Many friends who drink Pu'er Tea often confuse Tea Fossil (Shuiyinzi) with Old Tea Nugget (Laoch tou). Many are unclear about their differences. So, which is better, Tea Fossil or Old Tea Nugget?

Which tastes better: Tea Fossil or Old Tea Nugget?

1. Which is better: Tea Fossil or Old Tea Nugget?

Tea Fossil is slightly better than Old Tea Nugget. Both Tea Fossil and Old Tea Nugget are good teas. You could say that the Old Tea Nugget is the “father” of Tea Fossil, as Tea Fossil is a type of Old Tea Nugget. Old Tea Nuggets form during the fermentation process of Pu'er ripe tea when clumps are created. Tea Fossil is made by refining Old Tea Nuggets, then compressing them under machine pressure and cutting them into uniform small pieces.

The Old Tea Nugget appears as a compact tea block, relatively large in size and brown in color. Tea Fossil, also known as “Tea Fossil,” has a smaller, more compact shape resembling scattered Silver pieces, with a stronger luster and deeper color. The same amount of Tea Fossil contains more Pectin, capturing more of the essence of the Old Tea Nugget, offering a fuller taste and greater durability when steeped.

2. Is Tea Fossil a high-quality tea or a poor one?

Tea Fossil is a high-quality tea within the Pu'er category. It is made from Old Tea Nuggets through machine compression and cutting into uniform small pieces. It goes through repeated screening and refinement to ensure its excellent quality. As a type of Old Tea Nugget, it contains more essence and is well worth drinking.

3. Where does the glutinous rice aroma in Pu'er Tea Fossil come from?

The glutinous rice aroma in Pu'er Tea Fossil primarily comes from glutinous rice leaves. There are generally two types of Pu'er Tea Fossil: original flavor and glutinous rice flavor. For the latter, high-quality glutinous rice leaves are crushed and mixed with the tea in a specific ratio before being pressed into glutinous rice-flavored Tea Fossil. Alternatively, glutinous rice can be placed in a pot with the Tea Fossil on top, steamed together so that the Tea Fossil absorbs the aroma of the glutinous rice, creating the glutinous rice-flavored variant.

4. Differences between Tea Fossil and Old Tea Nugget

Tea Fossil, also known as “Tea Fossil,” to understand the differences between Old Tea Nugget and Tea Fossil, we must discuss Pu'er ripe tea and Old Tea Nuggets. From the name alone, we can deduce that Tea Fossil is a condensed essence of some substance in tea. Simply put, Tea Fossil is the result of refining and improving upon Old Tea Nuggets. Old Tea Nuggets are a special type of Pu'er ripe tea. Similar to how Pu'er ripe tea is graded, after fermentation, the tea is divided into different grades based on its coarseness and shape.

Old Tea Nuggets form during the fermentation process of Pu'er ripe tea when clumps are created, while Tea Fossil is made by compressing and cutting Old Tea Nuggets into uniform small pieces using machine pressure. Old Tea Nuggets appear as compact tea blocks, relatively large in size and brown in color, whereas Tea Fossil has a smaller, more compact shape resembling scattered silver pieces, with a stronger luster and deeper color, offering a fuller taste when steeped.