Peppermint tea steep time and temperature

By exactee · Updated 2026-10-13

Make peppermint tea with freshly boiled water (about 100 °C (212 °F)), around 1.5–2 g of dried leaves (a heaped teaspoon) or one bag per 250 ml, covered, for 5–10 minutes. With fresh mint, use 10–15 leaves or a few sprigs and steep 5–7 minutes. Longer steeps make it stronger and more bitter, but not harmful.

About peppermint tea

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint. Its cooling taste comes mainly from menthol in the leaf’s essential oil. Peppermint tea contains no tea leaves and no caffeine, which makes it one of the most popular evening and after-dinner drinks. Spearmint, often used in Moroccan mint tea, is milder and sweeter.

Brewing parameters

Step by step

1. Put the dried leaves in an infuser or teapot, or bruise fresh leaves lightly between your fingers to release the oils.
2. Pour on freshly boiled water.
3. Cover the cup or pot. Menthol is volatile; without a lid, much of the aroma escapes with the steam.
4. Steep 5–10 minutes.
5. Strain or lift out the leaves.

What happens if you steep peppermint tea too long?

Nothing dangerous. Peppermint has no catechins, so it doesn’t turn harsh like green tea, but after 10–15 minutes it becomes very strong, slightly bitter and medicinal-tasting. If you like it strong, add more leaves instead of steeping much longer. Leaving fresh mint sprigs in the glass while you drink, as is common in cafés, is fine: it just gets stronger.

Why boiling water?

Hot water extracts the essential oils well, and it also matters for food safety: Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends making herbal infusions with boiling water and steeping them for at least five minutes, because dried herbs can occasionally carry bacteria. More in cold brew tea.

Fresh vs. dried

Fresh mint gives a lighter, greener, sweeter tea; dried peppermint is more concentrated and more classically “minty”. Both are good. Fresh mint keeps a few days in the fridge wrapped in a damp towel, or in a glass of water like cut flowers.

Iced peppermint tea

Brew double strength, 3–4 g dried leaf per 250 ml for 10 minutes, then pour over ice. Peppermint mixed half and half with black iced tea is especially refreshing; see iced tea ratio.

Peppermint and caffeine

Pure peppermint tea is caffeine-free. Blends labelled “mint tea” may contain green or black tea (Moroccan mint tea is usually gunpowder green tea plus spearmint), so check the ingredients if you want it caffeine-free.

Who should be careful

Peppermint is generally well tolerated as a drink. Some people with heartburn or reflux find that peppermint makes their symptoms worse. If you are pregnant, take regular medication, or want to give peppermint tea to a baby or small child, check with a doctor or pharmacist first. Concentrated peppermint oil is a different matter from tea and should not be used on infants.

Good combinations

• Peppermint and chamomile, half and half
• Peppermint with a slice of fresh ginger
• Peppermint with lemon balm
• Moroccan style: gunpowder green tea, fresh spearmint and sugar

For rooibos and other caffeine-free infusions, see the herbal tea guide.

Peppermint vs. spearmint

Both make good tea, but they taste different. Peppermint is high in menthol: sharp, cooling and strong. Spearmint contains much less menthol and more of a compound called carvone, which gives a sweeter, softer, almost chewing-gum flavour. That is why spearmint is used in Moroccan mint tea, where it is brewed with green tea and sugar, while peppermint is the classic after-dinner tisane on its own. If you find peppermint too intense, try spearmint with the same parameters, or mix the two. Both grow easily in a pot and are best harvested just before they flower.