Glossary: R

Rains; Rainy

Describes liquor of a dull plain tea manufactured during the rainy season.

Ranelagh Gardens

A popular tea garden which opened in 1742 and remained fashionable throughout the eighteenth century. In 1765, the nine-year-old Mozart performed there. The site is now home to the annual Chelsea Flower Show.

Rich

A mellow liquor which is abounding in quality and thickness.

Rooibos

A red-coloured, tea-like infusion drunk in South Africa. Rooibos (pronounced 'roy-boss') is made from the leaves of Aspalathus linearis, a low-growing bush from the Cedarberg Mountains of the Western Cape. The plant was first identified in 1772 by the Swedish botanist, Carl Thunberg.

Roughness

A term used to connote harshness.

Russian Caravan

A blend of China Black Teas. Although there is little consistency between available blends in the marketplace.