Jambi · Sumatra
Kerinci cassia
Kerinci is the highland valley in Jambi where Indonesia's cassia has been grown for export for centuries. Korintje, the name the spice trade uses, is a colonial spelling of the same place. The cinnamon is registered as a geographical indication under the Indonesian spelling.
A protected name.
Kayumanis Koerintji
IG.00.2012.0000091
Registered for Jambi, using the older spelling. The trade name Korintje comes from the same word and carries no protection on its own.
What makes it different.
- One species, Cinnamomum burmannii
- This is Indonesian cassia and not Ceylon cinnamon. Different tree, different bark, and a very different coumarin content, which is what European buyers watch.
- Highland bark
- The trees grow on the slopes around Mount Kerinci, and altitude is part of what the registration defines. Growers strip bark from mature trees on a long cycle.
- Korintje is a spelling, not a grade
- Buyers often treat Korintje as a quality tier. It names a place. The grade letters A, B and C are a separate and unpublished trade convention.
- The coumarin question rides with it
- All cassia carries coumarin, and the limit set for finished products in Europe is what decides whether a bulk lot is usable. Origin does not settle it, testing does.
Getting it out.
- A long road to the coast
- Kerinci is inland and mountainous. Bark moves down to Padang or to Jambi for containerisation, and the road leg is where moisture is taken up in the wet season.
- Moisture control is the practical issue
- Cassia takes up damp and mould follows. How the lot was dried and how it was packed matters more than the grade letter on the offer.
What we source here.
Indonesian cassia cinnamon
Indonesian cassia is graded by a system nobody else uses, and it carries a compound European regulators watch. What that means for a bulk order.
What changes on 1 January 2027
Indonesia leaves the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences, and that part is already law. The trade agreement meant to replace it still needs three approvals. What an EU buyer should check now.
Export documents, by category
Four categories, four different sets of paperwork and almost no overlap. Built from the reference pages, so it cannot fall behind what is published.
Questions buyers ask.
Is Korintje a quality grade?
No, it is a place name in an old spelling. Buyers regularly read it as a tier above ordinary cassia, and suppliers are happy to let them. The grading letters are separate, they are an Indonesian trade convention, and there is no published table behind them. Write the physical description into the contract.
How does this differ from Ceylon cinnamon?
They are different species. Ceylon cinnamon is Cinnamomum verum from Sri Lanka, thin, brittle and low in coumarin. Kerinci cassia is Cinnamomum burmannii, thicker and harder, and it carries considerably more coumarin. For a manufacturer they are not interchangeable on flavour or on compliance.
What should I ask for on a Kerinci lot?
A certificate of analysis on the shipped material with coumarin, volatile oil, moisture and microbiology. The origin tells you where the bark grew. The analysis tells you whether you can use it.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Buying from Kerinci highlands?
Tell us the specification and the port. We go to the region, look at the material and put the documents together before anyone quotes a price.
Sources
- 1Register of protected geographical indications. Direktorat Jenderal Kekayaan Intelektual, Republic of Indonesia. Checked 5 August 2026.