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Orange Mint (Bergamot Mint): A Water Mint That Smells of Cologne

By · Reviewed · 8 sources

Orange Mint

Crush an orange mint leaf and you get citrus and eau de Cologne, not peppermint or spearmint. The same plant is also sold as bergamot mint, lemon mint and eau-de-Cologne mint. Its oil is led by linalool and linalyl acetate, floral compounds that are also big in lavender oil,1 and menthol doesn’t show up among its main components.2 That’s what makes it different in the kitchen. References still disagree on what to call it: most authorities now treat it as a form of water mint, Mentha aquatica, though gardening references still file it under peppermint.34

At a glance

Botanical nameMentha aquatica var. citrata (GRIN); Kew sinks the name into Mentha aquatica; RHS uses Mentha × piperita f. citrata354
Other namesBergamot mint, eau-de-Cologne mint, lemon mint
Plant familyLamiaceae (mint family)
Native range of water mintAfrica, Europe to central Siberia and western Asia
Part usedFresh leaves and stem tips
Main oil compoundsLinalool and linalyl acetate2
Forms soldLive plants; occasionally fresh sprigs

What orange mint is

Ehrhart published the name Mentha citrata in 1792.3 Since then the plant has bounced between water mint and peppermint, and references still disagree:

SourceName used
Kew, Plants of the World OnlineMentha citrata is a synonym of Mentha aquatica; M. × piperita var. citrata and M. × piperita subsp. citrata are listed among water mint’s synonyms too36
USDA GRIN TaxonomyMentha aquatica var. citrata, with Mentha × piperita var. citrata as a synonym5
Royal Horticultural SocietyMentha × piperita f. citrata4

Peppermint itself is a natural cross between water mint and spearmint. You’ll often read that orange mint is a cross of water mint and spearmint. That’s peppermint’s parentage, and we found no source that says it about orange mint.

The RHS describes a strong-growing perennial that spreads into a wide colony of dark purple stems, with oval, purple-tinged leaves that smell like eau de Cologne. It rates the plant fully hardy (H7) and lists it as a culinary herbaceous perennial.4 Water mint is a perennial of the temperate biome, native to Africa and from Europe to central Siberia and western Asia.

Flavor and the compounds behind it

Orange mint tastes softly minty, floral and citrusy, with much less cooling bite than peppermint.

A 2008 study of lemon mint (M. aquatica var. citrata) reported that the main components of its essential oil are the monoterpene alcohol linalool and its ester, linalyl acetate. Other big components named in the abstract include elemol, (E)-caryophyllene, germacrene D, 1,8-cineole and β-myrcene. Menthol isn’t on the list.2

Linalool and linalyl acetate are also main constituents of true lavender oil, as a 2021 study of Ukrainian cultivars found.1 That fits orange mint’s floral side, but the lemon mint abstract gives no percentages, and we found no study comparing the two oils directly.

How orange mint is used

The plant’s oil is used in fragrances and as a flavoring, and the plant itself is a garden ornamental grown for its lemony smell. In the kitchen, it goes where its flavor fits:

  • Tea. Fresh or dried leaves make a floral mint tea, on their own or with black tea.
  • Desserts and fruit. Chopped leaves suit fruit salads, sorbets, custards and cream-based desserts.
  • Drinks. Lemonade, iced tea and cocktails where you want a softer mint.
  • Savory dishes. Go easy in salads, grain dishes and with lamb, where its perfume can stand out more than ordinary mint’s.

Mint is one of the delicate herbs to add a minute or two before cooking ends, because long heat costs flavor and aroma. Orange mint can stand in where a recipe calls for peppermint, but expect it to taste noticeably more floral and less cool.

See cooking with orange mint for more ideas.

Growing and buying

Like other mints, orange mint spreads. The RHS lists its spread at 1 to 1.5 meters, and it grows in full sun on chalk, clay, loam or sand, in soil that’s moist but well drained or poorly drained.4 Nurseries may sell it under any of the names above. For keeping cut mint, see how to store mint, can you freeze mint? and how to dry mint.

Health claims

The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health covers peppermint oil, not orange mint. Its evidence that enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules may ease irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in adults applies to that product only. NCCIH also notes that very little research has been done on peppermint leaf.7 GRIN files orange mint’s medicinal use under folklore.5 We found no nutrient analysis of orange mint and no evidence that it treats digestive illness, colds or cancer, so we’re not making those claims.

Substitutes and comparisons

Spearmint with a little orange zest, or a few leaves of lemon balm, gets you close to orange mint’s soft citrus character. Add a little and taste. Related pages:

Footnotes

  1. Pokajewicz et al., “Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of the New Cultivars of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. Bred in Ukraine”, Molecules, 2021. mdpi.com · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2

  2. Zaks et al., “Biosynthesis of linalyl acetate and other terpenes in lemon mint (Mentha aquatica var. citrata, Lamiaceae) glandular trichomes”, Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 2008. cris.haifa.ac.il · Peer-reviewed ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Mentha citrata Ehrh., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Mentha × piperita f. citrata, Royal Horticultural Society. rhs.org.uk · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. Mentha aquatica L. var. citrata (Ehrh.) W. C. Werner, GRIN Taxonomy, USDA Agricultural Research Service. npgsweb.ars-grin.gov · Reference work ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Mentha aquatica L., Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. powo.science.kew.org · Reference work ↩

  7. “Peppermint Oil”, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025. nccih.nih.gov · Regulator ↩

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