Cinnamon - How to select it?

A spice obtained from the bark of ever green tropical trees. There are more than 250 different varities of cinnamon. Many have very pungent flavour.

Cinnamon comes in quills. They come in dark brown or in tan colour. Though both whole and powdered cinnamon are available in the market, it is better to buy the whole cinnamon and grind it to a fine powder at home to make Cinnamon Powder. Now a days, organic cinnamon is available in the market (which is ofcourse a bit costlier).

How to select Cinnamon?
Check for the date of expiry if it is a packed one. But if it is purchased from spices shop in loose quantities, then check out whether it is lump or with moisture. Better not to choose such variety.