Dried Mint Leaves

Supplied cut and sifted or milled to powder. Stem content is the figure that separates a good lot from a poor one and is stated on the specification.

What to fix on the specification

• Form: cut and sifted, or milled to powder.
• Stem content: the figure that separates a good lot from a poor one.
• Colour, and the drying method behind it.
• Moisture and foreign matter.
• Microbiology, and the treatment if any.

As with all leaf herbs, any heat treatment moves colour and aroma, so the values that matter should be measured after treatment rather than before. Steam sterilisation explains why.