Mint Plants for Tea
- Mint makes delightful tea, hot or iced.Chris Stein/Stockbyte/Getty Images
The mint family (Lamiacaea) includes hundreds of culinary and medicinal herbs, including those of the mint genus (Mentha), which is one of the widest-growing and most frequently consumed herbs in the world. Mints are used to create flavoring extract in candy making, as an uplifting scent in soaps and cosmetics, and in cooking. Plants for mint tea include the traditional peppermint and spearmint, as well as a variety of delightful specialty mint cultivars with unique flavors. - Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a member of the mint family Lamiacaea, but in a different genus than the common peppermint or spearmint. Lemon balm looks like a common garden mint, growing 2 feet high with ragged triangle-shaped leaves and nondescript small yellow flowers. What sets lemon balm apart is its scent, a distinct crisp citrus aroma which is often used in lemon oils. Lemon balm makes a delightful soothing hot or cold tea, according to the Texas A&M University Extension, but be sure to leave the plants room to grow, or contain them in sunken bottomless buckets or pots. Lemon balm spreads like wildfire, and even thrives in shade where most herbs will not grow
- Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is one of the easiest mints to grow, and is the traditional component of mint tea, according to the Clemson University Cooperative Extension. Be sure to obtain choice spearmint plants from cuttings or divisions from another gardener or nursery center, because mint does not grow true to type from seed. Spearmint prefers moist or damp soil and partial shade. Like most mints, spearmint can become invasive under ideal growing conditions if not contained in pots or sunken barriers. For the best tea, harvest the new growth on the tips of branches frequently, encouraging more growth and preventing the plant from flowering.
- Plant breeders have perfected a number of mint plant varieties with distinctive, unusual scents that make splendid teas. Applemint (Mentha suaveolens variegata) has a milder, sweeter flavor than most mints, the University of California at Davis Master Gardener Program suggests, while ginger mint (Mentha x gentilis) has variegated leaves and a superb, spicy flavor. Pineapple mint, a cultivar of apple mint, makes a light tea with a hint of tropical flavor, while its variegated leaves can liven up a hanging basket. Orange mint (Mentha piperita citrata) has a fresh citrus scent, and makes a nice tea on its own or blended with lemon balm. Chocolate mint, a cultivar of peppermint (Mentha piperita) has glossy dark green leaves with reddish-tinted stems, smells strongly of chocolate-peppermint candy when dried, and its tea makes a wonderful low-calorie alternative to hot cocoa.
