyons guarded by flying snakes!
Cinnamon from Forest Gardens
Cinnamon is often grown in semi-wild ‘forest gardens’. To the untrained eye it is hard to distinguish a tropical forest garden from a forest, but they are in fact carefully designed and highly efficient ‘agro-ecosystems’ that can contain an incredible diversity of multi-purpose herbs, shrubs and trees.
Ethically Produced Cinnamon
Pukka's powerful Vietnamese cinnamon comes from an Organic Fairtrade certified project in the hills of north Vietnam. The partnership ensures that the cinnamon farmers are paid a premium price above normal rates for each bundle of cinnamon and an additional sum is donated to the farmers’ cooperative to support social projects, which has helped the local community build a kindergarten and a bridge in the village.
Further south our Indonesian cinnamon comes from a project that is both Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified; this means that the producers must adhere to the rigorous standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), which provides assurance that farmers, farm workers, wildlife and the rainforest benefit equally from the trade of cinnamon. Pukka get great cinnamon brimming in flavour and potent essential oils and the farmers make more cash whilst protecting their beautiful ecosystem. Pukka think it’s the best way to make a sweet cup of tea.
