If recent medical claims are accurate that drinking four cups of green tea each day increases alertness, soothes the nerves and protects against certain types of cancer, then only two bottles of Cricket cola will do the trick.

The new soft drink, touted as “happiness in a bottle,” was introduced to the San Diego market earlier this year after its inventors put it through rigorous taste tests that resulted in a good deal of formula tweaking. The end result became a 12-ounce carbonated drink that contains cola emulsion from the cola nut, plus two concentrated cups of green tea.

Those who are long programmed to the taste of Coke or Pepsi will find the flavor of Cricket weird, says Chris Donald, the company’s San Diego County marketing rep. “The product requires a small palate adjustment. But after drinking a bottle or two, people are hooked.”

Compared to big commercial colas, Cricket omits the high fructose corn syrup and phosphoric acid – and replaces them with pure cane sugar, natural cola and Splenda sweetener in the diet version. The infusion of green tea imparts an earthy spice that consumers won’t find in other soft drinks.

“It’s a guilt free, clean cola,” adds Cricket owner Mary Heron of Maryland, who pursued the concept with her husband after their doctor advised them to stop drinking traditional diet colas made with aspartame. “We were Coke addicts,” she admits. “So we initially switched to water, but soon missed the carbonation and the cola flavor.”

Heron and her husband, John, eventually turned to a friend of theirs in San Francisco, Pete Mattson, who had invented Boca Burgers and Starbucks’ Frappuccino drink. The three joined heads on the development of Cricket and then tested it extensively on friends before launching the dark-caramel colored drink in 2002.

According to Donald, the ensuing marketing effort has been “an uphill battle” outside the demographic in which the company has found some success. “Hillcrest is proving to be a strong market,” he says. Businesses such as Indulgence Bakery & Café, The Living Room, Parkhouse Eatery, Hash House a Go Go and Big City Bagels now carry the product, as well as Henry’s Marketplaces. “These are places where the clientele are more independent thinkers willing to try new beverages.”

Heron agrees, adding that it is the “counterculture trendsetters” who duly appreciate Cricket’s ability to provide them with a “mellow, gentle lift” sans the chemical flavors of mass-produced cola drinks. “There is a little bit of natural caffeine in the drink that comes from both the cola and tea. And it was unexpected to us that the combination would work somewhat as a mood enhancer.”

When asked how Cricket performs as a mixer in alcoholic beverages, Donald says it matches well with spiced rum, which the company calls an Island Hopper. He adds that bartenders at the W Hotel have been “playing around” with the product since they recently began carrying it.

The company has contributed its product to numerous charity events and organizations throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles and San Francisco Prides as well as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The eye-grabbing label, which won a prestigious Cleo Award last year for Best Packaging, illustrates “the way cola used to be presented,” says Heron.

“We’re an entirely new category in the beverage industry. We feel that if a person drinks two Crickets, we have a friend for life.”