I wish you and your family the best Don. I hope your daughter is doing well.

The first seven minutes and 38 seconds I’m thinking, are we still talking about tea? Cause this is getting pretty real.

I realized the impermanence of tea early on, especially when it comes to greens, oolongs, and red teas, since they typically aren't really aged... but I love that I've had the opportunity to have a last tea session for a few teas that I can still remember, cuz I made space for it. I wanna start buying cakes to age so that I can have that experience years apart and see if i can remember nuances in taste over the years!

Tea and philosophy is a natural and eons long combination, thank you! Wishing everyone a lovely weekend

Love this series

What you said from 9:06 to 9:36 perfectly encapsulates the difference between tea culture and 3rd wave coffee culture. While tea culture forces you to accept impermanence, 3rd wave coffee culture, especially online, focuses so much on consistency, repeatability, and perfectionism. Instead of appreciating the differences between and uniqueness of each cup of tea, coffee nerds (I used to be one) pull out scales, water mineral packets, graphs, timers, water flow meters, micron measurement tools, and even machines to measure extraction percentages. One video which awoke me to realize how ridiculous it was getting was when a guy was thowing away coffee beans of an extremely expensive variety and roast quality just because they were slightly wrinkled, hollow, lighter, or split in half. The obsession with perfection and consistency is worlds apart from anything in the world of tea. Sure, we sometimes use scales to measure a dose of dry leaves or use a stopwatch for the longer steep times, but we understand that the variables we're measuring are rough and won't ruin a cup or session if they're slightly different. Not only this, but trying to make tea consistent is like trying to herd cats. Inevitably, things change for an uncountable number of reasons, but it's alright, since tea is so much more forgiving than coffee, and will basically always taste good as long as the leaves are well-sourced. That's the reason I got into tea, after all. I was trying to figure out the process of making espresso and grew confused and extremely frustrated as to why, no matter what variable I changed, my shots were impalatable. I went through entire bags of beans without being able to drink a whole shot, and it seemed hopeless, despite all the research and practice. Luckily, I had just tried my first order of tea from Mei Leaf, and I realized that all that's needed to make some of the best drink I've ever had is leaves in water, no matter if the brewing time, temperature, dose, water quality, or brewing vessel weren't exactly "correct". This has helped me realize in many other parts of my life not to take things so seriously or to be a perfectionist unless it's absolutely necessary, which is almost never. I've learned to appreciate single moments and states of things as they are in the present, instead of how I think they should be in my mind.

Loved what you said about the arc of impermanence a tea drinker can witness by putting dry leaves into water.

I waited to watch this video until now,and there is a reason. I found out today that my father passed away three days ago. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him for over 17 years,the reasons being terribly complicated. I was hoping to visit him and see him for what I knew would be the last time,but it just didn’t work out. So what you say is very interesting,regarding tea as a metaphor for impermanence,or,in this case,mortality. Because I went home,and I had a few sessions of a recently purchased tea of yours,the Duck **** Oolong. I can tell you,if my father’s passing happened 3 years ago,I would have went for the Vodka. That would have gone badly. The Oolong,after a modest meal,it calmed me,it did not caffinate me to an extreme,it did indeed make me more calm and contemplative. Your words are wise,presumably passed town to you from your father. I hope so.

Thank you for the video Mei leaf. I have been going a tough time in life. Many people do not understand the power of tea. Therefore I’m highly underestimated and completely undervalued. I enjoyed watching this video. It’s a reminder that there are still things to come. I do hope for a brighter future.

That was really beautiful. Thank you so much, Don ♥

Very profound. I love this weaving of tea and philosophy!

I just wanted to remark on how well Don presents this. It's one take, no teleprompter, no umms or ahhs or losing his thread, naturally flowing and progressing from one well-expressed point to the next, with clear and relatable examples. Don clearly lives this philosophy (as much as anyone can). Alan Watts would be happy with this little talk! ✌️😊🫖☯️

THIS IS SO GOOD!!! Can't tell you how timely this message was (and is) for me personally, too. THANK YOU for making this video...what a fantastic reminder to enjoy and experience the life we have right in front of us! God bless you and your family--praying for you guys and little Aiyana.

So much love for you and the team. Light and peace from Brazil.

This video has arrived on perfect timing, thank you ❤

What a great, deep and wise speech! Thank you very much for your wisdom and knowledge 🫖❤️

Well stated. Namaste.

Excellent video.

This video really goes well with some jin jun mei tea!

Loved this vlog. Feels like a Ted Talk.

I like those talks. Can't wait for third video from this series :D Thumbnails are great, do you know the artist?

Miss the 1st episode.. Not to bad to a tea Head!! .😅😅... Sip Happy

You don't quite look yourself, with everything you have going on I hope you are also looking after yourself.