# Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent ## Summary Don Mei of Mei Leaf taught a generation to brew gongfu online. What he is known for, the commercial caveat to keep in mind, and who his approach suits. ## Description The short version: Don Mei of Mei Leaf taught a generation to brew gongfu online. What he is known for, the commercial caveat, and who his approach suits. Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/ For a generation of online learners, Mei Leaf is how they learned to brew properly. This sits in the tea people cluster beside the best tea YouTubers. Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in February 2026. Profile based on public information and the person's own published work, accurate as of May 2026. No private detail or invented quotes; we describe roles and reputation, not gossip. Strengths and caveats Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/ StrengthsCaveats to keep in mindClear, structured gongfu teaching for beginnersHe sells the tea he teaches with: a commercial overlap to weighMade an inaccessible method genuinely learnableAn enthusiast register; enthusiasm can read as advocacyConsistent emphasis on technique over gadgetsStrong house preferences; treat as a viewpoint, not the only oneRaised the baseline of online brewing advicePremium framing; not aimed at the bargain-led buyer What he is known for Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for What he is known for, Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/Don Mei is the front figure of Mei Leaf, a London-based tea company, and the presenter of its widely followed YouTube channel, one of the most popular tea-education resources online. Through it he is one of the people most responsible for a generation of English-speaking drinkers learning to brew properly rather than badly. The contribution is genuine education: accessible, structured, enthusiastic teaching of gongfu-style brewing, the small-vessel, short, repeated-infusion method that gets far more out of good leaf than a single Western mug. Before content like this existed, gongfu was largely shut away in specialist circles and a few books; making it watchable and repeatable lowered the barrier dramatically. See gongfu brewing. Who it suits Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Who it suits, Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/His approach suits anyone moving from bags to loose leaf, the gaiwan and gongfu, who wants a structured, repeatable way into brewing good leaf well, especially beginners who have been let down by expensive tea brewed carelessly. It suits a value-led buyer less, because the framing is firmly premium. None of that makes the teaching wrong; it is a strong viewpoint to learn the method from while keeping your own judgement on what to buy. See the gaiwan explained. Educator or marketer? How to vet any tea authority Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Educator or marketer? How to vet any tea authority, Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/Mei Leaf is a brand channel, so it sells the tea it teaches with, and the honest reading is that the education is strong and the commercial interest is openly part of it. The useful, transferable skill is telling an educator from a marketer when the same person is visibly both. Split what they offer into two streams. Method, how to weigh leaf, control temperature, choose a vessel, time a steep and taste across infusions, is testable in your own cup and brand-independent, so learn it. Recommendation, which specific teas and which supplier, is where a commercial interest sits, so keep your own judgement. The quickest test: take one technique and try it on leaf from an unrelated supplier; if the cup is still better, the teaching was real. See best tea YouTubers. Want to actually buy a good one? Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Want to actually buy a good one?, Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/If this has helped you decide, the next step is buying a genuinely good one judged on the cup rather than the marketing. The products shown on this page are matched to exactly this topic, so they are the starting point. To see the wider range, browse tea and herbal infusions at teas.co.uk or the full tea shop. As everywhere on this wiki: buy on the cup and the description, never the marketing, check the per cup price, and remember free UK delivery is over £35. Reference noted Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Reference noted, Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/ PubMed: Green tea catechins and human health From the curatorteas · Start cheap, stay cheap until something stops you. Most rich teas reward patience, not budget. More tea readingthe green tea familyBlack teaOolong teaHerbal tea overview Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Don Mei (Mei Leaf): The Gongfu Educator. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/don-mei-mei-leaf/ More from the tea wiki Green tea Black tea Oolong tea White tea Herbal tea Caffeine in tea How to make tea properly Loose leaf vs teabag --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._