Spearmint

Good spearmint is a fresh, lively green cut leaf with a sweet, mild minty aroma that is softer and rounder than the sharp blast of peppermint. Faded, brown, or weakly scented leaf has lost its aromatic oils and brews thin. Whole and large-cut leaf keeps its fragrance far better than dusty material. The infusion should be pale and clear with a clean, sweet, refreshing mintiness and no harshness. As with all mints, a strong fresh aroma from the bag is the best quality test.

Mentha spicata is native to Europe and Asia and is now grown widely, including across the Mediterranean and the Americas. The leaves are harvested and dried with no oxidation step, preserving the carvone-rich essential oils that give spearmint its characteristic sweet, gentle mint profile (rather than the menthol that dominates peppermint). It is the traditional mint of North African tea culture and a staple of countless culinary and tisane uses.

Use about 1 g per 100 ml (around 2 g per 250 ml cup), water at 90 to 100°C, steeped 5 to 7 minutes; like peppermint it can be steeped a touch shorter for a softer cup. It is caffeine-free and low in tannin, so it will not turn bitter. A single steep gives most of the flavor. It is excellent iced, pairs famously with green tea in Moroccan-style mint tea, and takes a little sugar or honey well.

€4-10 (about $5-11) per 100 g; everyday spearmint is inexpensive, with whole-leaf and organic grades at the upper end. Caffeine-free.

Prices reviewed June 2026