- Latin name
- Mentha spicata
- Family
- Mint family (Lamiaceae)
- Origin
- USA, India, China
- Parts used
- leaves and flowering tops
- Raw materials
- essential oil
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- aromatic (minty)
- Position in the pyramid
- top note
- Synthetic substitutes
- L-carvone, mint bases
Spearmint is a mint with bright-green wrinkled leaves and spikes of lilac flowers. It is the one used in mojitos and Moroccan tea, and perfumery uses the oil from its leaves.
How it smells: fresh, sweetish and soft: green leaves, a chewing-gum mint sweetness, a light herbal shade. Spearmint sounds warmer and gentler than peppermint, without its icy menthol chill.
The difference between the mints lies in their main molecule. In peppermint it is menthol, which cools; in spearmint it is carvone, which gives a soft, faintly caraway-like sweetness. That is why spearmint smells “like chewing gum” and peppermint “like a mint sweet”.
What it pairs with: with lime and rum — a mojito, with green tea — “Moroccan tea”, with lemon and grapefruit — fresh summer fragrances, with basil — herbal freshness, with vetiver — a fresh masculine base.
Good to know: the name spearmint comes from its pointed leaves, which resemble a spearhead.
