The Koffee with the Fortune

One of my favorite things to do is make and drink "Kahve" (also referred to as Turkish Coffee, Armenian Coffee, Assyrian Coffee, Israeli Coffee, Mud Coffee, or Cowboy Coffee) with my friends and family. Drinking Kahve is more than just having a cup of fantastic koffee. It's about spending time with your loved ones and sharing and creating new memories. There is also a romance that plays a significant role with the Kahve experience. Traditionally, koffee remains were translated into Fahla's (fortunes). As a child growing up in an Assyrian household, I have memories of my mom having "Kahve parties". She and her girlfriends would sit around the table drinking traditional Assyrian chai and drinking Kahve; the table filled with assorted cakes, sweets, seeds, fruit, and nuts piled high on silver and gold platters. When the ladies would finish drinking their Kahve, they would flip the cup over onto the saucer and wait for the koffee grains to dry. Then one lady would pick up someone's cup and begin telling her fahla (fortune). It was all so magical. This tradition of fahla telling has become part of the Kahve experience, and I want to share this with koffee aficionados everywhere.