How to Choose Tea Cups for Reading Tea Leaves

Tea leaf reading, or tasseomancy, is the ancient art of divination which focuses on reading signs and symbols in the tea leaves leftover in the bottom of a tea cup. There are many methods for reading tea leaves, but the type of cup needed to perform the reading is fairly universal. Here's how to buy your own tea cups.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Pick a light colored teacup. Tea leaves are usually dark and so a light colored tea cup makes it much easier to read and interpret the symbols that the leaves form. Choose a cup that is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top and make sure it has a handle. The outside of the cup can be as ornately patterned as you like, but the inside needs to be very plain.

2. Find a teacup that also comes with a saucer. A saucer is imperative to a reading, and although saucers have gone somewhat out of fashion, buy a teacup and saucer set for the best readings. You can also buy special tea reading cup and saucer sets marked with symbolic elements and pointers for the readings.

3. Buy a cup that is specifically for tea leaf readings to make it special and set it aside from your every day life, or use one that has special meaning to you. It's a good idea to have a small teaspoon that goes with the cup and saucer set as well as a special tea pot to create a visual reminder of the special purpose of a seemingly everyday object.

4. Make your own set. Go to a pottery painting store and create your own special tea reading cup and saucer. Again, just make sure it's narrower at the bottom than the top, has a handle, and you paint the interior a light solid color. You could even mark the timeline for the reading in glaze inside the cup or draw common symbols and meanings on the outside. No matter what, just make it your own and it will serve you well.

Resources

• Learn more about tea leaf reading.