Peppermint does not exist in the wild in the strict sense: Mentha × piperita is a natural hybrid between water mint and spearmint, a member of the Lamiaceae family that is propagated by cuttings. It concentrates the most menthol of the common mints, hence the striking freshness that sets it apart from its green cousin.

Menthe Poivrée Intense Bio offers the leaves alone, with no other ingredient, from organic farming and harvested in France. They are a deep green, and it is enough to crush them between the fingers for the menthol to rise at once.

The infusion gives a green-gold liquor of great clarity. The attack is fresh, almost icy on the tongue; the middle of the palate becomes more vegetal, more herbaceous; then the length settles in, minty and lasting, for long minutes after the last sip. Nothing softens it: it is the plant in all its frankness.

Naturally caffeine-free, it is happily drunk after a meal. For half a litre, 6.5 to 9 g of leaves; pour the water at 100 °C and allow five to ten minutes. In summer, let the infusion cool and serve it over ice with a slice of lime: it becomes one of the cleanest cold drinks there is.

It also lends itself to cooking: a few leaves in a syrup for a fruit salad, or in the cream of a chocolate dessert. To preserve its menthol, keep it in a tightly closed tin, away from heat and light. It is weighed in the shop to the quantity required, from 15 g to several kilos.