Organic Spearmint
Our Organic Spearmint herbal tea is grown in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of the USA. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is a member of the mint family that has less menthol than our organic peppermint and has a sugar-sweet taste that lingers in the mid-mouth. The liquor has a golden honey color and sweet aroma. Well-known in the United States as an ingredient in Southern sweet tea and mixed drinks such as the mojito and mint julep, spearmint is a versatile herb that can also make a delicious stand-alone cup of hot or iced herbal tea! Naturally caffeine-free, this organic loose leaf spearmint is a welcome addition to our domestically-grown herbal offerings.
Ingredients: organic USA spearmint
Origin: Pacific Northwest, USA
The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most prolific and best tasting herbs in the United States. Sometimes referred to as Cascadia, this region includes the states of Oregon and Washington and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Rocky Mountains the east. The various climatic regions (from the mild summers with abundant rainfall in the mountains to the broad, dry plateaus) create the perfect growing conditions for many different types of herbs. Environmentalism is prominent throughout the region resulting in a strong commitment to organic and sustainable farming, and home to one of the original organic certifying bodies, Oregon Tilth. In our efforts to source as many products as possible from right here in the USA, we are delighted to offer herbal teas from this region and plan to continue to increase our selection of domestically grown herbs over the next few years.
Steeping Instructions
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend rooibos and herbal teas to be steeped for 5 to 7 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves.If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
Staff Perspectives
Chelsea
"I make a strong batch of this, put it in a spray bottle and use it in the garden to deter pests and fungus on new seedlings."
Trish
"I like this because it's a little bit sweeter than our Peppermint and it doesn't have the minty punch, it's more subtle."
Aubrey
"This spearmint is a must for everyone’s herb cabinet as it makes an ideal ingredient for concocting at-home blends!"
Health Benefits
Similar to peppermint, spearmint has been used in folk medicine to help alleviate symptoms of nausea, indigestion, and gas. However, spearmint has a much longer history of medicinal use than peppermint, dating back to the ancient Egyptians. In contrast, peppermint is a natural hybrid of spearmint (Mentha spicata) and watermint (Mentha aquatica) that wasn’t discovered until the 1600s in England. Even though most contemporary research on the Mentha genus has been devoted to peppermint, a few recent studies have focused specifically on spearmint’s antifungal and antioxidant properties. A study in Molecules concluded that spearmint oils “possess great antifungal potential and could be used as natural preservatives and fungicides.” In 2011, another study presented at the International Conference on Environmental and Agriculture Engineering further discussed how spearmint could be used as a natural pesticide. And a report published in Food Chemistry studied the effectiveness of spearmint as a natural antioxidant.
For more information about the health benefits of spearmint and other types of tea, and for direct sources of the above information, check out our Tea Health Benefits page!
Please note: the information above is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
