How to keep chocolate mint chocolately?

[Growem]

I bought a lovely little chocolate mint plant and it had a really strong chocolate smell when I got it. That has sadly faded as the plant has grown and it's more regular mint smell now. Any ideas of how to keep it or return it to smelling like chocolate?

[kernowyon]

just a thought but keep it well trimmed? that is if it was the younger shoots that were smelling stronger

[swaine]

i had this trouble myself with chocolate, basil and a banana mint, reverting back, or losing smell,
put it down to 2 things
first time you smell it ,its inevatably stronger because its a new scent to your nose,and as you get used to it smell fades?
secondly smell varied from place to place were i had my mints growing,
chocolate mint grown in polytunnel, smelt different from chocolate mint in greenhouse to chocolate mint grown outdoors in the ground,( also found leaf texture changed from outdoor grown mint and greenhouse grown mint,especially eau de cologne/orange mint)
(maybe heat/coolness intensifies/dilutes smell?) just my observations
stewart

[Growem]

Thanks for your thoughts Kernowyon and Swaine.

I'm not sure about your theory about the new scent to your nose Swaine. I was away for 2 weeks and it didn't smell chocolately on coming home, which I'm sure was long enough for my nose to forget the smell.

However, maybe it's time to take a few cuttings and vary the conditions, plus the trimming to see what smells strongest. But if anyone else has some ideas, I'd be happy to read them.

[lynda66]

plant them in cocoa powder?

[Growem]

:lol: And water my pineapple mint with pineapple juice, eh?

[zazen999]

Lynda - did that package i sent you arrive? It had chocolate mint in it. You haven't planted it in cocoa yourself have you???

[Tam]

I have read that chocolate mint gives off the best scent and has the best colour when grown in strong sunshine, so I think you can write it off for this year !

[burnie]

Just curious,what do use these fruit flavoured herbs for?not with the tatties and peas surely!I guess I've used lemon balm before but only with lemons in lollies like HFW did.

[lynda66]

:lol: And water my pineapple mint with pineapple juice, eh?

oh yes *nods*

[lynda66]

Lynda - did that package i sent you arrive? It had chocolate mint in it. You haven't planted it in cocoa yourself have you???

yup sorry, thought i'd told you ..... course i haven't do i look that daft??

[lynda66]

Just curious,what do use these fruit flavoured herbs for?not with the tatties and peas surely!I guess I've used lemon balm before but only with lemons in lollies like HFW did.

no idea, i haven't worked out what to use the normal herbs for yet lol ..... never used a fresh herb in my life before....... just thought it might be about thyme

[sharonr]

Just curious,what do use these fruit flavoured herbs for?not with the tatties and peas surely!I guess I've used lemon balm before but only with lemons in lollies like HFW did.

I have a blackcurrent sage, a pineapple sage and a tangerine sage plant. I have only used the pineapple sage in cooking when at christmas I make my own sage and onion sausage rolls.
I like the smell of the other two.

[Growem]

Yeah, I tend to grow them as nice-smelling ornamentals too, rather than actually cooking with them. Occasionally I'll throw some into a fruit punch (tangerine sage, pineapple mint) or into a fruit salad. But they don't get used by the handfuls like my regular sage or mint.