Tasseography is a method of fortune-telling that is popular in countries where Turkish coffee is preferred, and it involves the interpretation of patterns of coffee grounds.
We’ll limit the scope of this article to coffee grounds, although it could also involve tea leaves and wine sediments.
For many centuries, people have been using Turkish coffee as a reliable method of fortune-telling.
It’s a process of reading Turkish coffee grounds. Before you think this is just for fun, Turkish coffee reading can also be used for very serious stuff, as long as you use the correct utensils such as cups and pots.
The technique is that some sharp and unquestionable symbols are produced from the coffee grounds that may provide critical answers to some of your most important questions. So while you enjoy your coffee, you can also benefit from the value of knowing what the future holds.
Simply put, Turkish coffee reading is a procedure of knowing how to interpret the readings of the coffee grounds. The process is simple. By swirling the coffee cup and turning it upside down, the grounds will leave some patterns or images on the cup surface. Those images can be read to predict the future, although many people do it for fun.
Turkish Coffee reading is known to have some unwritten rules that can’t be learned in an article. But we’ll try to break it down for you. However, to put things in proper perspective, let’s look at the history of Turkish coffee reading and how it became so popular.
History of coffee cup reader
The first question to ask is, why Turkish coffee? The answer is simple: Turkish coffee is not filtered or strained, so it naturally forms sediment at the base of the cup.
Drinkers of Turkish coffee always leave a portion of the cup to avoid swallowing the residues. Strange as it may sound, these sediments are the foundation of Turkish coffee reading.
No one can say precisely when those sediments started being read by fortune tellers, but it is believed to have originated in Turkey around the 16th century. It has been a tradition in many countries where Turkish coffee is common, like Turkey, Greece, the Arab world, Russia, and the Middle East. Turkish coffee reading is common in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
While coffee reading is quite common and is often fairly accurate, our advice is not to base any major life decisions on them. We’ll see why later on. But if you’ve never tried it once, we encourage you to do so for the entertaining side of it.
The coffee reader is versed in the art of reading coffee cups, and they can recognize the many symbols that coffee sediments form at the base of the cup and interpret the meanings.
Before we go further, let’s talk about Turkish coffee culture.
Turkish culture and coffee
We can’t talk about Turkish coffee reading without talking about Turkey. Turkish coffee can be traced down to the 16th century when it was invented in Istanbul, the Turkish capital.
Today the preparation technique of Turkish coffee remains one of the oldest methods still in use. Because of its unique preparation method, Turkish coffee has a distinctive aroma, freshness, and concentration. It also has a unique taste.
Turkish coffee is so essential to Turkish culture and history that it is often said that one cup shared can sustain a friendship for forty years!
Also, Turkish coffee is made from good quality beans and roasted freshly before being ground in a mortar. It is then brewed until it starts to foam.
You grind the coffee until the beans turn into an excellent powder. The following process involves transferring the powder into a pot and adding cold water. If you want, you may add sugar to the mixture.
The sediments that form at the cup’s base are used in coffee reading.
There are several coffeehouses in Turkey where Turkish coffee is served, and bonds of friendship are formed. The tradition of drinking Turkish coffee has been handed down from generation to generation for over four hundred years and is not set to go away anytime soon.
Principles of coffee reading
Turkish coffee readings are not guided by any known rules but are done by experts. One noted principle is that you cannot read your own cup. You should only read your cup when you’re doing it for fun or just learning to master the symbols.
You should buy Turkish coffee if you don’t know how to make it yourself. As a rule, the coffee should be finely blended. This is because chunks are known to dilute the grounds. So, you should use only Turkish coffee.
Also, always use a plain white cup. This is so that it is easier to read the images at the base of the cup. It is not compulsory to use Turkish cups. Make sure it is plain white and has a handle for easy swirling.
Also, do not “double-date” coffee readers with the same cup. That is, do not give the same cup to different readers.
Finally, the coffee cup reading always starts from the cup’s handle. If the person is right-handed, start from the right to the left and from the left to the right if left-handed.
The Coffee Reading Proper
Drink from the same side of the cup until you have just about a sip left in the cup. Then swirl it before taking the final sip. While swirling, the sediments form the images that would be read.
After the last sip, you should make a personal wish, then place the saucer’s face over the cup’s top, so it is sealed. Then, hold the coffee cup with both hands to be level with your chest.
After that, make three horizontal circles clockwise so that the sediments are spread evenly around the inner surface. You should turn the coffee cup to let the sediments form the necessary pattern.
The fortune teller can then read the patterns so formed by slowly sliding down the saucer in the cup.
While it’s not our intention to explain how the reader does the actual reading, the reader goes through several processes, including placing a coin or a ring on the cup. If the inquiry is about finances, the coin is often the choice, and a ring if it has to do with issues of a spouse, love, or family.
Once the reader looks at the bottom of the cup after about 10 minutes of waiting, the entire heart of the client can be seen at once. The bottom of the cup is believed to reveal the bottom of the heart. If it is clean, then it is a good sign.
Certain images mean certain things, and we do not claim to be experts in this field, but it is believed that specific images mean certain things.
| Image | Meaning |
| Eye | The person is being spied upon. Not always a good sign |
| Fish | Prosperity and abundance |
| Horse | Good wishes will come to pass |
| Heart | A happy relationship |
| Mouse | It could indicate a financial loss or robbery. |
| Rings | A person is about to get married |
| Flag | A government contact is on the way |
| Bull | Relationship about to take a turn for the best |
| Turtle | Patience is required for the actualization of dreams. |
There are countless images with countless meanings, but trust the reader to get you the perfect interpretation. The interpretation is also affected by certain things. They include the image’s size and the image’s location (top, middle, bottom, left, right).
If you’re trying this personally and trying it out for fun or the first time, you need to observe the images with concentration and use your instincts to interpret the symbol.
Interpreting symbols is not something that you can learn overnight. But with practice, you should be able to master it. There are many symbols with so many meanings and many other considerations before concluding.
What type of cup and coffee do I need?
You need a white cup and Turkish coffee. This is because only such well-grounded coffee can quickly form images that can be well-read.
Also, the white mug makes it easier to read the images. Any other type of coffee or cup doesn’t nullify the readings; it only makes it more difficult.
Should I take it seriously?
Yes and No.
Tasseography or tasseomancy has been studied for ages and has proven potent. You should take it seriously to the extent that so many people have found guidance and direction from this method.
Moreover, the readers do not only read the cups; they also read the entire personality of the person. While coffee reading is fairly reliable, we believe you should try it out for fun and not too consequential decisions for a long time before taking it more seriously.
However, we feel you may want to make further consultations before making your choice for critical life decisions. This is because there are so many things involved, and some items may not just be right.
Conclusion
The practice of telling the future is an age-old tradition of mankind. Using leftovers of teacups has been one of the popular methods of doing this.
Tasseography, as the practice is called, is not a term used to describe the reading of coffee alone but even tea leaves and wine leftovers.
The interpretation of these coffee sediments has been used in many instances to predict both serious and fun events.
However, we encourage you to have another confirmation plan before using it to make important life decisions.
Reference articles:
Last Updated on July 20, 2022 by Ashok Parmar
