What's your favorite mint flavoring?

Spearmint for me. There’s an aromatic effect that clears my sinuses like a cool breeze. Love it.

Wintergreen for me.

As a side question, anybody know how many types of mint you can grow in your yard? I once knew a woman that had (at least) 7 varieties. She could take you around and crush a leaf and show the distinct difference. The only 3 I remember are spearmint, peppermint and lemon-mint. I have spearmint growing in my yard, nearly unchecked. I love for it to get a little out into the yard…makes mowing more of a pleasure.

Wow, this site alone lists 17 varieties.

I had an herb garden in which the lemon balm (a mint) ran wild. It was a pain, but I must admit that weeding is more pleasant with such a lovely smell.

I have standard mint, spearmint, and chocolate mint in containers now. They can still spread by seed, but I’m very aggressive about pinching them back.

In the summer, I like to muddle some fresh raspberries, mint, and sugar and then add lemonade (alcohol optional). It’s like summer in a glass.

(My favorite herb to grow is pineapple sage. It’s not a culinary herb, but it smells wonderful, has dramatic red flower spikes, and the hummingbirds love it almost as much as they love the black and blue sage.)

I grow or have grown peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, lemon mint, and although it’s not a true mint, catmint. I usually have a stevia plant or two in my yard, and I pick a leaf of stevia and a leaf of mint, pop them in my mouth, chew, and Presto! a sweet mint flavor without any of the sugar or artificial sweeteners contained in gum or candy!

Pineapple!, @syz. I’m sure she had pineapple. The mint in my yard was moved from my old house and the start was over 30 years ago from her yard. Chocolate is also familiar.

I didn’t even know you could grow stevia, @Yetanotheruser. Perennial? What zones?

I deliberately plant lemon balm in rough areas to keep the weeds (and especially the poison ivy) down. It is a magical ground cover.

There’s a chocolate mint also, but I can’t say it tasted like much of anything.

I assume it’s annual. I bought a potted plant several years ago. I placed the container outdoors, and it seemed to love the semi-arid climate of a zone 5b. It never went to seed, and I brought it indoors. It survived the winter with some pruning and watering (taking care not to over-water). It never blossomed or seeded, and it survived the next summer, but it failed the catastrophe in my garden over the past summer.

I think some of the mint varieties rely more on smell than taste. Pineapple, chocolate, etc. probably add more if crushed in beverages than anywhere else.

I’m a spearmint girl. There is a lemon mint too. I think, technically, catnip is a mint.

Spearmint is what’s growing in my yard.
I vow that I’ll take up drinking iced tea again. The spearmint really sets it off. More refreshing somehow.

What flavor is in mint chip ice cream? I like that one.

For mouthwash I like peppermint.

I used to like Wringleys doublemint gum. I’m not sure what mint(s) it is.

Mint chip is peppermint and Double Mint was both spear and peppermint so I think we can pretty much put you down for peppermint, @JLeslie.

The actual flavorings used in Doublemint gum are a trade secret, but the company does say that the main flavor ingredient is peppermint. Source

I think wintergreen is my favorite and peppermint is my second favorite. Spearmint is my least fave.

Now I’m intrigued after hearing about all of the varieties of mint! Maybe I’ll try to grow some when the weather improves. Right now it’s 3 degrees here. :)

I love growing minty herbs. I also love minty toothpaste mouthwash ChapStick and gum. What is my favorite? A variety I can never make up my mind.

I love peppermint but don’t like spearmint. Never figured that one out.

I have lemon mint growing in my garden – lovely

If you want to grow any mint in your garden or your yard, be advised that it can be a ground cover. After a few years you will have to cull to keep it under control. I don’t find that a nuisance, considering all the benefits of having the plant around. Also, it can attract pollinators, which is good for anyone growing a flower or vegetable garden.

I once knew someone who had chocolate mint planted under her window. In the summer, she would keep the window open in the evening, and sleep to an aroma that reminded her of mint patties!

People tend to love to share their mint plants, in my experience, @jca. They’re super hardy (will choke out weeds) and you can usually snip and stick a sprig in the water/ground to grow. You probably shouldn’t have to buy a start.

I’m curious why some articles refer solely to Peppermint while other articles lump mints together. I’ve often wondered if there isn’t a metabolic reason some people love one mint and hate another. IBS research seems to mention peppermint exclusively.

I have a large yard, @Yetanotheruser, and the ground-cover trait is one reason I love my mint! I confine it to one corner of the yard by simply mowing it down, and it’s a great smell. When I live in town and had mint in a small yard, I’d just spray a little weed killer on the outside edge when it started to invade.