Clipper Peppermint and Spearmint: Two Mints Explained

Clipper Organic Peppermint and Spearmint: Why Two Mints

Nearly every mint bag is peppermint on its own, and what spearmint adds is a matter of chemistry rather than marketing: it leads on carvone, not menthol. Put the two in one bag and the cold arrives first, then something rounder fills in behind it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Clipper Organic Peppermint and Spearmint: Why Two Mints, in summary: Peppermint brings the cold, sharp hit; spearmint adds a softer, sweeter roundness behind it. This caffeine-free organic infusion is best steeped covered for four to five minutes and drunk without milk, or cooled and poured over ice.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Nearly every mint bag is peppermint on its own, and what spearmint adds is a matter of chemistry rather than marketing: it leads on carvone, not menthol. Put the two in one bag and the cold arrives first, then something rounder fills in behind it.

Menthol first, carvone behind

Peppermint's character comes from menthol, the compound behind that cold, nose-clearing lift. Menthol works on the same receptors the body uses to register temperature, so the coolness is a real sensation, not just a flavour that hints at one. Spearmint contains very little menthol and leads on carvone instead, which comes across as softer, sweeter and more herbal.

Together they give a cup in two stages: the peppermint lands cold, then the spearmint settles in behind and stops the finish turning sharp. It is gentler than a single-mint cup, with less of the toothpaste edge, and it has a natural sweetness that surprises people. With no tannin nothing grips or dries, and the cool feeling lingers after the flavour has gone.

Steeping, and when to stop

Twenty bags share 34g, a fair dose of dried mint in each. Mint keeps its oils in tiny glands on the leaf surface, so they escape quickly and head straight up with the steam; a saucer over the mug keeps them in the cup. Four to five minutes is right. Leave it much past seven and the bright, cool edge flattens into something vegetal.

Leave the milk out. The cooling lift lives in the volatile top notes, and milk smothers them, leaving a vague warm herbal drink. It needs no sugar or milk at all, so it is simple to hand to a guest, and because it is caffeine-free it works at any hour, which is why it sits at the after-dinner end of Clipper's shelf.

Over ice, and within the Clipper range

Its best form may well be cold. Brew it as usual, let it cool, then pour it over a glass of ice: where many herbal infusions turn thin and papery once the heat goes, these two mints hold together. On a warm afternoon it is the most useful box in the herbal half of the cupboard.

In Clipper's range it sits beside the chamomile, lemon and lavender blend, while the black teas and the Earl Grey cover the working day. The word organic is in the product name; further marks and the bag material are printed on the pack. Chocolate biscuits suit it best, since mint with chocolate is a pairing most people already know.

The packs we stock

Clipper Organic Infusion Peppermint & Spearmint, 20 Tea Bags 34g (barcode 5021991945151)

What to eat with it

Fox's Chocolatey Biscuits Half Coated Milk Chocolate Cookies, 157g: Mint and milk chocolate, the familiar after-dinner partnership, in cookie form.
Cadbury Snowy Fingers Milk & White Chocolate Coated Biscuits Tray, Limited Edition, 115g: Chocolate fingers beside a cool mint cup turn it into a mint-chocolate treat.
Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Buttery caramel crunch is a sweeter, gentler match for the spearmint side of the blend.

Elsewhere in the Clipper range

The full range is on the Clipper brand page.

FAQ

What is the difference between peppermint and spearmint? Peppermint leads on menthol, which feels cold and sharp. Spearmint has little menthol and leads on carvone, which tastes softer and sweeter.

Is Clipper peppermint and spearmint decaffeinated? No, because there was never any caffeine to remove: it is a caffeine-free herbal infusion with no tea leaf in it.

Can you over-steep mint tea? Yes. Much beyond seven minutes the cooling lift fades and the cup turns vegetal; four to five minutes, covered, is the sweet spot.

Can I make iced mint tea with it? Yes. Brew it normally, let it cool and pour it over ice; it holds its flavour cold better than most herbal infusions.

Does it need sugar? No. The spearmint brings a natural sweetness of its own, so it is best drunk as it comes.

Curator's note: Put a saucer over the mug while it steeps and you keep the best of the mint in the cup. On a hot day, make a jug, let it cool and pour it over ice. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Clipper Organic Peppermint and Spearmint: Why Two Mints

Field	Detail
Brand	Clipper
Packs we stock	20 Tea Bags 34g
Category	Organic Tea Bags
Caffeine	caffeine free
Steep	Four to five minutes, covered
Milk	No
Serve	Hot after dinner, or cooled over ice