Nilgiri Green

Declared Ingredients. Nilgiri Green is made with filtered water, sugar, kombucha starter, and Nilgiri Green tea.^[1]

Sugar and Kombucha Starter — Fermentation Substrate. Sugar dissolved in filtered water provides the fermentable substrate, and an aged, matured kombucha functions as the starter culture, in keeping with Unified Ferments' base recipe of tea leaves, water, sweetener, and inoculant across its lineup.

Unified Ferments applies kombucha fermentation chemistry to a brewed single-origin tea, relying on a SCOBY — a symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacteria — that creates a hostile environment for other microbial life. The company reasons that a tea's polyphenols, catechins, tannins, caffeine, and subtle sugars are all utilized across the full spectrum of the fermentation process, so tea quality is prioritized above all else. Modern technologies are used to monitor and subtly influence the ferment rather than to speed up or significantly alter it, with the stated aim of minimal intervention. In the case of Nilgiri Green, the producer states that fermentation mellows the tea's bright vegetal bite while accentuating its complex tannic structure, developing new aromatics of fennel, iris, hearts of palm, and Riesling grape.^[1]

Nilgiri Green is aimed to be still, though the producer notes it may develop a little carbonation after shipping. Across its range, Unified Ferments generally force-carbonates its beverages rather than relying on bottle conditioning, and all recipes are verified to produce well under the 0.5% ABV legal limit for non-alcoholic beverages under USDA standards. The company describes itself as expressing single expressive teas through fermentation rather than blending multiple flavor profiles.^[2]

Nose. The producer describes an aromatic profile that develops through fermentation, layering fennel, iris, hearts of palm, and Riesling grape over the base tea's persimmon, artichoke, and pomegranate. Orchid and wild flower notes are also cited.^[1]

Palate. Nilgiri Green is described as brassy, dense, and verdant, with notes of pomegranate, orchid, peach skin, heart of palm, and wild flower. Its equatorial fruit notes and complex tannic structure are noted, an experience the producer likens to a skin-contact Riesling.^[2]

Structure. ^[2]

• Tannin: Complex tannic structure, accentuated by fermentation and likened to a skin-contact Riesling
• Body: Dense, verdant; a super chewy, green-fruit tannic character shared with Nilgiri Coonoor
• Complexity: Complex profile developed through fermentation

Temperature. Nilgiri Green is recommended to be served at white wine temperature, framed by the producer as a tonifying after-work libation.^[1]

The producer recommends Nilgiri Green with Roman carbonara, spitted pork, and salade niçoise, or with anything fresh or decadent.^[1]

Production. Unified Ferments is a Brooklyn-based fermented tea brand that brews each single-origin loose-leaf tea by hand. Nilgiri Green and Nilgiri Coonoor are made from the same Nilgiri harvest but processed in contrasting styles, and both have been treated as experimental offerings with very limited inventory intended to potentially join the main lineup.