The leaf, is the culinary source of mint, but it is really the volatile oils that make Mint such a versatile, easy to grow plant. It is warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet-flavoured with a cool aftertaste. It is used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams, and has long history of being used medicinally too.
Each of Mintopia's Mint Collections pulls together a variety of mints that have been collected from around the globe, so you can try making that perfect drink or dish.
The Tipple Collection allows you to make 'Crème de menthe' the sweet Corsican mint-flavoured liqueur, (essential for a 'Grasshopper' cocktail). Also included is Mojito Mint for making, well... Mojitos; Colonel Kentucky Mint for the gee-gees associated Mint Julep; Mandarin Mint for the Cocktail 'Southside'; and, Orange Mint, the best mint, for the famous Syrian Mint Lemonade: 'Limonana' (or 'Polo' for you hipsters out there).
In Middle Eastern cuisine, mint is used on lamb dishes, while in British cuisine and American cuisine, mint sauce and mint jelly are used, respectively. So, in turn, Mintopia's The Cook's Collection consists of Moroccan Mint for that perfect Kibbeh; Tashkent Mint for mint sauce that will confound your grandma; River Mint for a Jelly; Peppermint for Ice-cream; and finally, Red Mint, because well its simply awesome: It goes especially well with peas; is great in yoghurt dishes; can be chopped into fruit salad, and can be crystallized as a decoration for sweets.
The Cuppa Collection provides mints that are used around the globe in the ancient practice of 'having a brew': Moroccan Mint for Maghrebi mint tea; a type of Spearmint for Touareg tea, a popular tea in northern African and Arab countries; Japanese mint for a particularly astonishing delicate tea; and Hilary’s sweet lemon Mint, which when infused makes a superb British post-roast herbal tea.
The Fruity Collection simply brings you some hybrid mints and their cultivars, particularly from the Mentha x piperita citrata subspecies. A particularly aromatic bunch of mints. This collection includes the super fragant Lemon Mint; Orange Mint; Lime Mint; Mandarin Mint; Apple Mint; Sweet Pear Mint; Banana Mint; and, Pineapple Mint.
The Sweet-Toothed Collection is similar to the Citrus collection, in that they are a great twist to any dish that needs mint, but they are especially good for desserts and puddings. This collection also includes, Basil Mint (a great alternative to using the hard to keep basil); Chocolate Mint; Candymint; Lavendar Mint; Eau de Cologne Mint (which can actually be used as a natural rub-on Eau de Toilette); and, Berries and Cream Mint.
Finally, The Floral Collection, which favours mints that present the best floral display and scents, chosen specifically for their variety in colour, height and flowering duration this bunch of herbs will keep any perennial border producing butterfly attracting flowers over many months. This collection includes Water Mint (sometimes known as Druids Mint) for it's structural, tall elegance; Corsican Mint for its ground-hugging love of being trodden on and releasing perfume, and then Hart's Pennyroyal for some rustic charm and colour; topped off, with Curly Mint and Pineapple Mint for foliage interest.
Click on the Collections page to buy a collection. There are differing size collections available. The number of different Mint plants in each collection is shown in brackets after the name of the collection (in the add to cart dropdown).
The Mintopædia offers the Latin name for all of the individual Mints available at Mintopia. Recipes can be found in the Mintopia book or online at the Mintopia YouTube channel.