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Peppermint Tea – The Perfect Pick-me-up

 

 

Soothing yet invigorating and refreshing, the health benefits of drinking peppermint tea are well-known, but if you only ever drink it made from teabags you are missing out on the ‘real deal’. In fact, the difference in taste and flavour is so much better when using fresh leaves that once you’ve tried it you’ll always want to drink tea this way! 

 

The good news is that using fresh leaves is delightfully simple and takes only a few seconds more to make. 

 

If you’re a frequent peppermint tea drinker it’s worth keeping a couple of plants on the go ready for picking.

 

1. Boil water and leave to stand for a minute.

2. Meanwhile pick 7-10 peppermint (Mentha piperita) leaves per mug of tea.

3. Tear the leaves 2 or 3 times (some recommend crushing the leaves with the back of a spoon to release flavour but tearing seems to work just fine). 

4. Drop the leaves into an infuser and place in the mug, or if you don’t have an infuser, directly into the mug. 

5. Pour the hot water over the leaves and allow to brew for 7-10 minutes according to taste. Cover the mug with a saucer. 

6. Lift out the infuser or remove the loose leaves with a teaspoon, and enjoy!

 

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Mixing it up 

 

Some peppermint tea drinkers prefer to add some additional flavour, such as lemon. For those who prefer their drink a little sweeter, try adding a little honey. 

 

Double Mint

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For an even zingier flavour, try adding a 2 or 3 leaves of spearmint (Mentha spicata) along with the peppermint leaves.

 

Experiment

 

There are many varieties of peppermint to choose from; I personally love the dark, red-green leaves of Black Peppermint. And you may also want to experiment with other varieties of mint too: pineapple mint, apple mint and chocolate mint are just some of the options. But for the ultimate all-round pick-me up, peppermint is hard to beat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits of Peppermint Tea

 

• Immune System. Peppermint contains antiviral and antibiotic properties which help to support the immune system. 

 

• Mind. Stimulating mind as well as body, peppermint tea is a great pick-me-up, particularly when feeling at a bit of a low ebb or struggling with mental fatigue. Very useful for when you’d usually go for a caffeine-boost to get you through a tiring afternoon for example. 

 

• Stomach Upsets. Known for its relaxing effects on the gut, peppermint tea makes a great remedy for mild stomach upsets and abdominal pain.

 

• Headaches. The menthol within peppermint has been proven to be an effective relief for some who suffer from headaches and migraines. 

 

More on Peppermint

 

Peppermint is actually a hybrid between water mint and spearmint. Easy to grow, give it plenty of sunshine to really cultivate that full flavour. As with all mint plants, always grow in pots and containers as the spreading roots become very difficult to control if planted directly in the ground.