Chocolate Mint- Good For Much More Than Tea!
Did you know that there’s a plant that is nearly impossible to kill, grows abundantly, and has a myriad of uses? Sound good? It sure did to me! For a $2 investment, I’ve been enjoying these benefits for the past few years.
I’m all about multi-use items. If I can buy a product for a low cost and continue to use it, year after year, I’m a pretty satisfied customer.
Chocolate mint has been one of those treasured purchases for me. I have discovered many practical uses for this plant, so I use it abundantly. Not only is Chocolate Mint easy to grow, but it is hard to kill. It is an herbal plant, but NO GREEN THUMB is required. I promise!
Five or six years ago I stumbled upon a Chocolate Mint plant while browsing the herb section at a local nursery. Intrigued by the name, I purchased a small 4-inch pot for about $2.00. My purchase was made in springtime, and by early summer I had more than an abundance of Chocolate Mint!
If you can’t find a plant locally, have no fear, you can purchase seeds and have them delivered to your door!
5 uses for chocolate mint:
1. Hot Herbal Tea
Chocolate Mint makes the best fresh herbal tea ever! Just clip enough leaves to half fill your cup. Place the tea leaves into a tea strainer, add strainer to the cup, pour in boiling water and steep for at least five minutes. Remove tea strainer and sip the most amazingly refreshing tea!
Want a little more creamy and chocolatey flavor? Just add a couple of tablespoons of chocolate almond, coconut, or soy milk. This is my all-time favorite! I call it “hot chocolate mint tea.” Delicious! (And if you crave chocolate, this will give you a healthful and low-calorie fix.)
2. Sweet Chocolate Mint Tea
Add chopped chocolate mint to a tea strainer. Add the tea strainer to a half-gallon jug, along with 2 Luzianne family-sized tea bags. Pour boiling water over the tea. Steep for 20 minutes. Remove tea bags and strainer. Sweeten with your choice of 4 dropper-fulls of liquid chocolate Stevia or 1/2 cup sugar. Fill a jug with cold water. Refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice.
3. Palate cleanser and food digestion
Added to an after-dinner green salad, Chocolate Mint makes an interesting palate cleanser that will actually aid in food digestion. Dare I say? When eaten regularly, it can even eliminate or greatly diminish the foul smell of some naturally occurring gaseous body odors.
Ladies, this can be extremely beneficial, if like me, you have a house full of males. Yes, I will personally testify to the truth of this claim! I hide it in salads for this very reason. Shhhh, let this be our little secret.
4. Bug and rodent repellent
Mint plants, including my cherished Chocolate Mint, have been said to repel flies, fleas, mosquitoes, ants, mice, and rats. Because of this, I keep a pot of mint by my swing growing right along with my lavender and purple petunias. I also grow some by my chicken coop. Since I have recently placed a couple of pots on my back patio, there has been a notable decrease in mosquitos there.
5. Great Gift
Because chocolate mint multiplies easily, it is a great plant for gifting. Have a tea-loving friend? Pot one of the runners, and share the tea! Having a tea party? Once your plant is established, you can plant enough Chocolate Mint starters for all your guests! For added charm, plant them in a tea-pot or tea-cup. Your guests will be delighted.
Now, this hardy plant is wonderful, but there are a few tips and tricks I need to share with you!
A few notes on caring for your Chocolate Mint plant:
Be sure to have plenty of room for your mint plant to grow. The plant sends out runners and will quickly take over a garden area. It makes a beautiful ground cover if you have the room. If you’d rather contain the plant, you’ll need to plant it in a container and keep it trimmed.
If you’d like to bulk harvest your chocolate mint, do so by waiting until just before the plant blooms. This will ensure the most intense flavor. Cut the whole plant to just above the first or second set of leaves. You’ll be removing the yellowing lower leaves, which will promote bushier growth. You should be able to bulk harvest in this manner three times per season.
To dry your chocolate mint, clean it as needed after harvesting. Spread the leaves into a single layer on cookie sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 170*F oven for 2-3 hours. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely. Crumble leaves into a glass storage jar, preferably storing this jar in a cool, dark place.
Looking for more uses for mint and other teas that you can grow? I found this great book and have it on my book wishlist! Growing Your Own Tea Garden: The Guide to Growing and Harvesting Flavorful Teas in Your Backyard!
I hope that I’ve inspired you to go out and pick up your own $2 Chocolate Mint plant and get it planted! If you have more uses for this excellent garden addition, I’d love for you to share them here!
Read more on this topic with these posts!
- 7 Cost Increases to Prepare For Before Retirement -
- 5 Quick & Easy Dinners for Busy Days -
- Easy Steps to Get and Stay Organized in Under 10 Minutes -
- 5 Ways to Build an Emergency Fund with Very Little Money -
- Creating An Inviting Atmosphere In Your Home -
- Mouth-watering Garlic Herb Cheese Bombs -
- Animals And The Creativity Of God -
- Game Day Recipe Round up! -
- Heart-breaking News and How You Can Help -
- Quick & Easy – Planning For Your Best Day -
Christina says
Love this article! So many useful ideas for chocolate mint…now I just hope I can find the plant. I live in Florida and could probably grow it year round and gardening is one of my favorite past times. We also have plenty of mosquitos to try and repel! I can relate to your sneaking it in the salad…hehe…as I also have two boys and a husband. Thanks for the great tips…can’t wait to find the plant and give them a try!
Jeri Repp says
I’m glad you enjoyed the article Christina. I do think that your climate will be able to grow Mint year round. Though I have found other varieties of Mint in the plant section of Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot…I have only seen Chocolate Mint at plant nurseries and recently at Whole Foods with their outdoor herbs. Even if your local plant nurseries don’t carry Chocolate Mint, they should be able get it on special request. Happy Gardening!
Donna Gaylord says
I found my chocolate mint at my local Lowes here in Fayetteville, NC
Randa Weber says
I made some “tea ice cubes” essentialy I made a tea from them, steeped it over night then poured that into the ice cube container, waza! Drop those in a thing of water to add some mint flavoring.
Laurie Bostwick says
YUM! 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Christina, I bought my first Chocolate Mint plant yesterday at our Lowe’s store in the garden department. I am looking forward to growing and using it. I hope you find some. I live in Middle Tennessee.
Meredithek says
Love this! I got some chocolate mint from Craigslist earlier this spring & can’t wait to try the cocoa-tea. thank you for posting.
Jeri Repp says
I hope you like Hot Chocolate Mint Tea as much as I do!
Joan Pearson says
Has anyone made chocolate mint jelly
Laurie Bostwick says
I have not, but it sure sounds yummy! Let us know if you make it! I’d love to hear your feedback!
Joanne Bischof says
I’m sad to admit I mostly only use my chocolate mint as cuttings with flowers or to dry for bath teas. I’m going to make some tea out of it today! It sounds delicious!
Jeri Repp says
Wow Joanne! I have never thought of Chocolate Mint as cuttings with my flowers…or dried for bath teas.!. I will have to try your uses as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to share 🙂
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy says
Ooooh I love mint, but have never tried chocolate mint. Definitely going to this year!
Jeri Repp says
Hi Anne, I have also tried peppermint, and it was pretty good. I do prefer the dark stems and rich flavor of Chocolate Mint. There are other varieties that I would like to try, like apple mint and pineapple mint. As soon as I prepare a spot for them in my garden, I will venture into other varieties. I hope you enjoy the Chocolate Mint!
Carri says
Today I went looking and found a chocolate mint plant and bought it. I also noticed there are apple mint and orange mint plants. Have you tried growing and using these varities. I was tempted but thought I should just go with the chocolate right now!
Jeri Repp says
Hi Carri, I hope you enjoy the Chocolate Mint plant! I have not tried the apple or orange mint just yet. I am curious about the fruity varieties as well, they could possibly make an interesting tea.?. I hope to try them soon…as soon as I create a spot for them to live in my yard.
Shelly says
I love my chocolate mint plant. I’ve only had it a couple months but it’s fast growing. I put cuttings into water and they rooted in less than 2 weeks. My favorite use so far is adding the leaves to my coffee just like I would for tea! Way better than that thin mint creamer and healthier too!
Laurie Bostwick says
What a great idea! I’m not a coffee fan, but my daughters love it. I’ll tell them to give this a try!
Thanks for visiting and leaving your comment! 🙂
Rose says
I just brought home my first chocolate mint plant. My son picked it out because of it’s amazing smell. I plan to try out the tea recipe soon but did you have to let the plant establish a little before clipping from it?
Laurie Bostwick says
I would let it get established for a bit before clipping, yes.
Please let me know if you enjoy the tea!
Heather Denuto says
I just picked up a chocolate mint plant and “googled it” to see if there are recipes for this specific variety. I am happy to have found this article, and look forward to the little plant’s growth. I already grow spearmint and peppermint plants, and add a few torn leaves to my kids’ water bottles that they take when playing sports. They love it and say the mint makes their water extra refreshing on a hot day! I also enjoy it in water with some thin cucumber slices. Delicious and detoxifying! Thank you for posting your article.
Laurie Bostwick says
Heather, I’m so glad you found our article and that it was helpful! What a great idea to add spearmint and peppermint to your kids’ water bottles! I’m going to use that one myself!
Larry Lewis says
June 8. A few years ago I planted chocolate mint in a confined place. This year it’s finally breaking out, and by 2016 I’m expecting it to begin invading the yard. In this little western Missouri county seat town, at least two people have talked to me about chocolate mint. They intentionally let it grow in with the grass because when the mower hits the mint, these people say a heavenly mint odor rises from the lawn.
Laurie Bostwick says
It does smell good when mowed. Though it will also take over, if given the chance.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Amy Whelan says
This spring, I was given a few runners of chocolate mint, and replanted them in a large container. I decided to find out how to make tea, and stumbled on your post. Thank you for sharing!
Laurie Bostwick says
I’m glad you found the post, Amy!!
Enjoy your chocolate mint!!
Meshia says
Loved the article. My chocolate mint is bountiful! We just enjoyed a larger dinner salad w/Mixed greens, grilled chicken cooked with fresh pineapple sage, swiss/mozzarella blend, eggs, vine tomatoes, strawberries, garnished w/ fresh chocolate mint & lime! Dressing & additional toppings of choice! This was freaking awesome! #Healthy #Garden #dinner
Roberta says
Love the chocolate mint. I have been growing it for some time now and use it for tea. You can add it to salads. Also as a spice for pork roast and beef . I think the pork roast is better. You can also use it for making homemade Ice cream. There are recipes on line in placec like epicurious.
Kathy says
Glad I came across this on pinterest! Never heard of chocolate mint. Now I’m anxious to go buy some! I’m new at this so I feel good that you say it’s hard to kill. Thank you so much for posting!
Laurie Bostwick says
I’m so glad you found us on Pinterest!
Let me know when you get your plant!! 🙂
marion says
I use it as a sleeping aide. Soms nights when I wake and can’t get back to sleep, I make chocolate mint tea. It seems to be helping me!!
Laurie Bostwick says
What a great idea!
Thanks for commenting!
Deborah jAMES says
i was down to the nrighbors yesterday and she had chocolate mint plants for 25 each and they looked healthy and love the smell , and looking here on the comments and the tea sounds like something i will be making , i would like to know of you could make cookies with chocolate mint ? put i cant find the recipe for it , if anyone has it please let me know , i would love to make them.
Holly says
All mints are extremely invasive. If you don’t want it to take over, just keep it in a pot. That being g said, I have a private gated patio, I’ve ripped out most of the 4 o clock weeds and planted one area with pepper mint, chocolate mint, and speariment. I’ve propagated some and planted them in another spot. Both places doing exceptionally well. I’ve sun dried them out and given dried peppermint as a mother’s day gift. I’ve also dried out lavender, which is also a mint member. These mints are also great in homemade mojitos. I’ve made fresh cut lavender steeped in chamomile tea which is a wonderful natural sedative. I have a moderate headache, so I decided to use up my dried mixed mint leaves into a tea. I have a single 1 cup French press. I squeezed lime and lemon, and then boiled water, allowed the tea leaves to steep…. And drinking it now. It’s pretty darn delicious. So, if your planting mints, please make sure you don’t mind the invasive part of it!! ????
Laurie Bostwick says
Thank you for sharing your wealth of mint knowledge! Sounds like you’ve done plenty of mint growing!
I know it can be very invasive. We planted chocolate mint one year and had plants pop up again for the next three years!
Susan says
I love chocolate MINT. Tastes delicious. Grows well EASTERN SHORE VIRGINIA UKULELE HOLLY