At a certain point in my research, I realised that the logic of the narrative required a minor sideline about herbal remedies. Tea as a medicine offered the perfect opportunity for Archduchess Marianne to encounter Doctor von Störck, the renowned chemist. Her conversation with him becomes part of her investigation and, moreover, will also support her own problematic recovery.
In the 18th century, tea was widely known in Europe thanks to the booming fashion for Baroque Chinoiserie, which admired all things oriental. Despite its growing popularity, tea was still regarded as an exotic fancy, falling in and out of fashion several times. At the Viennese court, the custom remains largely unevidenced, but green tea was generally preferred to black. According to shipment bills, tea was more expensive than coffee but cheaper than chocolate.
As a tea person myself, I cannot help but take this chapter a little personally. For a moment, I even considered introducing flowering tea in the spirit of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette for later tea-drinking scenes. The sweet clip is utterly enchanting but, much to my regret, historically irrelevant.
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