Why is my mint not minty?

June 11, 2017 12:23 PM

I bought a mint plant a few weeks ago, and it's growing great- but it doesn't look minty? It's a darker green and isn't as wrinkly. It smells a little like mint, but not as much it should. It sure was labeled as mint, and it smells like mint when touched, so I'm pretty sure it IS mint- but what the heck? I bought some normal looking mint for comparison. What is happening and can I fix it? Photo here
posted by Blisterlips to Home & Garden (18 answers total)

I think you have peppermint not spearmint? http://visionherbs.tumblr.com/post/57510451831/what-is-the-difference-between-spearmint-and
posted by slow graffiti at 12:26 PM on June 11, 2017 [5 favorites]

There are dozens and dozens of Mentha cultivars.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:30 PM on June 11, 2017 [5 favorites]

It definitely looks like peppermint.Not spearmint. Perhaps a hybrid or speciality breed(they're super common these days and sometimes not labelled correctly)?

It's definitely mint but there's no way of knowing what exact kind.
posted by InkDrinker at 12:31 PM on June 11, 2017

Nthing that it isn't spearmint, and for culinary use spearmint is mostly what you want.
posted by slkinsey at 12:51 PM on June 11, 2017

I looks like a mint, but maybe a sub-flavor? It doesn't look like spearmint, or lemon mint, looks a little like chocolate mint. Smell it some more and see if you can identify anything in addition to mint. Basil and oregano are mints, so the variety is huge.
posted by theora55 at 12:55 PM on June 11, 2017 [4 favorites]

Could be oregano
posted by sciencegeek at 1:48 PM on June 11, 2017

Yeah- there are a whole bunch of different types of mint. They're all at least a little minty, especially when you crush the leaves to release the oils, but they vary a lot in strength and taste. Last year we grew about 5 varieties (my husband has a cute-kids-selling-seedlings-at-the-farmers-market problem) and really only liked one for our mojito purposes. None of them smelled much like mint until they were touched, incidentally.
posted by charmedimsure at 2:00 PM on June 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

There's only one way to know how minty it is. Eat some.
posted by xammerboy at 2:03 PM on June 11, 2017 [2 favorites]

It looks like the inferior mint I got the one time I tried growing it from seed. They don't always breed true as many are hybrids and even seeds from spearmint (Mentha spicata) could have been cross pollinated.
posted by Botanizer at 2:06 PM on June 11, 2017

Looks like peppermint or chocolate mint.
posted by bile and syntax at 2:22 PM on June 11, 2017

Mostly peppermint is used in tea, cooking, baking and drinks. Spearment is kind of an also ran, mostly used for gum. There are all kinds of mint, just like there are all kinds of basil.
posted by Oyéah at 2:26 PM on June 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

Peppermint is pointier. This looks like chocolate or orange mint to me.
posted by instamatic at 3:05 PM on June 11, 2017

Best answer: I believe this is a chocolate mint, which is considerably milder.
posted by headspace at 4:07 PM on June 11, 2017

Agree with chocolate mint. Brownish stems are characteristic.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 4:23 PM on June 11, 2017 [3 favorites]

Agree with the chocolate mint diagnosis.
posted by Miko at 7:41 PM on June 11, 2017

I have some that looks like that - dark green flat leaves, reddish/brown stems. It was sold as "doublemint" and sure enough, it smells just like the gum. I have it growing next to the spearmint and it is very easy to tell the difference. I also have peppermint. Looks very similar to the doublemint, but the leaves are smaller.
posted by CathyG at 7:44 AM on June 12, 2017

Agreed that your potted plant is a variety of mint that you don't like as much. How to fix it? The bad news is, your plant is doing its thing and there's nothing you can do about it. The good news is, it's really easy to take a sprig of mint that you do like (from the supermarket or a friend's garden or whatever) and set the stem in water until it grows roots, then plant it in soil, and you'll have your happily-growing "normal looking" mint plant for a long time.
posted by aimedwander at 8:16 AM on June 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

Just looks like normal peppermint to me, although chocolate mint is also a contender.

If the former, it's delicious! I actually prefer it in a lot of things, particularly more savory recipes like these.

Spearmint is much stronger and mintier and will tend to overwhelm most other flavors, peppermint tends to be subtler and combines well with oregano/parsley/sumac/lemon.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:17 AM on June 12, 2017