Peppermint Leaves
The cool hit you feel before you even taste it. Dried peppermint leaf makes a tea so clean and bright it barely needs anything else.
What It Is
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a natural cross between watermint and spearmint, and it has been steeped as a tea and stirred into food across Europe and the Middle East for centuries. The dried leaf holds onto its volatile oils well, which is why a handful of these still smells sharp right out of the bag.
The flavor is cool, clean, and slightly sweet, with none of the harsh edge of extract. It is strong enough to stand alone and agreeable enough to blend with almost anything.
What To Do
For tea, steep one heaping teaspoon of dried leaf in eight ounces of water just off the boil for five to seven minutes. Longer steeping makes it more intense, not bitter. Strain and drink as is, or add a little honey.
Beyond the cup, crumble a small amount into homemade whipped cream, stir it into a simple syrup for lemonade, or tuck it into a blend with rose hips or lemon peel. Store in a sealed container away from light and heat and it will keep its bite for about a year.
