Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea

Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea is a Chinese Green Tea blended with apricot kernels, which are the soft inside of the fruit’s seed. As well as making a great Tea, this infusion can also be used to produce oil to flavour baked goods and liquors, offering a unique almond-marzipan taste.

Most, however, enjoy Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea as exactly that - a warm, invigorating, nourishing and flavoursome Green Tea. But there are also those who choose to consume Green Tea for its potential health benefits, and Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea is, of course, no exception.

According to the latest scientific research, in fact, Green Teas such as Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea can boost the metabolism, which helps the body to burn fat quicker and more efficiently, lower cholesterol, which helps to improve cardiovascular health, and enhance cognitive function, which reduces the risks of developing Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. There are many more health benefits associated with the frequent consumption of Green Tea, be it flavoured or unflavoured, but most importantly, this Tea tastes great.

Contrary to popular belief, the flavouring of Green Tea is far from a new phenomenon. Astonishingly, historians now believe that Tea flavouring has occurred since almost the discovery of Tea itself. This dates back to 2737 BCE, or so the story goes, when a Chinese Emperor named Shennong came to rest underneath a tree, falling asleep in the sun with a cup of boiling water by his side.

When he awoke, he found that leaves from the tree above had fallen into his drink. Shennong, an avid herbalist, decided to try the infusion - it was Tea, and it tasted amazing! Thousands of years later and Tea is just as popular as ever, if not more so.

Today, Green Tea, as well as Black Tea, White Tea and Oolong Tea, can be flavoured with almost anything imaginable. While Apricot Kernel Sencha Green Tea is, admittedly, a relatively new invention, it is one of the hundreds if not thousands if not millions of Flavoured Green Teas currently available, flavoured Green Teas that have been developed over millennia.

Type of Tea: Loose Leaf Green Tea.

Origin: China.

Ingredients: Chinese Green Tea, apricot kernels, orange blossom and peony petals.

Brewing Instructions: Brew using freshly boiled water left to cool to temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees. Following this, infuse for 2 to 3 minutes.

How to Serve: A slice of lemon goes well with this Tea, although we believe it tastes best served as it is.

Tasting Notes: Apricot is lively yet delicate, sweet yet not overpowering. It has grassy hints and fruity undertones followed by a refreshing aftertaste.

Colour in Cup: Green liquor, light in tone.

Health Benefits: Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease caused by reduced levels of nitric oxide (NO) in the endothelium lining of blood vessels; however, studies have suggested that the flavonoids in Green Tea can improve endothelial function and flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

One study, in particular, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stated that Green Tea improved bioactivity of the endothelium-derived vasodilator, nitric oxide, by enhancing its synthesis. In other words, choosing this type of tea can improve cardiovascular health in more ways than one.

Furthermore, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Dermatology in 2000, the antioxidants in Green Tea can afford protection against a variety of skin disorders. In particular, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the same antioxidant that can afford protection against cardiovascular health, can keep your skin in its prime.