COFFEE READING
What is Coffee Reading (Tasseography)?
Coffee reading interprets the shapes formed by coffee grounds left in a finished cup to read signs concerning love, work, and the near future. This traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern practice is said to originate in the court of the 16th-century Ottoman Empire.
Overview
- System
- Form Reading (reads from the shapes left by coffee grounds)
- Origin
- Turkey and the Middle East (the court of the 16th-century Ottoman Empire)
- What You Need
- A photo of a finished coffee cup showing the pattern of the grounds
- Best For
- Love, work, life, timing
- Time Frame
- Near term, 90 days
Origins & History
Coffee reading is said to have begun in the court of the 16th-century Ottoman Empire. It is said to have originated when women of the harem, passing idle hours, read the patterns left in cups after drinking coffee, and the practice later spread from Turkey across the Middle East and the Balkans.
After drinking a strongly brewed cup of Turkish coffee down to the grounds, the cup is turned upside down onto its saucer to let the grounds drain out, and the pattern left on the inside of the cup is interpreted as resembling figures of people, animals, or objects. In recent years it has also become widely enjoyed through smartphone apps, and it continues today as a popular custom practiced in homes and coffee houses alike.
How It Works
- 01Drink a strongly brewed Turkish coffee (or finely ground coffee), grounds and all.
- 02Leaving a small amount of grounds in the cup, turn it upside down onto its saucer so the grounds drain down the sides.
- 03Observe the pattern left inside the cup, for example by photographing it.
- 04Interpret the shapes formed by the pattern as resembling people, animals, or symbols, taking into account their position (closer to the rim or closer to the bottom of the cup).
What It Reveals
Coffee reading is well suited to reading relatively short-term signs, such as prospects in love or work in the near future, or the direction of a matter currently on one’s mind. At the same time, the interpretation of the patterns depends heavily on the reader’s own sensibility, and it should be noted that the same cup can yield differing interpretations.
Related Methods
References
- Wikipedia: Tasseography (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography)