"Tea is nothing other than this: Heat the water, prepare the tea and drink it with propriety. That is all you need to know."
- Sen Rikyu, 16th Century Oriental Tea Master

Green tea, sipped by the Japanese and Chinese for countless generation, has finally broken through the American mainstream. A product that was once only found in Asian specialty health and foods shops, has penetrated the mass market and can now be found in many groceries, convenience stores and even gourmet food chains.

Due to the widely-talked about health benefits of green tea, the beverage has now become ubiquitous. The numbers bear that out. The size of the green tea segment of the

American tea market expanded by 37% between 1997 and 2002, according to AC Nielsen. Green tea sales were about $625 million, or 12.5%, of the US$5.5 billion in total tea sales for 2003, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts.

While government researchers haven't confirmed all of the health benefits of green tea, some reports from reputable sources have come out with conclusions that indeed, this beverage is rich in anti-oxidant healing properties. An American Institute for Cancer Research-funded report claimed for example that green tea contained a substance called EGCG, that may "short-circuit" the development of cancer.

A lot of Americans are in fact on the lookout for just such health benefits. With all the environmental and dietary factors that permeate everyday life in American society, many citizens are looking for a sort of "magic pill" that could clear away many of the disease-bearing substances encountered in everyday living. And it seems green tea is largely seen as that "magic pill".