What is Coffee Reading?
Coffee reading (tasseography) is the art of interpreting the patterns left by coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup. Turkish coffee fortune telling is an integral part of the traditional Turkish coffee ritual, where finely ground coffee is brewed in a cezve and served in small cups. The natural shapes formed by the grounds — animal figures, geometric patterns, letters, and numbers — are interpreted by a trained reader.
This ancient tradition was born in the coffeehouses of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and has spread across Anatolia, the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa over centuries. In 2013, UNESCO inscribed Turkish coffee culture and tradition on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — officially recognizing coffee reading as not mere entertainment, but a profound cultural heritage.
In coffee reading, different parts of the cup represent different time periods. The bottom of the cup symbolizes the past, the middle represents the present, and the rim signifies the future. The saucer reflects the general energy of the home and environmental influences. This layered reading system is one of the most distinguishing features that sets coffee reading apart from other divination methods.