To make spearmint tea, steep a small handful of fresh spearmint leaves — or about 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf — in just-off-boil water for 4 to 7 minutes, then strain. Learning how to make spearmint tea is quick and almost impossible to get wrong: spearmint (Mentha spicata) is the softer, sweeter mint, so the cup turns pale gold-green with a clean, gently sweet, cooling flavor and no caffeine at all.
Below is the full spearmint tea recipe, with amounts for fresh and dried leaf, a quick steep-time table, an iced version, a big-jug method for a crowd, and how to store dried leaf. Spearmint tea is an herbal infusion — a tisane — made from a garden herb rather than the tea plant. If you want the wider picture of the category, our guide to what herbal tea is covers it, while here we focus purely on the making.
What Spearmint Tea Is (and How It Tastes)
Spearmint tea is a bright, sweet, cooling infusion made by steeping the leaves of Mentha spicata — the same soft, rounded mint used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, in mint sauce, and in a good tabbouleh. Steep it and the water turns pale gold-green and fills the room with a fresh, garden-sweet aroma. The flavor is clean and gently sweet, cooling without the icy slap of stronger mints, and it finishes smooth rather than sharp.
The main way spearmint differs from peppermint is menthol. Peppermint is high in menthol, which gives it that sharp, almost frosty bite; spearmint carries only a trace, plus far more of a compound called carvone, so it tastes softer, rounder and a little sweeter — less icy, more mellow. That makes fresh spearmint tea an easy all-day cup. For the full side-by-side on flavor, strength and how to brew each, see our dedicated comparison of peppermint versus spearmint tea; here we will stick to the spearmint how-to.
Fresh vs Dried Spearmint
Both make a lovely cup, with a couple of small differences. Fresh spearmint — a handful of leaves straight from a garden pot or the produce aisle — gives the brightest, greenest, most fragrant result, all lifted top notes and summer freshness. Because fresh leaves are mostly water, you need a generous quantity: a small handful (roughly 8 to 12 leaves, or a couple of sprigs) per cup. Rinse them first, and use leaves from a plant you know is unsprayed.
Dried spearmint leaf is more concentrated and available year-round, so you need far less — about 1 to 2 teaspoons of crumbled dried leaf, or one tea bag, per cup. The flavor is a touch rounder and less green than fresh, but every bit as pleasant, and dried leaf keeps for months. If you grow spearmint, drying your own summer surplus is an easy way to have spearmint leaf tea through the winter.
What You Need
The core spearmint tea recipe is just leaf and hot water. Everything else is optional:
- Spearmint — a small handful of fresh leaves, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf (or one bag), per cup of about 240 ml (8 oz).
- Fresh water — heated to just off the boil, about 90 to 95 C (195 to 205 F).
- Honey or a little sugar — optional, to play up spearmint's natural sweetness.
- A slice or squeeze of lemon — optional, brightens the cup and lifts the mint.
- A teaspoon of green tea — optional, for a fresh mint-green blend (note this adds caffeine).
A small strainer or an infuser makes loose leaf far easier to handle at the end.
How to Make Spearmint Tea, Step by Step
The whole thing takes under ten minutes, most of it hands-off steeping.
- Measure your spearmint. Use a small handful of fresh leaves, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried, per cup. If you like a stronger cup, lean toward the higher end.
- Gently bruise the leaves. Lightly tear or press fresh leaves — or give dried leaf a quick crumble — to break the surface and release the aromatic oils that carry spearmint's flavor. Do not pulverize them; a gentle bruise is enough.
- Heat the water. Bring fresh water to just off the boil, about 90 to 95 C (195 to 205 F). Spearmint is forgiving, so the exact temperature is not critical — just-boiled water that has sat for a few seconds is ideal.
- Pour and cover. Put the leaves in a cup, pot or infuser, pour the hot water over them, and cover the vessel with a saucer or lid. Covering traps the volatile oils that would otherwise drift off with the steam, giving a fuller, more fragrant cup.
- Steep 4 to 7 minutes. Steep 4 minutes for a light, delicate cup or up to 7 for something fuller. Spearmint has no tannins to speak of and no caffeine, so a longer steep deepens the flavor rather than turning it bitter.
- Strain. Lift out the infuser or bag, or pour the tea through a small strainer to catch every leaf. Leaves left sitting in the cup keep extracting and can turn the brew grassy.
- Sweeten and serve. Taste first, then add honey or lemon if you like — after straining, so you can judge against the finished cup. Serve hot, or pour over ice.
That is the entire method. For the underlying ratios and temperatures that apply to any leaf or flower infusion, our guide on how to brew herbal tea goes deeper.
Spearmint Tea Amounts and Steep Times
Use this as a starting point, not a rule — spearmint is forgiving, so adjust freely until the cup tastes right. All amounts are per standard cup of about 240 ml (8 oz).
| Spearmint form | Amount per cup | Water | Steep time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh leaves | Small handful (~8-12 leaves / 2 sprigs) | Just off boil (~90-95 C / 195-205 F) | 5-7 min |
| Dried loose leaf | 1-2 tsp | Just off boil | 4-6 min |
| Tea bag | 1 bag | Just off boil | 4-5 min |
| Lighter first cup | Lower amount | Just off boil | 3-4 min |
Iced Spearmint Tea and a Big Jug for a Crowd
Spearmint makes a superb iced tea. The trick is to brew it a little stronger than usual so the melting ice does not water it down: use a touch more leaf, steep the full 7 minutes, let it cool, then pour over a glass packed with ice. A squeeze of lemon and a few whole leaves in the glass make it look and taste like summer.
To make a jug for a crowd, scale the leaf to the water — roughly a large handful of fresh leaves, or 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried, per litre (about 4 cups). Steep in just-off-boil water for 6 to 8 minutes, strain into a pitcher, sweeten while still warm if you want it sweet, then chill. You can also make it as a cold brew: put the leaves and cold water in a jug, refrigerate overnight, and strain in the morning for an ultra-smooth, mellow result. Serve within a day or two and keep it refrigerated.
Storing Dried Spearmint
Keep dried spearmint leaf in an airtight jar or tin, away from light, heat and moisture — a cool cupboard is perfect, not the shelf above the stove. Stored well, it holds good flavor for six months to a year; you will know it is fading when the aroma goes flat, at which point simply use a little more per cup. Fresh spearmint is best used within a few days; stand the sprigs in a glass of water in the fridge, loosely covered, to keep them perky, or dry the surplus for later.
A Light Note on Spearmint and Comfort
Spearmint is a common food herb enjoyed the world over, and a warm cup is a pleasant, caffeine-free way to round off a meal or wind down. Because it is low in menthol, it tends to feel gentler than sharp peppermint — though if mint is a trigger for your reflux or heartburn, you may prefer to go easy or keep the brew light. Responses vary from person to person, and this is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or taking any medication, and you drink spearmint tea often, it is worth asking your own healthcare provider first, since herbs can interact with medicines.
Beyond that, spearmint is one of the easiest and most rewarding herbs to brew. It also blends beautifully with other caffeine-free cups — try it alongside a soft, floral chamomile tea for a mellow evening pot. Boil the water, bruise the leaves, cover and steep a few minutes, strain, and you have a bright, sweet, cooling cup that tastes like a summer garden — hot or iced, any time of day.