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How to make mint tea from fresh mint?


luvfood

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Yup, but you don't even have to snip. I just plop the leaves in a cup and pour boiling water over them. A little fresh tarragon goes nicely with mint, if you have it.

Sometimes with fresh mint I detect a vegetal, almost grassy flavor that I don't get from dried. Not sure why that should be.

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I don't know what kind of mint you have, but when I used to live at home and we had a yard full of peppermint, because it takes over, I used to take BIG handfuls and pour hot water over to make tea. Definitely much tastier than dried mint tea, but my favorite part was how it came out BRIGHT yellow. Like, have you seen mountain dew soda out of the can? And it's fluorescent yellow? Pretty much that color, just without the bubbles. :laugh:

Bagel?
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If all you have is a few mint leaves your infusion will be quite weak (not necessarily a bad thing). It takes a surprising amount of fresh mint to make a decently strong and flavorful tea.

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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I also like, esp. in the summer, to put leaves in a glass of cold water. It gives the water a lite minty flavor.

At a winery I saw a worker drinking something with a bunch of leaves in the bottom of a wine glass and asked what it was and it was mint leaves in cold water.

I have chocolate mint I'm using now!

Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality. Clifton Fadiman

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  • 7 years later...

You can also make it Moroccan style, with green tealeaves, sugar, and the fresh mint.

I have always wanted to do this. Does anyone know the traditional ratio (if there is one) of leaves to tea?

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

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I have always wanted to do this. Does anyone know the traditional ratio (if there is one) of leaves to tea?

 

There are no hard and fast rules but the general principle is to cram as much mint as will fit into the pot, while the amount of tea is what one would normally put (few spoonfuls)

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  • 3 months later...

There are no hard and fast rules but the general principle is to cram as much mint as will fit into the pot, while the amount of tea is what one would normally put (few spoonfuls)

Hassouni- I plan to eventually grow my own mint for this. So I was wondering, when cramming the pot with as much mint as will fit, do you (as I suspect) take the leaves off the stems first, or can you cram everything-leaf and stem-into the pot? I know this is probably a stupid question, but it's the kind of stuff I think about

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

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Ive found that if you smash up the mint you get a bit more kit flavor for the amount used.

 

most of the mint flavor I think is 'fat' soluble not water.  but the oils released in the hot water float to the top

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Mint tea is one of the few teas I'll drink. I'm not fussy about it, except: it's one of the few hot drinks I'll add sugar to, because it's better on the sweet side; and I think spearmint is much nicer than peppermint for mint tea. I've mostly seen people make/drink it "by the glass." IOW - teabag, mint leaves (still on the stem), and sugar in a glass (not a mug), pour hot water, stir. Voila. Mint tea. One of life's simple pleasures. (Even better with a piece of baklava.) 

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  • 4 years later...

Fresh mint tea is our after dinner-party go-to.     I used to ask what guests wanted, then fuss in the kitchen with "3 decaf, 1 regular espresso, 2 teas. 2 herbal teas".    Then at a  French b&b we were introduced to after dinner mint tea.    Our host walked several steps into his garden, cut a generous handful, washed it under a hose bib and stuffed it in a teapot.    A perfect ending and excellent digestive.    It's now DH's specialty at parties.   He even bought himself a giant teapot!

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eGullet member #80.

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