Ranking 11 Peppermint Teas

As an avid tea drinker, there is something incredibly soothing about a nice hot cup of herbal peppermint tea, especially on a chilly day. Peppermint is a type of mint with a high menthol content, which is what gives the plant its intense, rejuvenating, cooling aroma and flavor. Since peppermint tea is naturally caffeine-free, it’s a refreshing beverage to sip on when you desire something lighter than black tea or coffee. You may even want to start drinking peppermint tea after dinner to help you relax or unwind.

While the drink is made from the leaves of the peppermint plant, not all brands produce an appetizing result. Some are noticeably fragrant and potent, whereas others are bland or flavorless, even after following the brewing instructions in terms of steeping time and amount of water. I tested out 11 peppermint teas, both tea bags and dried loose-leaf tea, to put them to the test. I ranked them based on the flavor, the aroma, the overall value (which factors in the weight and cost) of the product, and its eco-friendly qualities, if any. Read the methodology at the end to understand more about what’s factored into the rankings.

While a lot of the teas are pretty similar because they’re made with the same ingredient, not all teas are equal. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of some of the best and worst peppermint teas on the market.

The Yogi Purely Peppermint tea was a huge disappointment. I didn’t expect it to come last compared to other budget-friendly, widely accessible brands mentioned in this ranking, but the tea had almost no taste or scent after brewing. The tea bag was considerably less fragrant than the next item ranked on this list when I opened the paper sachet prior to brewing. This surprised me because I thought tea from this brand would fare a little bit better. After all, I’ve tried Yogi teas before without any issues. The tea brand ranks decently in Tasting Table’s list of the best and worst tea brands, so I’d like to think that I got a bad batch, but I have to judge it based on the product. 

The USDA organic and ethically sourced Yogi tea bags earned the last spot in this ranking because they had virtually no scent or taste; plus, their value wasn’t as good as that of others on the list in terms of how much product you get for the price. Peppermint is hard to get wrong, but this didn’t do it for me.

Bigelow Peppermint Herbal Tea is minty but not too exciting or powerful. These individually wrapped tea bags come in foil pouches, which supposedly ward off air and moisture while maintaining the tea leaves’ freshness. However, the tea itself is pretty light and subtle, likely due to the smaller amount of peppermint leaves per tea bag. The taste of the tea was gentle, as was its scent, at least when likened to others in this ranking. 

It wasn’t memorable, but it’s one of the most affordable on this list, so that could be an enticing factor for many consumers. The tea is described as having a light green color with brown undertones, but I found that it was mostly brown. Seeing as Bigelow had at least some amount of flavor, I rated it higher than the Yogi tea.

The Choice Organics Peppermint tea brought more flavor than the previous two, securing a better spot in this ranking. But it also features 100% recycled tea cartons printed with vegetable-based inks to give it an eco-friendly boost. Made with USDA organic caffeine-free peppermint leaves, this tea has a light brown hue, a light scent, and a very mild flavor. It doesn’t offer much intensity, but it provides some modicum of soothing quality one would expect from peppermint tea.

When I purchased the Choice Organics tea online, the product listing had images of a different packaging and branding than the one I received. This is just something to be aware of, as I didn’t recognize the box when it arrived. I placed Choice Organics ninth in this ranking because its light flavor doesn’t compare to the stronger, bolder ones on this list that offer a more enjoyable peppermint tea experience.

The Stash Tea Refreshing Peppermint herbal tea bags are mild but still provide a minty flavor. Given that it has 20 bags of tea, its total weight is the lightest of the bunch, which contributes to its delicate flavor. I’ve never compared the weight of tea bags before and was not aware there wasn’t a standard between them. Each brand seems to decide on a random amount. 

While testing this tea, I noticed that the brand also sells loose-leaf tea at a better price per ounce. I’m curious to know which is stronger: the loose-leaf one that’s for sale on Amazon or the prepackaged tea bags.

Stash Tea sources its peppermint from the Pacific Northwest. The tea has a mild minty aroma and minty taste, with a little bit of residual tea leaf bits escaping the bag into the beverage. Despite being the lightest tea so far, it offered a pleasant, minty flavor, good value, and eco-friendly aspects, which is why I ranked it in this position.

Celestial Seasonings herbal peppermint tea has a rich brown color, a fragrant aroma, and a dull minty taste — present but not especially bold. This tea stands out with its packaging, not only for its eye-catching illustration but as one of two preportioned teas on this list that don’t have any additional packaging. Celestial Seasonings doesn’t use any strings, tags, or staples, which can be enticing for consumers who want to be more eco-conscious.  

Though the peppermint flavor and strength are similar to Stash, I placed this one higher mainly because it is a more affordable tea. Given each box’s number of tea bags, weight, and value, Celestial Seasonings could be a solid option to stock up on. Amazon sells this tea in bulk packs.

The Twinings Pure Peppermint tea is where I started to notice a real difference in the quality of the tea I was drinking. While the previous ones were pretty mild and forgettable, the flavor, fragrance, and value noticeably improved from this tea onward. 

Twinings is one of the more budget-friendly brands on this list, and I am quite impressed with how it did. The box I purchased has 20 tea bags, but it has a noticeably heavier weight and a more considerable amount of leaves in the bags than others on this list. It’s quite a big difference from the previously mentioned brands, which gives it a boost for the overall value. 

This beverage has a fragrant but light, minty aroma and a smooth, refreshing flavor. It’s a little more exciting than anything else previously mentioned in this ranking. I appreciate that the box has a little blurb about how you can enjoy the tea hot or iced, which makes it more versatile. An iced mint tea would be perfect for summertime or the warmer months.

The Taylors of Harrogate Organic Peppermint herbal tea has the quintessential minty taste and aroma on the nose. I purchased the 50-count, but it’s also available in a smaller pack, approximately the same as the Twinings option. The higher count is a better bargain and value for the weight, but whether it’s the right choice depends on how often you plan to drink peppermint tea. 

I liked the thoughtful packaging, inside and out. The vibrant organic tea comes packed in paper bags that don’t have any additional strings or tags, but I also enjoy the minimal and sophisticated exterior packaging. This USDA organic tea has a lighter brown hue with a slightly green tinge, making it one of the more colorful options so far. Although its flavor is pretty on par with the Twinings peppermint tea, I ranked this slightly higher because it’s organic, has a better value based on the price per tea bag, and has eco-friendly reduced packaging.

The Traditional Medicinals organic peppermint tea has an uplifting, mint-forward fragrance that smells refreshing. It has a substantial mint taste that you would expect from a peppermint tea, unlike some of the previous ones that were barely noticeable. I enjoy the pleasant aftertaste and how the mintiness feels on my tongue after each sip. 

This tea, available on Amazon, has the same weight and number of tea bags as Yogi, but the Traditional Medicinals brand tastes considerably better. The brewed tea leaves are brown but also have a slightly green-yellow tint for a dimensional drink. This brand had the highest brew time out of all the teas I tried, with a recommendation of 10 to 15 minutes, which is interesting as many herbal teas steep for about four minutes. The USDA organic tea is primarily sourced in the Pacific Northwest. 

I placed this one rank higher than Taylors of Harrogate Organic Peppermint tea because I found that it had a stronger overall minty aroma and taste to set it apart. As we get higher on the ranking, the potency becomes more pronounced. The top three have a freshness and strength that gives them higher positions for good reason.

Harney & Sons peppermint herbal tea comes in a beautiful tin to add to its elevated experience. I already have plans on how I want to utilize it after I’m done with the tea, so if you’re crafty, this could be a bonus. Do note that the brand sells several iterations of its peppermint tea — some in tins and others in bags. 

The tinned peppermint is sourced from Washington state and contains little pouches with small paper tags affixed to them, and when I tried to pull apart the tags, they ripped open the bag on more than one occasion. This contributed to a less easygoing experience as I had to get a tea leaf strainer, which defeats the purpose of the tea bag. 

Despite the packaging issues, the Harney & Sons tea has an uplifting, minty scent and a very potent flavor. It’s powerful and invigorating. While it has a brown hue, it’s not as dark as others, which reflects the flavor — strong but not heavy. Some of the lower-ranking teas were quite dark, and their flavor seemed to get lost. 

For 20 tea bags in a tin, the price of this brand was the highest on this list so far. While it doesn’t have the best price and weight value, I can’t help but appreciate the taste, aroma, and color of the tea. It provides an uplifting experience that’s better than anything else previously mentioned in this list.

Now, the top two teas are light-years better than anything else on this list. What do they have in common? They’re both loose-leaf teas. While there are many types of tea to pick from, people tend to choose preportioned tea for convenience. Loose-leaf teas, however, are not constrained to tea bags and are usually made with whole or broken leaves, which can result in a more robust flavor compared to the leaf fragments in tea bags. I found that to be the case for both the Teapigs peppermint loose tea leaves and the number one tea.

The Teapigs tea is beautifully fragrant and minty, with a light brown color. If you take a deep inhale after your sip, it’s almost like you have a minty toothpaste aftertaste. I was satisfied with the overall flavor and fragrance. It is slightly pricier than the Harney & Sons peppermint herbal tea bags, but you get a lot more tea by weight, which means it’s a much better value. 

Teapigs sells many peppermint teas, from tea bags — or as the brand calls them, “tea temples” — to organic loose-leaf tea. I opted for the non-organic loose-leaf version. It is all-around eco-conscious, with a tea temple made from plant starch, an inner bag from wood pulp, and the outer part of the carton from sustainable paperboard. I enjoyed this tea and ranked it high because of its strong minty profile and the reasonable cost per ounce, but the next item on this list was somehow incomparably more flavorful and fragrant.

Rishi Tea’s loose-leaf peppermint tea is marvelously aromatic — like a burst of refreshing mint when I opened the bag and inhaled deeply. It has the most potent and fragrant aroma out of all the teas in this ranking by far. Once brewed, following the instructions on how much tea leaves to use by weight, it came out as a light brown color. 

Rishi’s tea is delectable and uplifting. It’s everything I’d want in peppermint tea, especially with so many brands yielding such mild, barely-there flavor. After tasting so many different kinds of peppermint teas, I can safely say the loose-leaf options will have a substantial flavor compared to anything in a tea bag. 

As I was trying out my teas, I had my husband sip some blindly, and he said this one was the most minty. It’s recommended to opt for fuller loose-leaf varieties for a higher quality tea, and that turned out to be the case with Rishi. Rishi has a couple of options, but I opted for the organic loose-leaf tea sourced from the Pacific Northwest, which has large tea leaves. I often try to go the affordable route, but sometimes, it’s about the investment. 

Technically, this is the highest-priced item on the list, but given that you get nearly 9 ounces of organic tea leaves, it’s an exceptional deal compared to the other individually portioned bag tea leaves as well as the non-organic Teapigs loose-leaf tea. This was my top tea because it hit all the marks: unbeatable flavor, excellent minty aroma, and fantastic value. It’s organic and has more tea leaves by weight, which are added perks.

To conduct my test, I followed the brewing instructions on each tea’s packaging. I drank all the teas hot and without any additives, such as sugar or ice. Some had brewing times as low as three minutes, while others had up to 15 minutes. I first sipped each tea from a mug, then poured them into a clear glass to look at their color without the teacup color influencing my perception. I tried all the teas in one day, organizing the teas based on the steep time. 

I based my rankings on flavor, aroma, value, and eco-friendliness. How did it taste, and was there a notable minty flavor and fragrance? The peppermint flavor should not only come through but also radiate. The color of the tea may be mentioned, but this is used as a visual description and doesn’t contribute to the drink’s ranking. Was the price of the tea a good value based on how much product is in the package? How did the packaging or eco-friendly qualities fare compared to others?

I bought all the aforementioned teas on Amazon to streamline the ordering process, but in my research, the prices ranged at every store that I looked at. There wasn’t a standard fee, so I judged each tea’s value based on the amount of product in ounces/grams and the price I paid; I also compared its cost to other retailers selling the same product. Additionally, I considered its price with other peppermint teas on this ranking to get a broader sense of its overall worth. Peppermint tea was already a favorite tea of mine, but I found a couple of brands that I would love to purchase again and others that I know to avoid.