5 Easy Steps to Make Peppermint Tea Properly
Peppermint leaves can be used to make an herbal tea by brewing it in water — hot or cold. See how easy it is to make this herbal infusion perfectly each and every time.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint tea is an herbal tea made by steeping peppermint leaves in water. Herbal tea is also called an infusion or a tisane.
This caffeine-free drink can be made hot by brewing it in hot water and made iced by cold brewing in the refrigerator. (Cold brewing is THE BEST way to make any iced tea.)
I find peppermint tea energizing with its minty (haha) taste and cooling sensation due to the menthol that’s naturally found in the plant.
What is Peppermint?
Peppermint is a mix of two plants in the mint family: watermint and spearmint.
It’s the most popular mint and it’s grown everywhere around the world, but it originated in Europe and Asia.
Because peppermint naturally contains a lot of menthol, a compound that can be found in oil from mint plants, it’s cooling and is used often in traditional medicine to treat sore throats and muscle aches.
Peppermint is used to make tea and to flavor everything from ice cream to toothpaste.
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Peppermint Tea Formula
Whether you make it cold or hot, the formula to make it is the same.
2 teaspoons of peppermint loose tea for every cup of water (8 fl. oz.).
My Peppermint Tea Pick:
Peppermint Herbal
Pure peppermint tea leaves for making tea. I always prefer loose tea but they also have them in sachets.
There's also an organic version.
Best part? Free shipping!
What Does Peppermint Tea Taste Like?
Menthol in peppermint makes the tea taste minty and mildly sweet, leaving a cooling sensation in the mouth.
It’s great in the summer as an iced drink since it’s light and refreshing.
As hot tea in the winter, peppermint tea is great since the menthol can provide a zing after a heavy meal.
RELATED: How to Make Herbal Tea Properly
Is There Caffeine in Peppermint Tea?
There’s absolutely no caffeine in peppermint tea. It’s great to have as an evening drink, especially to those that are sensitive to caffeine.
Are There Any Calories in Peppermint Tea?
Nope! Peppermint tea has ZERO calories.
Only when you add milk or sugar do you add calories to the drink.
Is Peppermint Tea a Real Tea?
No, peppermint isn’t a real tea.
For a tea to be a real or pure tea, it has to come from the camellia sinensis plant, like black or green tea.
All herbal teas are not real tea since they come from different plants. The peppermint tea comes from the mint plant, not camellia sinensis.
What are the Health Benefits of Peppermint Tea?
- May relax muscles
Peppermint has been used in traditional medicine to relax muscles and ease pain. - Freshens breath
Peppermint has antibacterial properties that help kill germs, which may improve and freshen your breath. - May help with sinus pressure
Peppermint has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties so peppermint tea (and the steam from the hot drink) may help with clogged sinuses.
With any of these health claims, know that there hasn’t been extensive scientific research done on peppermint tea itself.
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What I Use to Make Peppermint Tea
- Loose or sachet peppermint tea
- Filtered water
- Glass teapot with strainer
My go-to teapot for making herbal tea. - Gooseneck electric kettle
A must have! You can set the water temperature to brew tea properly each and every time.
How to Make Peppermint Tea Properly
STEP 1: Boil water.
Don’t just boil tap water but instead, go for filtered water. The better the water tastes, the better your tea will taste.
I like to boil water using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. I set the water to 208°F, which is a bit under a full boil.
Make sure you boil extra water so that you can use it to warm up the teapot, which is the next step.
STEP 2: Warm up teapot.
Pour some of the freshly boiled hot water into a teapot and swirl the water around. Throw out the water.
This step is always included when I want to brew tea properly. Warming up the teapot keeps the boiled water hot so that there isn’t a big temperature drop when brewing the tea.
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STEP 3: Put peppermint tea into teapot and add hot water.
The formula is 2 teaspoons of peppermint tea for every cup of water.
I have found that only using 1 1/2 teaspoons to be too weak.
STEP 4: Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
Peppermint tea is pretty forgiving when it comes to steep time. You can steep it longer than 5 minutes and it’ll still taste great and won’t get overly bitter.
I found 5 minutes to be the ideal brew time for most herbal teas.
Make sure to keep the teapot covered so the water stays nice and hot.
STEP 5: Strain peppermint leaves and pour hot tea into a teacup.
Ahhh, a perfect cup of peppermint tea!
If you want to sweeten your peppermint tea, try sugar, honey, or date syrup.
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How to Make Iced Peppermint Tea Properly
The best iced tea is cold brewed iced tea! It tastes soooo good and way better than iced tea made any other way.
RELATED: 30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes
STEP 1: Put peppermint tea and water in a pitcher or glass container.
We used 2 teaspoons of peppermint tea to make a cup of hot tea and it’s the same ratio to make cold brewed peppermint tea.
Put cold or room temperature water into a pitcher (I use a glass teapot with strainer) and stir in the peppermint tea.
Use filtered water if possible for the best-tasting cold brewed tea.
STEP 2: Cover pitcher and put in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Herbal tea, like peppermint, can be left to steep for up to 24 hours.
STEP 3: Strain peppermint tea leaves and pour tea into a cup.
Ice is optional when it comes to cold brewed tea since it’s already chilled.
If you like your iced tea sweetened, use simple syrup since it’s the easiest to incorporate into your cold tea since it’s a liquid.
Simple sugar is super easy to make at home. Just mix equal parts sugar and hot water until the sugar dissolves.
Peppermint Tea Tips
- Use loose peppermint tea instead of tea bags.
- Use a glass teapot to make herbal tea so you can see the pretty herbals in water.
- You can make variations on simple syrup by dissolving honey, brown sugar, or date syrup instead of regular sugar in hot water.
Recipes with Mint
Moroccan Mint Tea
The Baccarat Hotel's Moroccan Mint Tea recipe.
Chocolate Mint Tea Latte
A sweet beverage made with cacao nibs and peppermint and black tea.
Mint Lemonade Iced Tea
A tart, refreshing iced drink made with mint.
Iced Green Tea with Fresh Fruit
Cold brewed green tea with fruit and fresh mint.
Peppermint Tea
How to make peppermint tea properly, hot and iced.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons peppermint loose tea
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Boil water.
If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 208°F. Boil a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot.
(Filtered water is best.) - Warm up teapot.
Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit to warm it up. Discard the water. - Put peppermint tea into teapot and add hot water.
- Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain peppermint leaves and pour hot tea into a teacup.
Notes
To make cold brew iced peppermint tea:
- Put peppermint tea and cool or room temperature water in a pitcher or glass container. (I like using this teapot with strainer.)
Filtered water is best. - Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Strain out peppermint tea leaves and pour tea into a cup. Ice is optional since the tea is already cold.
To sweeten your tea:
If you want to sweeten your peppermint tea, use simple syrup.
You can easily make simple sugar at home by mixing equal parts sugar (or honey, date syrup, or brown sugar) and hot water until the sugar dissolves.
