Greek coffee is an acquired taste. Extremely strong, it has the consistency of fine sludge and packs as much of a punch as two Red Bulls and a fistful of diet pills.

Greek coffee is made by heating a mixture of ground coffee and water in a small conical pot with a wide lip and a large handle called a briki. This mixture contains about one espresso cup of water for each teaspoon of coffee. For a medium or metrios coffee, one teaspoon of sugar is also added to the pot. The contents of the briki is stirred once on low flame and then allowed to reach a boil. The coffee preparer must hold fast to the handle: once the coffee starts to boil foam will begin to rise so quickly that the risk of a colossal spillover is high. When the foam reaches the lip of the briki the preparer must immediately remove it from the heat and allow it to rest long enough for the grounds to settle. Thus prepared, the coffee is served in small cups (read: shot glasses). Each cup should contain a bit of the creamy foam (kaimaki).

In addition to its benefits as a pick-me-up (and throw me over the fence), Greek coffee can be used to predict the future. Really.
First you must sip the potable portion of the coffee. Next, tip the cup to one side and turn it three times clockwise (incantations optional). Some sludge will spill out and the rest will be evenly spread around the perimeters of the cup. Excess sludge should then be poured out from the side where the cup handle is. Then turn the cup over on a napkin and leave it alone for a few minutes.

Now it is time to read the future. Turn the cup upright. Symbols will be etched in the sludge. The bottom of the cup represents the past,
the middle the present and the top the future. Symbols are of course open to interpretation (yours), but can include such things as rivers, the moon, animals, etc. Standard interpretations do exist: a nail represents injustice for example; a mouse, theft; a shell, good news.

If you see an iceberg, an octopus or an umbrella (very bad),
you may want to consider preparing another cup. A second consultation probably won’t improve your future, but by then you will be too hyped up to care.