Reading coffee grounds, also known as tasseography, is a much-loved ritual in Turkey and in many other countries where coffee is traditionally drunk with a thick sediment. Tasseography is a form of fortune telling that interprets not only the patterns left by coffee grounds, but also tea leaves and wine sediment. Every culture has its own rituals and traditions around the art of divination.
As Etnomat stocks a wide range of Turkish coffee, this post focuses on coffee reading in Turkey, where the practice of telling fortunes from the grounds can be traced back to the 16th century.
There are several variations of coffee fortune telling, but most involve covering the cup with its saucer and turning it upside down. In the Turkish tradition, the cup is often read as two horizontal halves: symbols appearing in the lower half are messages about the past, while those in the upper half speak of the future. The cup can also be divided into vertical halves to give a “yes” or “no” answer, as well as the overall outcome of the events the symbols represent. Some read symbols on the left as negative events or outcomes and those on the right as positive. Others believe the cup can reveal insights about the past but cannot predict anything more than forty days ahead. Even the saucer can play a part, and as with the cup there are different views on what it represents – if the saucer sticks to the cup, for instance, it signals either a positive or a negative result. What matters most is using the right equipment, which helps create sharp, unmistakable symbols.
Why Turkish coffee?
Turkish coffee is a way of preparing coffee in which very finely ground roasted coffee is boiled in a special little pot, the cezve, with sugar to taste. Once it has boiled, the coffee is poured into small cups or glasses, where the grounds settle at the bottom. The grounds can make up as much as half the volume. Because the coffee is drunk with the grounds still in the cup, Turkish coffee is ideal for fortune telling: it leaves a thick, muddy sediment at the bottom. Swirl the cup, turn it upside down, and the grounds slide down, leaving patterns on the inside of the cup that can then be read.
Reading Turkish coffee: the basics
Reading coffee takes a certain amount of practice, knowledge of the symbols, experience and intuition. Some people do it professionally, others just for fun – either way, it’s entertaining and anyone can have a go!
If you read cups regularly, you’ll gradually learn to recognise many of the symbols and their meanings, and you’ll be able to interpret the patterns and tell the other person about past, present and future events in their life.
There are a few basic rules in Turkish coffee reading:
- You shouldn’t read your own cup. That’s only acceptable when you’re practising the symbols.
- You don’t hand the same cup to another reader to double-check a reading. Bear in mind that most professionals give a “whole impression” rather than just reading the symbols.
- The handle of the cup matters. You move from right to left if the person is right-handed, or left to right if they are left-handed.
How do you read Turkish coffee?
The ritual begins with the traditional brewing itself. First, very finely ground roasted coffee is boiled in a cezve, then poured into cups or glasses along with the grounds, which go on to form the readable patterns in the cup.
Part one:
- Relax and sip your coffee slowly, always from the same side of the cup. Leave a little liquid in the bottom, as this helps loosen the sediment when you swirl the cup.
- After the last sip, make a personal wish. This part is very important.
- Place the saucer on top of the cup to cover it, making sure it’s well sealed.
- Hold the cup and saucer with both hands in front of your chest.
- Turn the cup three times horizontally, clockwise. The aim is to move the sediment around and spread it evenly over the inside of the cup.
- Flip the cup and saucer upside down in one quick movement so the grounds run down onto the saucer and leave the patterns the reader needs.
- Hand the cup and saucer to the reader.
Part two:
- The reader leaves the cup for 5–10 minutes so the grounds can drain completely and cool. As the sediment slowly slides down onto the saucer, it creates the final patterns inside the cup.
- If you’d like a reading about relationships, place a ring on the base of the cup.
- If you’d like a reading about wealth, place a coin on the base of the cup instead. - The reader returns the objects that were placed on the cup, then carefully tries to separate the cup from the saucer. The excess grounds slide out of the cup, and the patterns inside the cup and on the saucer form the meanings to be read – this is where the reading begins.
A few notes:
If a large lump of sediment falls onto the saucer, it’s the first positive sign of your reading and means worries and troubles will leave you. If the sediment forms a little mound, it means money is coming your way.
If the cup and saucer are stuck fast and the reader can lift them as one, it’s called the “Prophet’s cup”, meaning there’s no need to read any further because all your wishes will come true. Most readers will carry on with the reading anyway.
Whether you try it for fun or take it seriously, it’s a lovely thing to do with friends. To interpret the different symbols, we recommend this page, which explains in more detail how to read the cup and what the various symbols mean.
So sit back and enjoy your coffee! And who knows – perhaps your wish will come true sooner than you think?
