Tuft and Needle Mint mattress Review | Reasons to Buy/NOT Buy

Tuft & Needle is one of the oldest online mattress brands and is actually owned by mattress giant Serta Simmons. The Tuft & Needle mattress line features four different beds, and all of them are very comfortable and accommodating and loved by individuals and couples alike. 

The newly updated Mint mattress is quite a bit different than its predecessor that we tested a few years ago and is now one of the most accommodating foam beds on the market that I think a lot of sleepers will enjoy.

First impressions of the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress

When the team first unboxed the new Tuft & Needle Mint mattress, the first thing we noticed was the design of the cover. The previous model had a dark gray exterior with mint green stripes across the cover that gave it a unique look. The new one has a light gray cover but with a cool looking geodesic type of pattern and subtle green accents on the sides. Personally, I actually prefer the look of the old model, but that’s more of a preference thing, and the cover feels quite nice to the touch. 

The bed didn’t have much of an “off-gassing” process, which is kind of rare for beds made entirely of foam layers, but the bed doesn’t feature any true memory foam (or viscofoam as it is sometimes called) as it inflated in only a few hours. 

Video: Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress Review

Watch our very own CNET Video Producer, Owen Poole, review the Tuft and Needle Mint mattress

Is the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress right for you?

For anyone looking for an accommodating mattress the Mint mattress is an excellent choice. Lots of sleepers have specific preferences for their bed’s firmness and feel — some folks like a ultra firm mattress with lots of bounce and some folks like a plush, slow-to-respond memory foam mattress, but if you don’t have any specific preference and just want something you will very likely find comfortable I would recommend a bed like the Mint. 

It is a bit more expensive than some competing foam beds, including the base model Tuft & Needle Original, but I can’t argue that it isn’t a high-quality bed. 

Tuft & Needle Mint mattress firmness and feel

Mint mattress feel

The feel of the Mint mattress is what we like to call “neutral.” Mattress feel is a spectrum with two poles: one end is a super responsive, buoyant and bouncy sensation, and the other end is a dense, slow-to-respond, sink-in type of sensation, with lots of room in between. 

The Mint mattress sits smack-dab in the middle of this spectrum. Its combination of foams provides bounce but not too much bounce and at the same time it provides plenty of sink-in as well. I have a hard time picturing people finding the Mint mattress uncomfortable because it sits in the middle. 

If you have an already established preference you might like other mattresses more — but the Tuft & Needle Mint is flat out comfortable.

Tuft & Needle Mint firmness and sleeper types

The new version of the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress has a much different firmness profile compared to the old model. The old model was quite soft, in the medium-soft range (2 to 4 out of 10), which is ideal for strict side sleepers. 

Everyone on our team experienced the new model to be a flat medium. This means it should work fairly well for all sleeping positions: back, stomach, side and combination. Our new Mattress Smasher 9000 firmness testing device, which gives beds a more objective firmness rating, gave this bed a 6.2 out of 10, which is on the firm end of medium. 

I have noticed several brands firming up their beds when releasing a new update, and it seems like Tuft & Needle did that across its entire mattress line. It’s not a bed I would describe as firm in the grand scheme of things, just much firmer than the previous model. 

Tuft & Needle Mint mattress construction

The Mint mattress is built with four distinct layers of foam, and it is roughly twelve-inches in height. The bottommost layer is roughly eight-inches of dense support foam, which is what we see if virtually every “all-foam” mattress. This functions as the main support core of the mattress. 

Above this layer of support foam is a layer of “T&N Adaptive” foam which is a bouncy and responsive style of foam. On previous Tuft & Needle models, this foam was the main comfort layer, but on this version of the Mint mattress, it functions as a transition layer between the support foam and the additional comfort layers above. 

Above the Adaptive foam is a layer of “T&N Release” foam which behaves in a similar way to a memory foam: slow to respond and body conforming. And then the primary comfort layer of the Mint mattress is “T&N Flex” foam which is somewhere between the “Release” and “Adaptive” foam. 

This mix of foam provides the bed with that truly neutral type of mattress feel I described above. 

Tuft & Needle Mint performance

Edge support

During testing, we found nothing to worry about with the edge support on the Mint mattress. It isn’t what I would describe as “rock solid,” and if you’re a heavier person who consistently sleeps on the perimeter of the bed it would become a future issue, but I\=p-didn’t notice any “roll-off sensation” on the Mint mattress despite it not having any construction elements designed to enhance the support along the perimeter. 

Beds with poor edge support make you feel like you’re going to roll off the mattress near the outer edge, and it is easy to sleep near the perimeter of the edge if you are sharing a bed with a partner or pets. 

I don’t think you’ll have issues on the Mint, but certain beds, especially hybrids, will have stronger edge support. 

Motion isolation

Motion isolation refers to how well the bed deadens the impact of movement on the mattress — if you are a light sleeper who shares a mattress with someone who tosses and turns a lot, having good motion isolation is especially important. 

Fortunately, like the majority of foam beds, the Mint mattress performs very well in this category and even light sleepers sharing a mattress shouldn’t have problems waking up in the middle of the night from their partner tossing and turning because of motion transfer. 

Because of this bed’s accommodating feel, firmness profile and motion isolation performance, I see this mattress being a great option for couples.

Temperature regulation

The Tuft & Needle Mint mattress should sleep temperature neutral which means you shouldn’t be sleeping warm at night because of the mattress. If you do sleep hot, it is likely due to other environmental factors. The foams and the cover are plenty breathable but there’s no “active cooling” elements we find on other mattresses. 

If you are a hot sleeper looking for something with features to help cool you down, there isn’t much available from Tuft & Needle. Its beds are nice and breathable but don’t have active cooling features. If you are a hot sleeper, be sure to check out our list of the best cooling beds we’ve tested.

The previous version of the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress was actually more expensive than the updated version, which we don’t usually see. Mattress prices have gone up pretty much across the board since I first started testing beds about six years ago. This could be because Tuft & Needle isn’t offering consistent discounts like competing brands, as of writing. 

The Mint mattress having a retail price of $1,295 for a queen-size makes it very competitively priced for an upgraded foam mattress. The Winkbed Gravitylux has a higher price tag and the Nectar Premier has a lower price tag.

For the quality of the mattress, I think the price tag is appropriate, and you might be able to find it for a lower price around major holidays like President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Black Friday.

Tuft & Needle Mint mattress policies

Free shipping

The Mint mattress ships right to your door at no extra cost in the contiguous United States inside of a box. Unboxing a mattress is a quick and easy process; we’ve done it literally hundreds of times.

Unless you are ordering a twin mattress, I recommend having another person there to help you out because beds can get quite heavy, and they’re different to move. 

100-night trial 

Tuft & Needle offers the usual standard in-home sleep trial of 100 nights. So you get roughly 3 months to really test out the bed to see if it’s supportive enough and comfortable enough for you. 

Keep in mind that it can take a month or longer for your body to adjust to a new mattress, no matter how well-suited it is to you. So, if you struggle to get a good night’s sleep in the first week or two, don’t panic.

Most brands will ask you to sleep on the bed for 21-30 nights before initiating a return — I don’t think Tuft & Needle has this requirement, but I think it is best practice regardless.

Return policy

Tuft & Needle, despite more brands introducing return fees, still offers completely free returns on all of its mattresses if you choose to return it within the provided trial period. 

Returning a mattress is usually pretty easy; you just contact the company, and usually, a group will come by your house to pick up the bed, and then it will often get donated or sometimes resold by a third party.

Warranty

All Tuft & Needle mattresses are backed by a standard 10-year warranty. If you buy a mattress online, a 10-year warranty is the minimum you should expect.

How does the Tuft & Needle Mint compare to similar mattresses?

Tuft & Needle Mint vs. Nolah Signature 12”

The Nolah Signature is the upgraded version of the Nolah Original 10, like how the Mint is an upgraded version of the Tuft & Needle Original. Both are the same height, have four foam layers and have a similar price point.

Aside from those superficial similarities, the beds are quite different. The Nolah Signature 12” has a mixed, or blended, foam feel thanks to its unique “Airfoam” material that provides the sink-in quality of memory foam while still being very responsive. The Signature mattress is also much softer than the Mint and is more appropriate for side sleepers. 

Tuft & Needle Mint vs. WinkBed GravityLux

The GravityLux mattress from WinkBed is a unique, pillow-top style memory foam bed that doesn’t use coils. Aside from being an elevated take on a foam mattress, these beds aren’t all that similar. The GravityLux has a memory foam feel that provides a lot of body contouring. It is also available in three firmness options, soft, medium and firm, so no matter your preferred sleeping position, you will be covered by one of the three. The GravityLux is also quite a bit more expensive than the Mint mattress, but it is one of the most unique foam beds we’ve ever tested.

Final thoughts on the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress

To be perfectly honest, I preferred the old model of the Mint mattress when compared to the new update but that is because I am a side sleeper who really enjoys a plush mattress. The old model was a more specialized mattress — this new model has much more mass appeal thanks to its firmness profile.

I think couples will appreciate the Mint mattress a lot because it will be very easy for two people to find the bed comfortable because of how neutral it feels. Add that to its medium firmness and excellent performance with motion isolation and solid edge support and you have a bed that is easy to agree on.

You might like the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress if:

• You want a neutral feel
• You enjoy a mattress with a medium profile
• You want a mattress without coils
• You are sharing the mattress

You might not like the Tuft & Needle Mint mattress if:

• You prefer a coil bed
• You want an especially soft or firm mattress
• You prefer the feel of memory foam

Other mattresses from Tuft & Needle 

Tuft & Needle Mint Hybrid: this is the coil version of the Mint mattress, and it actually features two layers of coils. The dense support foam is replaced with support coils, and the transition layer is another layer of coils, but instead of full-size coils it is a layer of “micro coils.” We see micro coils in a select few mattresses, and they provide additional support and bounce while somehow providing a sink-in, body-conforming quality that can be mistaken for memory foam. The Mint Hybrid uses the same comfort foams as the foam model, so it still has the same type of feel, with just a bit more bounce and a similar firmness profile.

Tuft & Needle Original: this is the flagship mattress from Tuft & Needle, and it is the most popular and most affordable Tuft & Needle mattress. It has fewer foam layers and is thinner than the Mint mattress, but it has the same type of accommodating, neutral feel. It is a bit softer than the Mint, but it is still in the medium range, scoring a 5.3 out of 10 on our Mattress Smasher 9000.