Read your tea leaves

International tea leaf expert, Amber McCarroll has put together this 12-step guide to tassology - the art of tea-leaf reading. So, put the kettle on and make yourself a cuppa. It might help you discover what's in store for you in 2010!

We recently got our tea leaves read by Amber. We always thought you needed a special blend of loose leaves but she told us we could do it with your regular Tetley bag.

Before you begin, you need to create some space where you can perform the reading. I recommend a table in a quiet area. Then boil the kettle, and have a nice cuppa using your favourite tea bag. To perform the reading you'll need the following items:

Teacup or mug Saucer or small plate Teaspoon A tea bag of your choice A quiet space

While you are drinking your tea, leave your tea bag resting on the spoon. Once you've finished your tea, squeeze all the liquid that's still in the bag into the spoon. This will give you enough liquid to use for the reading.

Once you've finished your drink, take the squeezed bag off the spoon. You'll need to pour the liquid from the spoon into your empty mug or cup, and then tear your used tea bag.

If it's a square bag: tear it at the top in the shape of a cross If it's a circle bag: tear the bag at the top in a crescent shape If it's a pyramid bag: tear the top off the pyramid bag to create a small pyramid

Allow one mass of tea (about the size of a 5p coin) from the torn bag to fall into the cup, adding the liquid left in the tea spoon

Hold the cup upright in your left hand and turn rapidly three times anticlockwise (what you are doing is spreading the tea around the sides of the cup - a bit like a tumble-dryer). If you've spun it enough, it should look like this (see pic left).

Turn the cup over into a saucer and leave for about one minute to let the liquid drain out.

Hold the handle towards you and look into the cup for symbols. The handle represents home and the cup is read clockwise.

To find out more about tea and tassology,
visit www.tea.co.uk