When I was a kid, I absolutely HATED the flavor of mint. I didn’t understand why restaurants gave out after-dinner mints or why every single toothpaste had to be mint-flavored. Mint gave me a burning sensation rather than a cooling one, and it was entirely too overwhelming for my young palate. But of course, as I grew up and my tastes changed, I realized the error of my ways. Now I look forward to enjoying a peppermint mocha during the holidays and a scoop of mint chip ice cream in the summer.
I didn’t realize exactly how nuanced mint could be until I entered the flavor and fragrance industry. Most of us outside the industry just assume all mint is the same: cooling sensation, used in oral care and some food applications. But there are so many subtleties to a mint flavor that depend on which species is used and how the plant should be applied. We can’t just tell a flavorist that we want a mint-flavored chocolate. Is it peppermint or spearmint? Should the cooling come on the front or the back? Does the customer want an invigorating element to the chocolate, or should it be more relaxing?
I think this applies to a lot of ingredients in the F&F space. Each flavor or fragrance has those small details that make it stand out. An orange flavor isn’t just an orange flavor; it could be blood orange or clementine or tangerine. Consumers want that specificity that they are so used to in their products. This is informed by several different factors, whether it be cultural traditions, regional availability or personal preference. If someone wants that specific flavor, they will accept nothing less.
So while I’ve learned that mint can be more than a hard candy left on the check at a restaurant, I’m still eager to see how this diverse plant can be applied to so many different use cases. Perhaps I’ll try my hand at making a minty herb sauce in a savory dish, or possibly using mint in beverage applications. The possibilities are (somewhat) endless.
