For a successful tea-leaf reading, all you'll need is a melodramatic demeanor, a few kitchen supplies, and a gullible friend that looks equally bored. What you need:
- Loose tea, any flavor. "Loose" tea means that you're using actual tea leaves that float loose in your cup instead of using a tea bag. We recommend that you use a Chinese tea or one with a minimum of fine-grained dust.
- A white or pastel teacup with a wide brim. It needs to be white, or you won't be able to read the dark leaves at the bottom, and it should have a wide brim so that the leaves have a greater area to stick to at the bottom of the cup. If you're at work, a Styrofoam cup will do.
- A wide saucer.
- A teaspoon.
Now you're ready to make some tea.
- Place a teapot full of water on the stove. Oh, and make sure the stove is on.
- Place the dry tea leaves on a saucer. Have your friend stir them around while the water is boiling. Murmur something unintelligible during this stage for drama's sake.
(the amount doesn't matter). - Brew the tea without a strainer, making sure that the leaves are loose within the pot.
- After the tea starts steaming, have your friend pour some into the cup.
- Let it cool. Sit around, relax, work on your resume, play poker, whatever.
SoYouWanna know more? Check out our full-length article SYW read tea leaves?
