Steffan Arctander describes the aroma as “sweet and spicy, slightly green, fresh with a faint balsamic-woody undertone and a lasting sweetness.” Generally speaking there are two types of sweet basil; Mediterranean type and Reunion type. However, this herb has been hybridized extensively producing many unique nuances. The Mediterranean variety, also called true sweet basil, contains higher percentages of the natural constituents, cineol and d-linalool. The reunion variety is higher in methylchavicol.