6 Easy Steps To Make The Refreshing Mint Tea Recipe!

Mint Tea recipe is a refreshing beverage that is sure to make you feel revitalized. Mint is a herb that surely needs no introduction. It is used in its fresh or dried form in several dishes and is even used in its oil form in toothpaste and gums. When it comes to mint tea, we are talking about either peppermint or spearmint as they are the two types of mints that are commonly used to brew tea.

Peppermint has rounded leaves and is a hybrid of spearmint and watermint. Mint tea prepared using peppermint leaves will have a cool and sharp taste. On the other hand, spearmint has pointed leaves, and tea prepared using these leaves will have a lighter and sweeter taste. while drinking mint tea is something common all over the world, it is interesting to note that Europe mostly drinks peppermint tea while spearmint is used to make a lovely concoction along with green tea and is commonly sipped in Morocco.

Peppermint Tea Benefits:

• Peppermint tea contains high levels of menthol thus helping to relieve symptoms of indigestion.
• It can also be used as a remedy in IBS as it helps to relax the muscles that aid in digestion.
• Peppermint tea is a great source of vitamin C 
• Peppermint tea contains vital minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, potassium, and calcium.

Spearmint Tea Benefits:

• Spearmint tea also plays a role in digestion but contains less menthol as compared to peppermint tea.
• Spearmint tea is known to have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties
• Spearmint tea is a good source of antioxidants such as beta carotenes, folates, and vitamins such as A, C, and B.
• It is also known to boost immunity.

How to grow mint?

Growing your own mint plant at home ensures that you will never run out of this fresh herb, it is also more economical in the long run. The easiest way to grow mint is by using a starter plant from the nursery that can be directly placed in the soil.

You can also grow mint from seeds by allowing the seedlings to sprout indoors and then transferring them once the mint leaves emerge. If space is a constraint, you can also just grow mint on your kitchen windowsill but ensure that it receives a lot of direct sunshine throughout the day and make sure that the soil is always moist.

How to store mint?

Unless you have a mint plant in your home, you are always left with an abundance of mint that has to be stored for future use. The way to do this is by:

• Take a large jar with a lid. 
• Fill the jar with a little bit of water.
• Add the cut ends of the mint into the water.
• Cover it with the lid. 
• This will keep your mint fresh for up to 5 days.

How to store mint leaves?

You can also store mint leaves that have already been cut off at the stems by:

• Take a paper towel and moisten it a little bit.
• Gently place the leaves in the towel
• Now place the towel in a plastic bag but do not seal it as this will create too much moisture
• Place in a refrigerator
• Mint leaves will stay fresh for at least 3 days.

Ingredients:

• Filtered water 2 cups
• Fresh mint leaves 15
• Sugar 2 tsp
• Ice 1 cup
• Lemon slices 2
• Lime juice 1 tsp

Directions:

1. Put the water into a saucepan and place it on medium heat.
2. Once it has boiled, turn off the heat and add in the mint leaves.
3. Let the mint leaves steep for at least 3-5 mins depending on how strong you like it.
4. Add the sugar into the saucepan and stir well.
5. Pour the concoction into the mugs
6. Add the lime juice and garnish with the lemon slice and serve.

Notes:

• You can enjoy it as an ice-cold beverage by adding a lot of ice into a wide glass and then pouring the mint tea over it and garnishing it with a lemon slice.
• This mint tea can literally be had at any time even before bedtime as it does not contain caffeine and will not keep you up at night.
• You can even just shred the mint leaves before steeping them for a stronger taste.

Summary