Lipophilic tea polyphenols (LTP) were prepared by catalytic esterification of green tea polyphenols (GTP) with hexadecanoyl chloride. A novel long-chain acyl-derivative of epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) was first isolated from purification of LTP by high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) using a solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:1:1:1, v/v). The molecular structure of the acyl-derivative, Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate-4'-O-hexadecanate, was elucidated by means of elemental analysis, IR, (1)H-NMR and MS spectra