Tea? You ask...

Not too long ago, in the store I work at, a new book arrived called, "Tea is always good tea".

As a European, I drink lots of tea and that's throughout the day. Despite being Irish as well, I don't add any sugar, nor milk, nor cream. No honey, nothing adding in the tea... You may think I'm insane to drink straight black tea, but I was raised on tea, it's how it's always been.

When I saw the book, I just need to have it!
A short background on what tea is it refers, usually, to the beverage made by steeping the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant in hot water. People usually think of British when talking about tea. Not entirely wrong, British people do drink a lot of tea themselves...

Here are some interesting facts from my little book.

"Loose Leaf:
'Loose leaf' refers to whole or broken tea leaves that do not come in tea bags, requiring you to measure leaves for each brew. Generally, of a higher quality than bag tea, loose-leaf tea calls for steeping tools to separate the leaves post-brew.

Pros:                                                                                               Cons:

-Available in a wide selection of teas                                            - Generally more expensive
-Yields more nuanced flavors and                                                  -Disposing of wet leaves can be
aromas                                                                                             inconvenient and messy
-Allows you to control the ratio of
leaves to water

You can dry high-quality whole leaves after use and re-step them several times.

Tea Bags:
Tea bags contain small, chopped pieces of tea leaves in a packet or sachet. Most tea bags containing black tea have been processed using the mechanical CTC (crush, tear, curl) method.
Pros:                                                                                               Cons: 
- Quick brewing time with strong                                                  - Lower quality of flavor
flavor                                                                                              - Loses freshness quickly
-Simple to store, transport, and                                                      - More likely to become bitter
dispose of the leaves
-Easy to brew one cup at a time

Don't squeeze a tea bag at the end of a brew! This release bitter tannins into the tea." 

I personally use tea bags, easy to brew, fast enough for me when I'm in a rush which is more common than you may think. I have nothing against loose leaves, the only little issue I keep bumping into is the mess as well as taking longer to make by a few minutes.

"Storage:
Tips for quality and longevity

KEEP IT DRY AND SEALED
To preserve flavor and aroma, store your tea in an airtight container. Be wary of storing fragrant items nearby, as they might taint a tea's aroma.

KEEP IT DARK
Tea leaves are sensitive to light, so store them in dark containers. If using glass jars, store them in a dark cupboard. 

KEEP IT COOL
Heat can damage a tea's flavor and aroma. Store your tea leaves at room temperature- or slightly cooler."

My tea isn't kept in a special storage, to be honest, I don't have much space to put them, too much of it, so I keep the bags inside their boxes in my cabinet. Dark and cool enough to keep everything under control. Now, when I think of my future place, my little comfort home, I will have jars full of either loose tea or bags. Cause being Irish isn't always about drinking Guinness... Tea is also very important. 

"OCCASIONS FOR TEA

Wake up:
The caffeine in tea makes it an ideal morning beverage.
Relax: 
A soothing cup of tea is the perfect way to warm up and wind down.
Celebrate:
Toast to good news and milestones with a tasty symbolic tea.
Connect:
Slow down the pace of life and take time to share the experience with others.
Cure:
Enjoy the medicinal properties of various teas and tisanes.
Respect:
Show reverence to current and pas culture and traditions. "

I usually drink tea to either get warm on a cold rainy day or simply because I want to drink tea. The only occasion I would consider drinking tea as an "occasion" would be when I'm having breakfast with mum, then tea is required! Not so much of an occasion, mostly a requirement, plus the place we usually go to, knows what we order, and they know our teas! She has to be more the English Breakfast tea, while I'm more the Earl Grey person or simply my Irish tea when there's some, which is rarely. 

For some people, tea is considered beneficial, healthy, and a "snobby" enough drink. Tea time is for everyone, not just the rich! So if you are a fan of tea, or you enjoy a simple cup of tea, this book is for you! I certainly am learning a lot about different teas, so I thought I would write another post about different teas and their benefits. 

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." - C.S. Lewis

~Bella

Psych 101... PERSONALITY... What makes you... You?

When discussing personality, psychologists look at the thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that an individual has that make him or her unique- also known as a "mental system." Personality is individualized, and, for the most part, it will remain consistent throughout an individual's life. While there are many interpretations as to what constitutes personality, several key characteristics are

generally accepted in the field of study:

• In general, there is a consistency and noticeable order to behavior. People behave in the same or similar ways in different types of situations.
• Personality influences how a person behaves and responds to their environment, and is also the cause of behaving in particular ways.
• While personality is a psychological concept, biological processes have a large influence and impact on it.
• Behavior is not the only thing that displays personality. Personality can be seen in interactions with other people, relationships thoughts, and emotions.

TRAIT THEORIES

There are several theories and schools of thought that try to understand how personality develops, and many have already been discussed in depth. These include humanist theories (such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs), which emphasize the role of free will and the experience of the individual; psychoanalytic theories (like the work of Sigmund Freud) that emphasize early experiences and the unconscious); behavioral theories (like classical and operant conditioning), which suggest that the individual and his or her interaction with the environment lead to the development of personality; and trait theories, which are particularly noteworthy because of their emphasis on the difference between people. Trait theories, then, focus on finding and measuring the personality traits that comprise each individual. Throughout the history of psychology, there have been several trait theories. Among the most important are:

Allport's Trait Theory

In 1936, Harvard psychologist Gordon Allport, who also taught the very first personality psychology class in the United States, developed his trait theory of personality. Allport went through the dictionary and searched for every term he felt described a personality trait. With a list of over 4,500 words, Allport organized these traits into three categories:

1. Cardinal Traits: Traits that control and define the entire personality of an individual. As a result, these types of traits are often synonymous with the individual and are very rare. These traits include Christ-like, Narcissistic, and Machiavellian. 

2. Central Traits: Traits that are common. These include traits like friendliness, kindness, honesty, etc.

3. Secondary Traits: Traits that appear under particular conditions and circumstances. For example, becoming nervous prior to giving a speech in public. 

Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factors

Working off of Gordon Allport's theory, psychologist Raymond Cattell tookAllport's list of more than 4,200 personality traits and dwindled it down to 171 traits, by combining those that were similar to one another and removing traits that were uncommon. Cattell then created questionnaires that used these traits and tested a large population sample. Once Cattell had the results from the questionnaires, he identified any terms that were closely related and used a statistical process known as factor analysis to decrease the number of main personality traits even further. He concluded that a total of sixteen personality traits were the source of all personalities and that every single person had these traits to some degree. The sixteen personality factors Cattell identified are:

• Abstractedness: Being imaginative and abstract versus being grounded and practical.
• Apprehension: Being worried and insecure versus being confident and secure.
• Dominance: Being forceful and assertive versus being submissive and secure.
• Emotional stability: Being calm versus being emotionally unstable and high-strung.
• Liveliness: Being enthusiastic and spontaneous versus being restrained and serious.
• Openness to change: Being flexible and open versus being traditional and attached to the familiar. 
• Perfectionism: Being self-disciplined and controlling versus being undisciplined and flexible.
• Privateness: Being discreet and shrewd versus being open and unpretentious. 
• Reasoning: Thinking abstractly and being more intelligent versus thinking concretely and being less intelligent.
• Rule consciousness: Being conscientious and conforming versus being nonconforming and disregarding rules.
• Self-reliance: Being self-sufficient and individualistic versus being dependent.
• Sensitivity: Being sentimental and tender-hearted versus being unsentimental and tough-minded.
• Social boldness: Being uninhibited and venturesome versus being shy and timid.
• Vigilance: Being suspicious and skeptical versus being trusting and accepting.
• Warmth: Being outgoing and attentive to people versus being distant and reserved.

"If positive psychology teaches us anything, it is that all of us are a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. No one has it all, and no one lacks it all." - Christopher Peterson

~Bella