Tasseography — from the French tasse (cup) — is the art of interpreting the residue left in a cup after drinking coffee or tea. The drinker consumes the beverage, then inverts the cup on its saucer, rotates it, and allows the grounds to settle into patterns.
The reader interprets symbols formed by the grounds: animals, letters, geometric shapes, and atmospheric forms each carry established meanings. Position in the cup matters — symbols near the rim relate to the near future, those at the base indicate distant events.
Coffee reading — particularly from Turkish or Greek coffee — became widespread across the Ottoman Empire and Mediterranean from the 17th century. It remains an active social ritual across the Middle East, Balkans, and Eastern Europe.