The tradition of reading fortunes in coffee grounds
Enjoying a cup of coffee with friends and family while solving the world's problems is a favourite pastime for coffee drinkers. Another is to learn their futures in the patterns formed by coffee grounds.
Tasseography is fortune-telling that interprets patterns seen in residual tea leaves and wine sediments, but perhaps the most popular form of tasseography is reading the inside of a coffee cup.
The ultra-fine grounds of Turkish, Lebanese, and Greek coffee make it best for drinking (in our humble opinion) but also for fortune-telling as it leaves thick sediment and creates the most visual and distinct patterns.
Each culture has its customs and traditions relating to coffee reading predictions. Each reader has their interpretation and divination in the patterns. Some people have readings for fun, others take them far more seriously.
Joseph Atallah, Zou Zou Coffee's inventor and designer, shares what he knows about the beloved ritual, learned as a young boy milling around his aunty and old ladies as they read coffee cups in a small village in the north of Lebanon.
Photo by Michael Davis-Burchat on flickr.com
Sufi monks in Yemen during the late 15th Century were integral to the history of coffee but didn't introduce the practice of reading coffee. Their coffee grounds were course and heavy and would not hold onto the inside of the cup.
When coffee came to Turkey around 1540, the Turks had the mechanical means to grind coffee beans into very fine grounds. This fineness allowed the coffee to easily wet with water and be boiled once instead of several times to get the full coffee flavour. Thus, the custom of reading coffee cups began brewing.
Here's what happens in the process:
Some of the grounds absorb water and become suspended in the coffee. This suspension settles on the inside of the cup, creating pathways and patterns. A reader or an interpreter will tell your future based on what they see.
According to belief, by simply holding and drinking the coffee from the cup, certain vibrations from you and your aura will influence the grounds.
There are guidelines and ritualistic procedures to follow so that the patterns reflect your future.
Make sure you leave a little of the liquid as well as the grounds in your cup. Swirl the cup and contents right to left if you are right-handed or left to right if you are left-handed.
Place the saucer over the cup, then turn the cup and saucer upside down. Some believe this is the time to make a wish.
Place a coin on the bottom of the cup if you want finances to dominate the reading or place an item of jewellery you constantly wear, for example, a ring, if you want your love life or relationships to dominate the reading.
The cup is left for several minutes to create the patterns and symbols to be interpreted.
Photo by Tuncay Yilmaz on PDP
It's best not to do your own reading as it will be impossible for you to be objective.
Usually, the cup is divided into five sections representing a different aspect of life: heart/love, finance/money, family, present, and future. Some readers divide the cup in two, representing positive and negative or the present and future. Some readers also include grounds left on the saucer as part of the reading.
Each reader or interpreter makes predictions based on personal technique; meanings for symbols and shapes seen such as eyes, snakes, birds and trees; patterns and their instinct.
Photo by Louis Vest on flickr.com
I remember my aunty being a popular coffee reader when I was a little boy back in Lebanon. She always gave people good news; money was coming to them soon, they'll meet someone special; someone of influence would enter their life; and, knowing that almost everyone wanted to leave our village for greener pastures, that they will have a distant journey. She foretold "distant journeys" so often that all the young men and women ended up overseas, including me.
These prophecies were never recorded on paper and were not definite but always "maybe", "likely," or "a journey you will take".
The information about fortune-telling from coffee grounds is from the articles listed below and what was passed on to me by my aunty, Matilda Atallah. As a coffee reader, she may have been ordinary, but as a aunty, she was amazingly extraordinary to me.
Come along to a Turkish coffee and fortune reading introduction class in Sydney!
Our fun, informative, and hands-on classes are designed for beginners and people who love Turkish, Arabic or Greek coffee or people who want to taste it for the first time. We'll teach you everything you need to know about Turkish, Arabic or Greek coffee: its history, the differences between this coffee and espresso, and how to make and enjoy the perfect cup! You'll also learn about the ancient art of reading fortunes in Turkish coffee cups.
*PLEASE NOTE: We do not offer a personalised fortune reading. We introduce you to the tradition of coffee cup reading and provide a guide for you to read and use to interpret your friends’ fortunes.