C5 rolls to around double the diameter of Alba, which sounds like a large difference and tastes like a small one. Most of the sweetness survives, the quill is sturdier to handle, and it costs meaningfully less per gram.
This is the grade we sell most of, and the one we would suggest to anyone buying Ceylon cinnamon for the first time. Start here. If you find yourself wanting more delicacy, move up to Alba. If you find yourself using it in long-cooked dishes, move down to C4.
It is versatile in a way the grades at either end are not. Strong enough to hold its shape and its flavour in a curry, gentle enough that it will not take over a cake or a custard.
Same tree, same district, same hand-rolling, same open-air drying as Alba. The only variable is how thin the bark was lifted.
