To create tea, one has to acquire leave.s However, they can’t be any kind of leaves; they have to be tea leaves. After obtaining the tea leaves or the tea bags, the individual must put them in boiling hot – not freezing cold – water. But, hot tea isn’t the only kind of tea that exists. There is another kind that’s a favorite back home in Texas: Good ole iced tea. I believe it’s made in the same manner as regular tea except there’s the addition of ice involve.d My mother would almost always order it whenever we ate out at restaurants and ask for lemons with that particular beverage; that is, if sweet tea wasn’t available. But it wasn’t just she who liked it. A few friends from high school also really enjoyed iced tea and they’re probably sipping a glass of it right now, assuming the temperature in Texas is above 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Thanks to them, I’ve also discovered there are multiple types of tea, ranging from jasmine to green to raspberry. How can I possibly choose a favorite?
Wait. Why am I asking myself that when I don’t even like tea?
Yes, it’s true. In this tea-loving United States of America, I am part of the minority – so it seems – who does not like the substance very much. Have I tried it? Yes. Multiple times. But I just never got on board with this mass liking for tea that has occurred in the last couple of years. Yet, so many of my friends and especially my mother and sister have. So I’ve always wondered: why is tea relevant to our culture besides the health benefits? When did we transition from dumping tea into the harbor protesting the British to making it a part of our daily lives?
Your Move 
I like how you put some personal details. You could add more description about the tea, like what it taste like, or what does it look like. Do you drink from your hands or a bag?
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I really love the way you transitioned into the second paragraph, “Wait. Why am I asking myself that when I don’t even like tea?” It’s almost refreshing to stop and question why exactly you are talking about a subject that you don’t even like, and it brings a lot of emphasis to the subject. I also really enjoyed how personal you are about tea and how friends and family members back home are probably drinking it as you wrote this. The only thing I was a little turned off by was the fact that you mentioned tea as a “mass liking.” I just think a lot of people are unfamiliar with that idea in the United States, when I think of tea, I mostly think of the UK or England specifically. Overall good job!
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I really enjoy the usage of scenario that you brought into my mind when I was reading this. I do wish you could talk more about why you “dislike” tea. It just seems very vague how you change the point of view about what you like, and not talk about it. Overall, a very good post.
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You move super fast when writing about this topic. I feel as though you should go into detail more in the first paragraph. Your thoughts are all over the place.
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I like the idea and what you were going for, but I feel as though its not really your take on the subject. You’re telling us about how everyone else feels about tea which doesn’t really relate. And the history you used (Boston Tea Party) wasn’t used in the right context.
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Honestly I feel like your thoughts are a little all over the place. I don’t really understand how you’re viewing tea because you start off with everyone loving tea to you not loving tea so I’m confused about what argument you’re trying to make and how it relates to American culture. I think there is a lot of things you could say about tea just maybe try and organize your thought a little better!
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Decide which “tea culture” your talking about (the current boom of popularity in the cities, derived perhaps from recent Asian immigrants bringing their many different verities; Southern tea culture biased around black, chilled tea; or the historical tea culture of the colonies, derived from British Tea Culture) or if your doing all of them, be sure to keep them separate.
Also, the Boston Tea Party had everything to do with taxes, not the tea itself.
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Although I enjoy the topic choice I think certain parts of your draft counteract each other. I liked how you described that tea is only made in one way, but maybe explain how that is relevant to the cultural aspects if that is what you are arguing. Also the people who participated in the Boston tea party were revolting taxes not because they disliked tea. In my personal opinion it would be beneficial to take out the Boston tea party sincenter it goes against your argument . Other than that I reallylike how you put personal feelings in.
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I like how personal this essay seems to be while still keeping and hinting at the larger (I really enjoyed those two leading questions at the end). And your voice is strong in this piece. Question: So are you focusing on ice tea, specifically, or are you keeping it open to hot tea, too? (Because I was thinking: when those guys dumped that tea in the Boston Harbor it was iced tea–because it was December. Yes. Wow. I did just go look that up so that pun could be accurate.) Anyway, I suggest giving the reader a more comprehensive list of all those types of teas out there–and keep making this topic personal while trying to tackle those large questions.
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