You can use all of the leaves, but generally the fresh young ones gathered before the plant flowers have the best flavour. Here is a link that might be useful: making herb teas.

Nope. Tastes like mint!! Seriously, if you think about the difference between spearmint and peppermint... They're both minty, but very different. Chocolate mint is yet another flavor. Sure is pretty growing though. I also grow Pineapple Mint. Doesn't taste like pineapple to me either. It is lighter and fruitier (for lack of a better description). Let me know if you want some chocolate mint starts....Yes, it'll make it through the mail. I don't think you can kill it. As sally2 said, plant it in a pot or it'll take over the world! Both of my varieties are in 15-20 gallon pots and I just noticed a few days ago that there's pineapple in my chocolate pot. I have NO idea how that happened. One stray root I suppose... Deanna

Very interesting! I didn't know that chocolate mint was that chocolaty. :) Much better for the kids than what was popular when I was college--instant hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps.

Race Farms at the Union Square market on Mondays has chocolate mint, lemon mint, ginger mint, orange mint, peppermint, mojito mint and spearmint. The mojito mint smells fantastic. This is the first year I've seen anyone offer it.