Did you know coffee fortune-telling is a real thing? As coffee lovers, we all have wondered why tea gets all the divine glory when it comes to tea leaf reading. Luckily, Turkish coffee fortune telling exists and is quite popular.
This article will outline everything related to coffee fortune-telling, from its origins to its history and cultural background.
Moreover , I will also discuss all the important elements required to do coffee fortune-telling and what the symbols and signs mean.
Trust me, this is going to be a fun read for anyone who is into fortune-telling and loves coffee; I have read it in the coffee grounds!
Tasseography and Turkish Coffee Fortune Telling
Tasseography is a well-known term among fortune-tellers that refers to any attempt made at predicting divine-future events. It is done by reading wine sediments, tea leaves, or, in our case, coffee grounds.
Throughout history, many different cultures and peoples have practiced the art of fortune-telling through various means. The Western world was introduced to fortune-telling by reading teacup leftovers along the trade routes between the British Empire and Asia.
There’s no consensus on exactly when or where tasseography originated. One of the earliest books written on the subject dates back to the 18th century titled, ‘Reading Tea Leaves’.
As for leftover coffee grounds fortune-telling, it has a similar history and timeline. The only difference is that it originated as a Turkish tradition, just as Greek coffee fortune telling comes from Greece.
The people of Turkey practiced the tradition of leaving coffee grounds in the cup when drinking Turkish coffee. The unfiltered coffee left behind a thick layer of sediment which created patterns and signs.
This intrigued the fortune-tellers to make sense of the leftover patterns and interpret the hidden meaning behind them.
The Fundamentals
Turkish coffee is famously ground to make an ultrafine powdery texture. As a result, it becomes a hassle to filter the coffee and it’s more convenient to just pour it into the cup. This leads to the patterns and swirls which become the basis of coffee fortune-telling.
As for how coffee divination is practiced, the process varies from person to person and region to region. That said, there are some fundamental tenets that all Turkish coffee fortune-tellers abide by.
For instance, it is common to divide the coffee cup into two halves where one half depicts future events, and the other half reflects the past.
Similarly, another method splits the coffee cup into two halves, where one half predicts the misfortune a person might experience, and the other half predicts good fortune.
Suppose a certain symbol appears on both halves. In that case, it will have a positive meaning on the positive side and a negative meaning on the negative side.
Recognizing and Reading The Patterns
Coffee fortune-telling is an interesting activity and anyone can give it a try if they know some common patterns.
But if you actually want to learn the art of fortune telling. In that case, you will have to practice chaining the patterns together and making sense of all the meanings collectively. This tasseography skill takes time and effort to master.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the various symbols and patterns that you might encounter when you’re doing your Turkish coffee reading.
Lines
The vertical streaks along the cup’s inner walls reflect the person’s aspirations. If the vertical streaks are incomplete, it indicates uncertainty and a possibility that the goal might not be achieved.
Conversely, if the streaks along the walls go all the way up to the cup’s rims, it indicates that the person has a good chance of being successful in their goals.
Dots
A small cluster of dots is indicative of a bright financial future. In other words, dots in the coffee grounds equal commas in your bank account!
Triangles
The triangular pattern is representative of the delta symbol in mathematics. The delta symbol is used to indicate intervals between quantities and numbers that change. As a result, if you see a triangular pattern, it represents change.
More accurately, it could mean that there is a great change or a significant life event on the horizon for you.
Circles
Circles or other rounded shapes are indicative of completeness and success in a person’s life. This is a good omen and might mean that you should keep following the path you’re currently on.
Alternatively, if you’ve recently come on hard times, a circle in the coffee grounds might point to brighter days ahead.
Squares
Squares and rectangular shapes reflect peace and comfort. It basically means you have calm days coming ahead.
Numbers
Numbers are quite an interesting feature of tasseography and Turkish coffee fortune telling in particular. As such, these can be interpreted in different ways.
For instance, a certain number, such as ‘4’, could represent the amount of time.
So if you see the number ‘4’ in conjunction with a vertical streak going as far as the cup’s rim it could indicate that you will be achieving the goal you are currently working towards in the next four days.
On the flip side, the number ‘4’ also has some negative connotations. This belief is held across various cultures, especially in Asia. It could spell bad luck or misfortune.
Like we said, numbers have different interpretations based on their position in the cup and other features of the coffee grounds.
Moreover, numbers also have individual abstract meanings, which are:
- 0: Repetition
- 1: A new start
- 2: Crossroads
- 3: A meeting
- 4: Bad luck or misfortune
- 5: Success
- 6: Sex
- 7: Beginning of a new relationship
- 8: Luck
- 9: Opportunity
Common coffee fortune telling symbols and Shapes
- Fire/Flames – new low or passion
- Snake – caution or jealousy
- Key – finding success or simply finding something
- Eye – someone is looking out for you, or you should trust your gut
- Mountain – something is in your way
- Purse – new job or money coming your way
- Heart – strengthening existing love, true love, or new love
- Letters – if the coffee grounds take the shape up of letters, ask the drinker if the letters hold any significance for them
It could be the initials of someone in their life, some personal detail that only they know of, or even something as simple as a letter that appears regularly in their life. As such, letters in the coffee grounds could give context for what area of the drinker’s life is being discussed.
Should You Practice Turkish Coffee Fortune Telling?
I am sure you are aware that the coffee ground patterns at the bottom of the cup don’t actually have any predictive powers. The art of coffee ground reading is simply a fun activity that has been practiced around for centuries.
So much so that it has now become a traditional practice that expert coffee ground readers use to offer a unique experience for their customers using Turkish coffee fortune telling meanings.
I would strongly encourage all coffee enthusiasts to go for a coffee reading if you ever have the chance. It’s a really fun experience to watch a coffee reading expert create a story out of leftover coffee stands.
Practicing the art of coffee reading is an incredible way to think out of the box and divert your mind to new perspectives in life.
Moreover, doing a coffee ground reading for other people helps you become more aware of how they respond to different things in life. So, next time you brew a cup of Turkish coffee, don’t forget to read the grounds!
But to do that, you need to know the whole process, and here is a detailed guide for you to use.
The Process of Turkish Coffee Fortune Telling
The process starts with Turkish coffee brewing but you need the essentials to move forward. If you know how to make traditional Turkish coffee, you’re already off to a great start..
A lot of folks might want to opt for other types of coffee if the unique taste of this coffee isn’t quite their speed. After all, Turkish coffee does have higher caffeine content than usual.
And if you ask how much caffeine is in Turkish coffee, then the simple answer is A LOT! Turkish coffee is known for being rich and highly caffeinated. However, you can also get variants of Turkish coffee with lower caffeine content.
What You’ll Need:
- First, you’ll need the right type of coffee. You can use any Turkish blend coffee that you like. There is no hard and fast rule..
- Next, you need a saucer and a white coffee mug. The white coffee mug is preferred because coffee grounds are more clearly visible with a light background.
- Lastly, you need a traditional Turkish pot to brew the coffee.
Some Rules To Follow:
- You need to make sure there are no large chunks of coffee in the cup. These distort the shape of the remains and make them harder to read. . To avoid this, make sure the coffee you use is finely ground.
- It is imperative that you don’t try to do your own coffee ground reading! Chances are you will be biased. Ask someone else to read yours and vice versa. If you want, you can read your own grounds for practice.
- Start reading from the handle of the cup. If the person is right-handed, go from right to left. If the person is left-handed, go from left to right.
Preparing The Cup:
- Drink the coffee as you normally would. Don’t feel the need to go too fast or too slow and make sure to sip from the same side. Don’t rush to drink the coffee. I know the excitement can get to you but stay calm.
- Leave about a sip of coffee in the cup. This will help loosen up the sediments once you swirl them.
- Once swirled, take the last sip and make a wish.
- Now take the saucer and place it on top of the coffee cup. Ensure a tight seal between the saucer and the cup.
- Hold the cup at chest level in front of you.
- Now swirl the cup three times. The goal here is to make sure the sediments are evenly spread around the whole inside surface of the cup.
- Now to shift the sediments to the saucer, make a quick upside-down flip of the cup. This will leave behind all the necessary patterns, and the excess sediments will fall onto the saucer.
The Fortune Teller:
The coffee reader must allow the cup to settle for 5 to 10 minutes. This will help drain the cup completely and let the sediments slide and cool to make the final patterns inside the cup.
Important tips:
- If you want to predict the future of your relationships, put a ring on the bottom surface of the cup.
- If you want a prediction for your financial future, put a coin on the bottom surface of the cup.
The ring or the coin only has to be put on the cup for a short while. The reader will then remove and return any object that you placed there.
Then, the reader goes on to separate the saucer and the cup. This has to be done gently so that the sediments don’t lose their pattern. Here are some fascinating interpretations:
- If you see a big chunk of grounds on the saucer, it indicates that your worries and troubles will soon dissipate.
- If grounds fall and create a pile on the saucer, it indicates that you will have a bright financial future.
- Lastly, if the saucer and the cup form an airtight grip upon lifting, it is called a Prophet’s Cup. This means you should not continue with the reading because all of your readings will come true. Most people still continue to read.
Once the saucer and the cup have been separated, you will see patterns and shapes on the inner surface of the cup.
Cup Division:
The coffee cup is also divided into five different sections. Even though it is quite common to do this division, some people prefer to stick to what feels instinctive and natural. Nevertheless, the five-section divisions are:
- Bottom side: represents family affairs and home life
- Handle side: represents events related to love life
- Front rim side (opposite the handle): represents wealth and financial matters
- Upper rim side (the upper side between the front rim and handle): present life
- Lower rim side (the lower side between the front rim and the handle): future life
Interpreting The Symbols
The coffee ground reading relies heavily on the instinct and interpretation of the reader. For instance, if an image shows up on the cup, the reader thinks about all the things he associates with the image. Similarly, if a symbol appears, they let their gut feeling interpret the meaning.
You can also use the list of Turkish coffee fortune telling symbols, numbers, and shapes I have listed above to interpret the meaning of the patterns. You can use these as the foundation for your Turkish coffee reading strategy.
Conclusion
Most people who delve into the art of coffee ground readings tend to leave with a content feeling about their future thanks to the practice of the Turkish coffee fortune telling symbols reading.
Whether you believe in divine predictions or not, it is certainly a fun activity to engage in, especially if you have a special place for coffee in your heart. It can also be a fun activity to plan with a group of friends who all share a collective love for coffee!
FAQs
How does a Turkish coffee reading predict the future?
Coffee ground sediments are left behind after a person finishes their cup of Turkish coffee. Due to being finely ground, these sediments create patterns which are associated with different interpretations and meanings.
When the meanings of all the shapes and symbols are chained together, the coffee reader can develop a narrative about the person’s future.
What is special about Turkish coffee?
Turkish coffee is high in caffeine content. It is quite famous throughout the globe for the high caffeine dosage. The unfiltered coffee grounds allow it to have higher caffeine content which we don’t get with other coffee grounds.
Is Turkish coffee harmful?
Turkish coffee actually has many health benefits. It helps with bone pain and headaches [1]. However, due to the high caffeine content, you have to make sure to consume it in moderation.
If you drink Turkish coffee three times a day, you might suffer from heart rhythm disorders [2]. As a result, people with heart diseases should be extra careful when consuming Turkish coffee in excess.
