About three years ago I started noticing GT's Kombucha Tea pushing aside the slew of carbonated "healthy" sodas in the grab-n-go refrigerated aisle in Whole Foods. Always up for trying something new, I picked up a bottle, and after reading a little blurb on the label that cited the beverage as an unproven miracle cure, I made my first kombucha purchase. If you read the small print, founder GT Dave attributes his mother's successful defeat of cancer to kombucha tea which is why he started bottling the stuff ten years ago. But, he's not the only one. In the past year or so I've noticed tons of new kombucha companies popping up, all touting esoteric cures from toothaches to athlete's foot. So what exactly is kombucha? Essentially, it's a colony of microorganisms that look like a mushroom (which is why kombucha is sometimes referred to as "mushroom tea") and feed on sugar and, with the help of green or black tea, eventually ferment into a tangy sparking beverage similar in flavor to sparkling cider or Champagne. Upon a recent visit to Palm Desert, I stumbled upon a delicious small-batch kombucha company called SeaChi Organic Kombuchi, though to my dismay one 750 ml bottles cost over $15 at a local heath food store, yikes! Likewise, smaller 12 ounce bottles at specialty shops can cost over $3 which is also pricey, so Good Bite is here to save the day with a DIY kombucha recipe compliments of SeaChi. Full disclosure, you will need to buy the kombucha starter which costs $42 at SeaChi, however that starter can be used indefinitely and you will never need to buy another. So, basically you are paying $42 for unlimited kombucha tea. SeaChi Says: "Kombuchi is an anti-bacterial containing glucuronic acid which is a building block for connective cell tissue. Kombuchi also has an anti-biotic effect containing vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and vitamin C." DIY Kombucha Tea Recipe 1 cup organic sugar 5 black tea bags starter Fill 3-quart stainless steel pot with purified or distilled water and bring to boil. Add 1 cup organic sugar and boil 5 minutes. Add 5 black tea bags and let steep 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and pour tea into glass bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Add 8 ounces tea starter and place culture on top of tea. Put two pieces of tape criss-cross over the top of the bowl and cover with clean, cotton, light weight cloth. Place bowl out of direct sunlight, plants, and insects where it will not be disturbed. Let ferment 7-10 days, depending on how sour you like your tea. Feel free to taste along with way adding more sugar if necessary. Meanwhile, your culture will duplicate itself by growing a "baby" on top. Once ready, remove both cultures, separate and store in the fridge in a glass container until you are ready to make another batch. Strain tea through cheesecloth and store in glass bottle in fridge. ** Note: Although black tea has caffeine, as the tea ferments the bacteria eat the caffeine so kombucha is 99.5% caffeine-free.