Peppermint Tea

[AlexanderB]

I'm sorry if this seems like an exotically particular or otherwise stupid question, but every place is different and has its cultural and supply chain proclivities:

Does Buenos Aires have peppermint tea? Is it easy to find? Mint will do in a pinch, but I really mean peppermint specifically.

While I like mate, peppermint tea is an addiction I simply cannot do without. If it's not frequently found there, I'll be sure to bring some from Europe (American peppermint tea is not as good, as is generally true of things sold widely in America). I'd hate it to be on my list of things I wish I had brought to BsAs!

Many thanks!

 

[Vagrant Violet]

Hey, Alex!

I totally understand your need for real peppermint tea, believe me! I'm 5 months pregnant and absolutely everything edible disgusted me in the beginning. I lived on saltine crackers, ginger tea, and mint tea. I never really checked the boxes of tea specifically to see if they were mint, peppermint, spearmint, a fusion, etc. However, I know that in the Barrio Chino, they sell pretty much any type of tea imaginable.

Not only can you find the typical boxes of tea with brand names (like Twinings, Patagonia, etc.), but also they sell "te en hebras" (loose tea) in those stores as well. Also, this past week I was passing by and saw a sign for a small store in one of those galleries (where you can't see the store window from the street, you have enter the gallery), but it advertised loose tea there as well.

Real peppermint tea of excellent quality is wonderful, but it's not an exotic or unknown herb that is difficult to acquire (as opposed to something like saffron). In many cases, I believe you'll find the best quality tea (any type) in those random little shops that DON'T sell the expensive name-brand type, since they aren't mass produced, you know?

Best of luck!

PS- For your consideration, try this!:
http://cbsop.com/recipes/lemon-mint-tea-a-turkish-delight/

 

[AlexanderB]

Thank you so much for your thorough reply, Lauren! So, Barrio Chino is the place to be. Oddly enough, I actually rather like tea bags, since it eliminates any OCD concerns about how much loose-leaf tea to put in the cup. Choice is a terrifying thing, as Sartre and Steve Jobs both acknowledged!

Also, an interesting suggestion of lemon mint tea. I will definitely look for it, though, while still here in Yerevan, I might perhaps refrain from asking where I can find this "Turkish" treat.

Also, I just realised I have no idea how to say "peppermint" in Spanish in any colloquially recognisable way.

 

[Hop]

A few years ago, I bought Menta Peperina tea by La Virginia. I'm sure you could find it in any supermarket. http://www.lavirginia.com.ar/hierbas.asp

 

[EricLovesBA]

In the dieteticas where they have various bulk items, I have been able to find different kinds of teas in bulk, including a very strong black tea that is quite cheap, and I have bought "menta" in this fashion, though I'm not exactly sure whether it is mint or peppermint as I don't recognize the difference. Finding a good tea ball can actually be a little trickier. I wouldn't go for the cheap ones at the todo-por-dos stores, as they oxidize very rapidly. Look for the higher end ones that say "inoxidable".

 

[Vagrant Violet]

Hi again!

I´ve always known "peppermint" to simply translate as "menta" (it´s just not specified or categorized, I even checked on an online dictionary.

The only other way that I can think of to ensure that it´s peppermint mint tea specifically is to perhaps specify the scientific name "mentha piperita" (maybe?)... I don't know how much good using Latin would help you out in the Barrio Chino of all places, but I guess it couldn't hurt!!!

 

[arlean]

It will grow like a weed if you have a place to plant it.I have done it in the past and hope to do it again when I have a place to plant again. I can hardly stand the kind in packages. I used to take a stew pot, go out to the peppermint patch and take hold of the stem low on the plant and strip the stem of leaves, put them in the pot, then do another one and another, go in the house, fill the pot with water and bring it to a boil, then leave it sit overnight. It is wonderful. After that those little wimpy bags almost seem like substitutes for the real thing. If that's all you ever knew I guess it's okay. But I got spoiled with fresh peppermint.

 

[PhilinBSAS]

Most mints will grow in pots - dont forget to water sufficiently but not to waterlog.

Mints interbreed and hybridise like there is no tomorrow. So keeping track of exactly what mint is still stock what isnt becomes difficult.

Hence so many versions of "spearmint"

Cant wait to track down Mentha x piperita f.citrata 'chocolate' - peppermint flavour with rich chocolate undertones according to the RHS

Any tea infusion which doesn't actually require the raw material to be fermented (like tea other than green tea) is much better IMHO the fresher the picking

 

[fifs2]

Fellow tea lovers peppermint tea is a staple in my house particularly a Swedish mix called polkagris which is made to resemble those type of mint candy canes but I also love licorice tea, tropical fruit blends. Please do try to viist Chez Pauline, an adorable French tea house in Juncal 1695. It has the best range of red, green, black and even blue teas and being French the croissants and Croque madame are the real deal!

 

[Jeanne Davis]

I know that Tea Connection (several locations around the city) serves and sells a mango-mint tea, but I realize that's not pure mint, might not be peppermint, and, in sum, might not be your cuppa..