It is made with regular black tea, though I'm experimenting with making it with coffee as well. (wellnessmama.com)
To protect the culture, it is good to use at least 20 % regular black tea though. (wellnessmama.com)
Courtney, you can definitely use regular black tea bags and it will be great — shaking it up will not emulsify it the same way that a blender will (meaning it is not going to be as completely mixed up), but I think it would still be good. (seasonalandsavory.com)