When it comes to minty sweets and chewing gum, generally we're faced with two options - spearmint and peppermint. But have you ever wondered what the difference is between the two popular items of confectionary?

Lydia Byron took over family business, Wyldes Sweet Shop in Tamworth, Staffordshire in 2022 - and due to the popularity of fellow small business owner, Spudman, in the town, iss experiencing great success both in store and on social media. She shared a fun fact with her fellowers.

"There are roughly 20 to 30 recognised species of mint within the mentha genus although cross-breeding can occur," she quipped in a TikTok video. In fact, peppermint is one of those cross-breeds - a mixture of spearmint and watermint, according to Lydia.

She continued: "Believe it or not, lemon balm actually counts as a member of the mint family. Both peppermint and spearmint will show up in the sweets we know and love. So what are the main differences?"

Lydia went on to reveal that most mint sweets are peppermint-based as that is the one that is around 40% more menthol-y. "If you have ever had a sweet that makes you have that [mimics cooling feeling in the throat], it's probably because of that. Despite the word peppermint sounding way softer that the word spearmint, peppermint is known for it's very pungent, very sharp taste."

Spearmint, meanwhile, is "a bit gentler", Lydia explained, with a "little bit more sweetness" in it. She closed: "Weirdly enough, you are more likely to find spearmint whilst cooking savoury dishes because of it's more 'balancing act' compared to our dear old friend, peppermint."

Offering their opinions on the two mints in response, one TikTok user declared: "One is delicious, the other is spearmint." A second person argued: "Spearmint soft mints are the greatest mint sweetie to ever exist."

A third weighed in on the debate: "I love to have spearmint mints and gum. If I've got the option for spearmint, I choose that one." A fourth individual confessed: "I KNEW that lemon balm tastes too similar to mint, as a kid I would actually confuse them a lot."

Whilst a fifth TikTok user explained: "Even though I don’t always like the cool, spicy taste of peppermint, I do prefer it over spearmint. There’s something about peppermint that makes my breath feel cleaner and fresher than spearmint does."

Wyldes was started by Lydia's great-great grandmother, Hannah Wyldes in the 1890s and having been passed down throughout the generations, she decided to take it over herself.

"Coming to that sweet shop and having the chance to carry it on was absolutely amazing because we've tried to keep it pretty much the same as it's been for generations, aside from the idea of a card machine being added which is the only modern thing I'm allowed," she told Birmingham Live.

And speaking about how Wyldes is now basking in Spudman's fame, she added: "We only went semi-viral on TikTok ourselves way after Spudman already, and then he figured it would be fantastic to have a co-host for some of his videos. So we just started you know, having fun, the authentic experience of enjoying other people's company, and it just snowballed from there."