Spearmint vs lemon balm
Two soft mint-family leaves, one of which tastes of mint and one of which does not. The pair that shows how wide the Lamiaceae reach beyond the flavour the family is named for.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Spearmint | Lemon balm |
|---|---|---|
| The plant | Mentha spicata, which GRIN records as probably of hybrid origin itself. | Melissa officinalis, native from the Mediterranean through western and central Asia. |
| Flavour | Sweet and clearly mint, with almost no cooling menthol. | Soft lemon over a green herbal base, with no mint character at all. |
| Appearance | Bright green, heavily wrinkled, pointed leaves. | Crinkled, rounder leaves that darken noticeably in storage. |
| Preparation | Steeped off the boil; forgiving fresh or dried. | Three to five minutes; longer pulls a grassy note. |
| Where it is drunk | Morocco as the base of atay, and across the Middle East. | Southern and central Europe, mostly domestically. |
| Keeping | Dries well and stays usable. | Fades faster than most leaves; buy small quantities. |
The short answer
Spearmint is the everyday one and lemon balm the gentler surprise. Anyone who has decided they dislike the mint family has usually only met peppermint.
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