An infusion of black tea leaves (the “Bohea” of the time), served piping hot, plain or barely sweetened. Drunk from a small porcelain cup to keep the astronomer awake against the night cold.

Why this dish? The anchor cites hot tea as the companion of her observation nights. Tea, imported at great expense, was the quintessential hot drink of cultivated 18th-century English households—and the one that warmed Caroline in the cold garden of Slough.

Tea, sir, is my only luxury and my most faithful ally against the cold of the nights. I would infuse it in the little teapot I kept near my registers, and fill a cup that the garden's freshness always cooled too soon. No frills: boiling water poured over the leaves, a few moments of patience, and the brown brew kept my mind clear when the hours stretched long. Many a time, it was tea that prevented me from yielding to sleep before a comet appeared.

How it was made : In the 18th century, tea was expensive and kept under lock in tea caddies. It was often drunk weaker than today, sometimes with sugar, which fashion made precious. “Bohea,” a Chinese black tea, was one of the most common.

The contemporary twist : Served in a fine cup under a starry sky, this tea becomes the opening ritual of any observation evening—the drink that says: the vigil begins.

Caroline Herschel · Charactorium