Mints: are they hot or cold?

Meemars

I have 2 packets of mints, one is billed as "curiously strong", and the other is, well, normal, I guess. The stronger one seems to me to be "hotter" than the other one, which I would deem as being "cool". Both are peppermint flavour.
How can this be? Are mints hot, or are they cold?

enda1

They cool your mouth down. They cause an endothermic reaction with your saliva which requires heat from your mouth.

I think.

Wazdakka

Nope...

I've racked my brains for a good 15 seconds now, And I cannot think of a witty thanks whoring response to this thread...

Kudos Op.

orourkeda

I struggled with a witty riposte too.

How curious.

Hard Larry

Meemars wrote: »

I have 2 packets of mints, one is billed as "curiously strong", and the other is, well, normal, I guess. The stronger one seems to me to be "hotter" than the other one, which I would deem as being "cool". Both are peppermint flavour.
How can this be? Are mints hot, or are they cold?

Aww man, I miss weed-smoking conversations


...not that I can remember them anyway.

CR 7

Meemars wrote: »

I have 2 packets of mints, one is billed as "curiously strong", and the other is, well, normal, I guess. The stronger one seems to me to be "hotter" than the other one, which I would deem as being "cool". Both are peppermint flavour.
How can this be? Are mints hot, or are they cold?

Yeah, i think so.

Cookie_Monster

neither

emeraldstar

Mints are minty.

4zn76tysfajdxp

emeraldstar wrote: »

Mints are minty.

Delicious too.

emeraldstar

Indeed. Toothpaste is my favourite.

WindSock

I'd say cold. Mint yoghurt compliments a hot curry.

Marvinthefish

Throw up the ingredients there OP.

From the Wikipedia article on menthol

Menthol's ability to chemically trigger the cold-sensitive TRPM8 receptors in the skin is responsible for the well known cooling sensation that it provokes when inhaled, eaten, or applied to the skin.

R. Eccles (1994). "Menthol and Related Cooling Compounds". J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 46: 618–630. PMID 7529306

GavRedKing

This thread is like a breath of fresh air.

/ Gets coat

Twin-go

Two Packets OP?:eek:

You must be minted................................


/I'll get me coat.

Meemars

Marvinthefish wrote: »

Menthol's ability to chemically trigger the cold-sensitive TRPM8 receptors in the skin is responsible for the well known cooling sensation that it provokes when inhaled, eaten, or applied to the skin.

R. Eccles (1994). "Menthol and Related Cooling Compounds". J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 46: 618–630. PMID 7529306

I understand the cooling, but why does the stronger one seem to "burn" for want of a better word?
Illustrated by an Ad for a particular mint a few years ago (Trebor maybe?,) whereby a Russian soldier experiences the sensation and waves his hand in front of his mouth while panting - like you do when you eat hot food.

WindSock

gavredking wrote: »

This thread is like a breath of fresh air.

/ Gets coat

Twin-go wrote: »

Two Packets OP?:eek:

You must be minted................................


/I'll get me coat.

If I owned a cloakroom on this thread I'd be minted.



What do you mean the pun was already done?

Twin-go

WindSock wrote: »

If I owned a cloakroom on this thread I'd be minted.



What do you mean the pun was already done?

Cool :rolleyes:

I mean hot

feck it, I just don't know any more.

/Now where is my ticket for the cloakroom....................

jokettle

While we're kind of circling around the issue, are mints sweets or are they in a class of their own? I remember having a longstanding argument about this way back in school, but no-one agreed with me about mints not being sweets.....:(

back OT, all I know is that if you drink water right after you have a mint, even if the water's only tepid, it's fricking freezing in your mouth/throat :rolleyes:

WindSock

Twin-go wrote: »

/Now where is my ticket for the cloakroom....................

Right where you left it. You must be bleedin menthol :pac:

/runs off with all coats

SV

You trying to get the taste of something out of your mouth OP?

Meemars

SV wrote: »

You trying to get the taste of something out of your mouth OP?

The aftertaste of the stinky puns on this thread!

Ziggurat

Peppermint contains menthol - an alcohol and a common property of alcohols is their ability to cause a burning sensation. So I'd say hot, or at least the feeling of heat.

ToniTuddle

Some mints are too "strong/hot" for me.....or maybe it's too cold for me :eek:
Could be something to do with the brain not knowing how to react!

Someone who is blindfolded and has freezing water throw on them appanently doesn't know if it's freezing water or boiling water. For a few split seconds anyway. Body goes into brief shock.

So yer mouth is in brief shock!!

The Maverick

They're hot then they're cold
They're yes then they're no
They're in then they're out
They're up then they're down?

pickarooney

Hot mince for burgers, cold mince for steak tartare.

CianRyan

Sure your hands start to burn if you put them on ice/in snow for too long, that doesn't make snow/ice hot.

THINK LOGICALLY, AH!!!

Jackeenboy

Cold. But they burn your mouth so its similar to the burn from heat.Thats why you get thirsty.

phasers

Mints don't have a temperature

jd007

Meemars wrote: »

Are mints hot, or are they cold?

My cat's breath smells like cat food.

jd007

jd007 wrote: »

My cat's breath smells like cat food.

and it's árse tastes like mints

adamski8

phasers wrote: »

Mints don't have a temperature

are you sure about that????? most things do:p