Peppermint tea is one of many herbal teas that are used to relieve a number of different symptoms and to support a healthy lifestyle. In general, peppermint is said to relieve headaches, increase alertness, soothe a stomach ache, reduce anxiety, clear up sinuses, and more.
Peppermint tea is made in several different ways. It can be made using dried leaves from peppermint plants or by adding the peppermint leaves or oil to tea.
How Do You Drink Peppermint Tea?
You can drink peppermint tea hot or cold, and it has health benefits any time. It helps you to be more alert, it can open up your sinuses, and it can help your body with digestion after you eat.
It is known to have a calming effect and to reduce anxiety, and it can help soothe an upset stomach. It also keeps your breath fresh and makes your mouth feel clean.
What Does Peppermint Tea Taste Like?
Tea made exclusively from peppermint leaves does not have any caffeine, but if you add peppermint leaves to green tea, black tea, or white tea, it has some caffeine in it. Peppermint tea has a hint of a spicy pepper flavor, and it has a little sweetness and mint flavor.
It is not minty the way that peppermint chewing gum is, and different factors will impact how it tastes. It can taste different depending on the quality of the peppermint leaves, the temperature of the water, the steep time, and the water quality.
It is called peppermint, and it does have a peppery taste. This is a big part of the flavor of peppermint tea. It is also a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet.
This is very slight, and it might come as a surprise that it isn’t very minty. There is just a slight minty flavor, but the main flavor is pepper, not mint.
It is smooth and easy to drink, but it can be somewhat bitter if you aren’t careful in how you prepare it. People often want the benefits of peppermint tea, so they try to find ways to make it so that it is smooth, effective, and tastes good.
How to Make Peppermint Tea Taste Better
People often add other herbs to peppermint tea to make it taste better. Although it is a little bit sweet, some people find it bitter.
There are a number of different ways that you can add to your peppermint tea to please your taste buds. Take a look at the following ways to improve your tea.
1 – Add Lemon
Lemon is a great addition to mint tea. It compliments the taste, and lemon has many benefits to you as well. Lemon can improve your mood and give you more energy.
This is true with most citrus fruits, which is one of the reasons people add citrus to many different recipes.
When you want to add lemon to your peppermint tea, you start by making the tea. Once you brew your tea, you simply cut a slice of lemon and add it to the warm tea.
Keep in mind that you want to use the lemon slice, not lemon juice. You won’t enjoy the lemon juice at all. Simply slice the lemon and add it into your tea.
2 – Add Ginger
Ginger is another great choice to combine with your mint tea. It will help to lift the mint flavor, and it is a little bit similar to lemon in flavor and smell.
In addition, ginger has a range of health benefits, and it helps your body digest food. It can ease an upset stomach and reduce nausea.
You need to access the oil in the root of the ginger, so the best way to add it is to grate the ginger into your hot water. You should let it steep for a few minutes. Ginger actually needs to steep longer than mint, so you will boil your water and add the ginger first.
After five minutes, you can add your mint leaves and let the tea steep another five minutes. Then, it will be ready.
3 – Add Honey
Honey is one of the best known ingredients to improve the taste of peppermint tea. Honey is sweet and has a flavor that mixes well with peppermint.
It will give your tea a rich and sweet smell, and it has additional health benefits. Honey is soothing when you have a sore throat, and it works with the mint tea to make you feel better.
When you add honey to your tea, you need to make sure that the tea is warm, but not hot. You can brew your peppermint tea, and then let it steep. Let your tea sit for about 10 minutes, and then add your honey.
Honey loses its effectiveness when it is exposed to high levels of heat, so it is important to keep the tea warm.
4 – Add Lavender
Another great addition to peppermint tea is lavender. It enhances the calming effect and can help to reduce anxiety and aid in relaxation.
It is often used in conjunction with mint in aromatherapy, and it offers the same benefits when you add it to your peppermint tea.
You will use dried lavender leaves to add it to your peppermint tea. You don’t need to use a lot because lavender has a strong flavor, so you can combine your mint leaves and your lavender leaves in a 75% to 25% mixture.
Lavender and peppermint steep for the same amount of time, which is five minutes. This combination will taste better, but you can add a drop of honey once it is cooled down to make it taste even better.
5 – Add Brown Sugar
Strong tasting teas such as peppermint pair well with brown sugar. The taste of brown sugar is rich, and it requires a stronger tea to balance it out.
You can add some brown sugar to your peppermint tea, and you can boost the flavor with a drop of honey. This will bring out a sensation of sweet and spicy that can soothe your throat and clear your sinuses at the same time.
When you add brown sugar, you can make your peppermint tea and then add the brown sugar. If you want to add honey, make sure that you wait until it is cooled for about 10 minutes. This tea will have a rich, balanced flavor.
6 – Add Chocolate
If you enjoy the taste of chocolate and peppermint, this Chocolate Mint Tea Blend is delicious. You can premix the ingredients and store them in a jar so that you can make this tea whenever you want it.
Take your peppermint leaves and combine them with Cacao nibs. They are crunchy and made from fermented cocoa beans. They add just enough chocolate flavor and combine perfectly with your peppermint.
When you are ready to make your tea, you can add one tablespoon to eight ounces of boiling water. It will steep for just about five minutes. You can add a drop of honey if you wish, but you can drink it on its own as well.
7 – Add Berries
Another flavor that works well with peppermint tea is fruit berries. You can choose strawberries or blueberries, and other fruits are delicious as well.
Berries will offset the crisp taste of the peppermint. Fruits taste best in iced peppermint tea, so you should make your tea first, and then add sliced strawberries and stick it in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill.
When you take it out, you will have a cool and refreshing mint-berry iced tea that tastes great. You can serve it in a glass with ice cubes to keep it cool.
Other Flavors
There are unlimited choices when you want to improve the taste of peppermint tea. Peppermint is crisp and spicy, while being a little bit sweet, which allows you to enhance any part of the flavor you choose.
Most people prefer to add ingredients that offset the spiciness, so they choose sweeter ingredients such as honey. Many people grow a spice garden so that they can have an assortment of flavors to combine when they make peppermint tea.
You can add honey to any combination of peppermint tea, and it adds a hint of sweetness and smooths out the flavor. You only need a drop of honey, and it should not be added until the tea has cooled down.
Use other flavors to compliment the peppermint flavor so that you receive the health benefits of peppermint while pleasing your taste buds.
Final Thoughts
There are many different health benefits that are associated with peppermint tea, so it is very popular in many homes across the world. You can ease your upset stomach, relieve headaches, unclog your sinuses, and more, and it is a natural remedy that many people turn to.
Peppermint tea is a bit spicy and a bit sweet at the same time, and it can be strong on its own. People are always looking to find ways to improve its taste.
By adding the ingredients above, you can enhance your peppermint tea so that it offers all of the health benefits and tastes great.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.