As of today you find in Tasseography a corner for the interesting and entertaining science of reading cups after Coffee, Tea or Wine have been drunk.
Tasseography is more than mysticism behind fortune-telling based on patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds or wine sediments. For some it has become a science, for me a reason to document many of the Undrinkable Coffee Rests I drink throughout the day – at home, in Cafés, in glasses and cups, mostly coffee but sometimes tea. And I have been collecting the rests of what I drink through Photography.
In Great Britain there is a great number of individuals practicing and writing about this topic. The meanings and aesthetics of it have been taken to the level of even designing pottery around the end of the 19th Century based on forms and patterns found in readings. While in Great Britain Fortune telling has mostly focused on tea rests, in Turkey the traditional coffee preparation – mocha – has provided very adequate material to read from. Those reading coffee use traditionally the mocha preparation but any type preparation leaving grinds at the bottom of the cup will do.
On the page I have just installed you see a selection of my “Undrinkable Coffee Rests” (unless otherwise noted) since the summer of 2007. And if you wish to play with this matter a bit more, looking into the symbols at the bottom of your own coffee cup may surprise you. Compare what you find in your cup with the symbolism behind these forms.
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thə drăm′ə-tĭst 