What are the origins of Coffee Cup Readings?

The origins of coffee cup readings stem from the ancient Chinese art of tea leaves reading practiced for centuries; originally by monks who ceremonially drank tea in bell shaped cups. Before that, it is thoughts that monks used to read patterns formed on the internal part of bells in temples, so the handle-less teacup was a logical progression.

This was later adapted to coffee grounds reading by the Arabs, who first discovered coffee beans around 600 AD and managed to keep coffee as a secret , having a monopoly on cultivating and drinking coffee for several hundred years. Coffee made its way and became known or used as a beverage in Western Europe and the Americas, only in the late 18th century.

Both tea leaves and coffee cup readings are known as Tasseography , or tasseomancy (kafemandeia in Greek). When I first moved to London, I met several women from different countries and cultural backgrounds who had the ability to read the future in a cup. The art was very much alive and practiced by these various seers from Greece, Persia, Russia, Armenia and Yugoslavia.

No matter what symbols the coffee grounds depicted to each of them, the interpretation was very similar and accurate.

Can any Turkish coffee cup be read?

A coffee cup which has been drunk in a hurry, without the intention of having it read, or while not in a relaxed state, can’t be read. Coffee grounds do not appear to form any meaningful patterns – merely chaotic brown dots or mud in the cup.

“Take time in your preparations of coffee and God will be with you and bless you and your table”.

Shaykh Ansari Djazeri Hanball Abd–al–Kadir, 16th Century Sufi Mystic, known as The Coffee Saint.

Your Future in a Coffee Cup - FAQs

What are Coffee Readings?

Coffee Readings are psychic readings done by using a cup of coffee as though it's a crystal ball. Ground Turkish coffee is mostly used when cup readings are done. The residue is left at the bottom of the cup after the coffee is drunk, when the cup is then covered with a saucer, shaken, and turned over (up side down) into the saucer, and left to dry. The patterns formed on the inside of the cup trigger psychic insight; and are interpreted according to what they mean to the seer. Once you allow the information to flow intuitively, and with little training you can soon be well on your way to reading your own cup.

There are others who read filter coffee, and instant coffee too - much like crystal ball, or water cup scrying. (In fact, you can pretty much read anything- cloud formation, carpet patterns, or rabbit bones- as they do in Africa). It is important to mention here, for the reading to be meaningful, or indeed accurate; you are to sip or drink the coffee while relaxing, sort of in a contemplative mode. My experience showed me that the intention or the emotional and mental condition of the drinker affects how, and what symbols the coffee grains shape- your vibes at the time.

If a coffee cup that is drunk in a hurry, without the intention of having it read, or while not in a relaxed state, it can’t be read. The grains do not appear to form any meaningful patterns- merely chaotic brown dots or mud in a cup! This is probably true for any form of divination, if you focus or intention is not present, the medium used will not provide a useful insight into the future.

How to read coffee symbols?

You will of course need to prepare your coffee in such a way that there are grounds to read. Use grounded, powdery soft Turkish or Greek Coffee (the only difference between the two is the type of coffee beans and degree of roasting, the former is a darker roast, the latter a blonde, or lighter roast). Cafeterier, or percolators coffee is too course to form legible patterns.

Enjoy your coffee while relaxing, and ask yourself: "What do I need to know about my present situation?" or “ What will be the important changes in my life in the near future?” Now, take out a piece of paper and pen, and in a stream-of-consciousness style, begin jotting down your thoughts as you casually meditate on the shapes you see there. Above all, don't edit yourself. Write down impressions you receive, starting from cup handle scrying clockwise. By the way, the residue from a cappuccino or espresso will work just as well.

Try not to read what you are writing; rather keep you eyes on the grounds in your cup. It does not matter if your writing is illegible at this point. Observe the thought, jot it down, and let it pass, moving onward to whatever comes next as you continue to stare at the cup. Continue writing for at least ten minutes-enough for you to enter the first stages of a meditative state, both by the exercise of looking at one thing and by the rhythmic pattern of your free association and the motion of your hand upon the paper. If your mind keeps wandering back to your laundry- let it.

You don’t need to read every cluster of grounds or patterns in your cup. Interpret only what speaks to you. There is no right or wrong here. Each of your interpretations is "correct." You really do have all the answers within you. Trust yourself. Write the date down, and go back to your notes in few days, you will begin to notice happenings taking place and understand what each symbol or pattern mean according to your own dictionary. Symbols convey messages; focus on the message rather than the symbol. With practice, you will develop your own dictionary. (A camel would probably mean nothing to a Russian reader who would probably see a bear!)

How to prepare Turkish coffee?

Directions to preparing and serving Turkish coffee are clearly describes in Mary Khayat’s best selling book, Food from the Arab World, 1956, Khayat Press, Beirut. I am grateful for their permission to include it here:

“Arabic, or Turkish, coffee is always brewed to order and only few cups and made at a time. The beverage is drunk while still very hot but after the grounds have settled to the bottom of the cup, which only takes a minute or two. Only the thinner liquid on top is drunk and the coffee is never stirred in the cup… Serving cups are small for the beverage itself is strong and a few sips suffice. A coffee serving is a ceremony. The rules of etiquette require that the hostess personally hands the cups around although a servant may assist by holding the tray. The eldest or the most important person in the room is served first. Age takes preference, if there is some doubt as to rank...

The amount of sugar which is added must be appropriate to the occasion, the more sugar, the happier the occasion, with the exception that coffee served after dinner at any time is usually only slightly sweetened. At weddings, betrothals, christenings or birthdays, sweet coffee is always prepared. At the time of death or other sorrow, it is always bitter… [The] host or hostess will ask for a guest’s preference before ordering the coffee to be made. When replying in the Arabic spoken in Lebanon, the guests will specify hilweh (sweet), or murrah (without sugar), or mazboutah (medium). In Turkish one says, shkerli (sweet), shekeruz (without sugar), or orta (medium).

… The water and sugar are boiled together until clear. Next, the ground coffee is added and stirred well. The mixture is allowed to boil until the form rises to the top of the pot. Now the pot is removed from the hob... [then] returned to the fire and allowed to boil twice… [The coffee] is immediately poured into the small serving cups. It must be poured out before the grounds settle back in the bottom of the pot.”