Herbal & fruit infusions · Leaves
Peppermint is a mint leaf infusion rather than true tea. Its intense menthol aroma can make a cup feel cooling even when the drink itself is hot.
Plant
Mentha × piperita
Part used
Leaves
Caffeine
Naturally caffeine-free
Taste
Cooling, minty, sweet-herbal
Peppermint is generally identified as Mentha × piperita, a hybrid mint. Dried leaves are infused in hot water and release the volatile aromatic compounds that create the characteristic cooling sensation.
Spearmint is related but tastes softer and sweeter, so “mint tea” can mean quite different things depending on which mint is used.
Large dried leaves make the ingredient easy to recognise and tend to brew cleanly in a basket infuser. Finer-cut mint infuses quickly but may require a finer filter.
Bright aroma matters more than perfect leaf shape: stale mint can look acceptable but taste flat.
Peppermint works well alone but is also common with green tea, liquorice root, lemon, fennel and other herbs.
A blend containing green or black tea is no longer caffeine-free, so check the ingredient base rather than assuming from the flavour name.
Keep exploring herbal infusions
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