Tasseography

Tasseography, also known as "fal", is a method of fotune telling using tea leaves, or more commonly in the Middle East, Turkish coffee grounds. It is a way for a drinker's future to be told by an "expert" who can read symbols into the grinds of coffee left after drinking. In the Middle East, it is Turkish coffee which is primarily used for fortune telling, as traditional Turkish coffee is made having coffee grinds left to settle at the bottom of the cup.

To begin the fortune telling ritual, the drinker must first drink all the liquid, leaving a small amount to mix in with the grinds. It is these coffee grinds left at the bottom of the cup that will be used for fortune telling.

Before the grinds can be read, the cup must first be covered with a saucer, then turned upside down and facing the person whose fortune will be told. In this process, the small amount of coffee left in the cup will swirl the grinds and drain, leaving the grinds to settle and dry where they are at the bottom of the cup. Some fortune tellers will ask the cup be turned clockwise three times before covering with a saucer, but this is not necessary.

It should be noted that it is not customary for a person to read their own cup. The reading must be done by a fortune teller or clairavoyant. Cups used are generally white in color, to contrast good and positive against the dark grinds, considered dark or negative.

The fortune teller will then find pictures or symbols in the coffee grounds, such as animals, objects or people.