How to Harvest Mint for Tea

My herb garden has been a great source of joy for me this season. I’ve planted several different herbs, but the many varieties if mint have been particularly bountiful. I recently transplanted them to a bigger patch, giving them more room to grow and they have taken me up on my offer. Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow, and I always recommend it as a beginner herb. I love to use mint in just about everything, including my new favorite kombucha recipe. But my evening ritual stays the same: a cup of fresh mint & lemon balm tea. In this post I’ll show you how to harvest mint for tea, whether you use it fresh like I do, or dry for later use.

What are the benefits of mint?

Benefits of Mint Plants:

Easy Cultivation: Mint plants are easy to grow and maintain, making them a great choice for home gardens and for beginners. They are a cold hardy plant and a perennial herb, meaning they will come back the next growing season without needing to be replanted.
Natural Pest Deterrent: The strong aroma of mint helps repel pests, making it a natural defense for other plants in your garden.
Culinary Versatility: Mint leaves enhance a variety of dishes and beverages with their refreshing flavor, both sweet and savory.
Soothing Digestive Aid: Mint tea made from the leaves can alleviate indigestion, bloating, and other digestive discomforts.
Stress Relief: The menthol aroma of mint tea promotes relaxation and reduces stress and anxiety.
Respiratory Support: Menthol in mint tea acts as a natural decongestant, helping clear nasal passages and ease breathing.
Skin Care: Mint’s anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties make it useful for soothing minor skin irritations and rashes.
Aromatic Pleasure: The invigorating aroma of mint plants adds a refreshing and pleasant scent to your surroundings.

Benefits of Mint Tea:

Digestive Comfort: Mint tea helps alleviate indigestion, gas, and bloating due to its soothing properties.
Stress Reduction: The calming aroma of mint tea can help relax the mind and reduce stress levels.
Respiratory Relief: Menthol in mint tea can provide relief from congestion and help with breathing issues.
Hydration: Mint tea is a hydrating beverage option, especially when served without added sugars or sweeteners.
Antioxidant Content: Mint leaves are rich in antioxidants that contribute to overall health and wellness.
Nausea Relief: Mint tea is often used to ease nausea and motion sickness.
Weight Management: Mint tea can aid digestion and metabolism, potentially supporting weight management efforts.
Caffeine-Free Option: Mint tea is caffeine-free, making it a suitable choice for those looking to reduce caffeine intake.

Different varieties of mint

I am only starting to dip my toe into all the different mint varieties. This year is the first year that I expanded my mint patch to include new types of mint. I’m excited to harvest the different mint varieties and seeing how the flavor of my tea differs. There are numerous varieties of mint, each with its own distinct flavor, aroma, and characteristics. Here are some of the most common and popular varieties of mint:

Spearmint (Mentha spicata): This is one of the most widely recognized types of mint. It has a sweet and slightly mild flavor, making it a popular choice for culinary uses, including beverages like mint tea and cocktails.
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita): Known for its strong, cool, and slightly spicy flavor, peppermint is often used for making peppermint tea and flavoring candies, desserts, and chocolates.
Chocolate Mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Chocolate’): This variety has a delightful chocolate-mint aroma and flavor. It’s a unique addition to desserts, beverages, and even gardening.
Orange Mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Citrata’ or ‘Orange’): With a citrusy twist, orange mint adds a zesty aroma and flavor to dishes and beverages. It’s also popular for garnishing and infusing water.
Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens): True to its name, apple mint has a sweet and fruity aroma reminiscent of apples. It’s often used in salads, desserts, and beverages.
Pineapple Mint (Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’): This variety has green and white variegated leaves and a mild pineapple-like aroma. It’s often used for decorative purposes and adds a subtle flavor to beverages and desserts.
Lemon Mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Citrata’): As the name suggests, lemon mint offers a bright and citrusy scent. It’s great for making herbal teas, garnishing dishes, and flavoring cocktails.
Lavender Mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Lavender’): This mint variety combines the aromatic qualities of mint with a hint of lavender fragrance. It’s used for teas, infusions, and potpourris.
Ginger Mint (Mentha × gracilis ‘Variegata’): With a mild ginger undertone, this mint variety adds a subtle spiciness to beverages, salads, and Asian-inspired dishes.
Berries and Cream Mint (Mentha × piperita ‘Berries and Cream’): This variety has a fruity aroma reminiscent of berries and cream. It’s often used in desserts, fruit salads, and beverages.
Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii): Also known as “creeping mint” or “rock mint,” this low-growing mint has tiny leaves and a strong peppermint fragrance. It’s often used as a ground cover or in between stepping stones.

The Best Way to Harvest Fresh Mint Leaves for Tea

There are many different ways to harvest mint. By far the easiest way (and thus, in my opinion, the best) to harvest mint leaves is for fresh mint tea. The process is extremely simple. You just pull off individual leaves from the mint stems, add them to your cup, and cover them with hot water. That is it. If your herb garden is a bit of a walk away, or you don’t want to be repeating this task every day, you can cut off a single mint plant and place it in a jar of water on your countertop. You then simply cut off a leaf or two as needed.

However, all of this is only possible during the growing season.

If you want to harvest mint for later use, you can use one of the following two methods. Either, pull off individual leaves off your plant, and lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet to dry. Make sure they’re in a warm & dry place, but out of direct sunlight. Alternatively, you can use a dehydrator or even your oven on the lowest temperature setting.

If I have a big harvest of mint I want to dry, I usually opt for cutting off the entire mint plants, tying them up in bunches, and hanging them upside down to dry. Once again, find a dry spot that’s out of direct sunlight. When the leaves are dry, you can easily pick them off the stems and store them in an airtight container.

Another way of harvesting mint is to place the individual leaves in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. You can also make mint ice cubes, my placing a leaf of mint inside each section in ice cube trays, covering it with water, and freezing them. These make a cute & refreshing addition to cold beverages.

Remember to leave a portion of the plant intact when harvesting, so it can continue to grow and produce more leaves. Overharvesting can stress the plant and affect its overall health.

different varieties of fresh mint growing in the garden

Tools for harvesting mint

For my evening tea, I usually just walk out into my herb garden after dark and pull a few leaves off so that they’re as fresh as possible. However, when harvesting a lot of mint, it’s a good idea to use clean and sharp scissors or gardening shears to cut the stems just above a set of leaves or leaf node. The clean cut creates bushier plants and encourages them to fill out rather than become leggy.

Best time to Harvest Mint for Tea

The best time to harvest mint is in the morning, just after the dew has dried but before the sun is at its peak. This is when the essential oils responsible for mint’s flavor and aroma are at their highest concentration in the leaves. Harvesting in the morning helps ensure that the mint leaves are at their freshest and most flavorful.

It’s also a good idea to harvest mint before it starts to grow flower buds. Once mint plants begin to flower, the flavor of the leaves can become slightly bitter and less potent. Regular harvesting, especially during the growing season, encourages the plant to produce more leaves and delays the onset of flowering.

The best time of year for harvesting mint is during its active growing season, which is typically in the late spring through early summer months. This is when mint plants are vigorously producing new leaves and are at their peak flavor and aroma. Specifically, aim to harvest mint:

Late Spring to Early Summer: This is the prime time for harvesting mint. The plant is actively growing, and the leaves contain the highest concentrations of essential oils that give mint its characteristic flavor and fragrance.
Before Flowering: Try to harvest mint before it starts to flower. Once mint plants begin to flower, the flavor of the leaves can become slightly bitter and less potent. Regular harvesting before flowering encourages the plant to produce more leaves and delays the onset of flowering.
Avoid Late Summer and Fall: As the growing season progresses, mint plants can become leggy, and the flavor of the leaves may decline. By late summer and fall, the quality of the leaves may diminish, so it’s best to focus on harvesting during the prime growing months.