The PM's in Brighton today

Prime Minister David Cameron has popped down to Brighton today, so we hear. We're open until four if you fancy a cup of tea, PM.

A nice cup of tea

Here at The Laine Deli we like a nice cup of tea. So we thought we'd take a moment to explain what that weird one is at the bottom of the list. (Unless you already know, in which case it's probably not weird to you).

It's sometimes spelled rooibos, rooibosh or rooibosch - and it's often called "redbush" here in the UK. Redbush tea is grown in South Africa and is naturally caffeine-free. It's also low in tannin, has a slightly nutty taste and can be served with or without milk.

It's hot!

We're feeling hot, hot, hot here in the heart of Brighton. Summer is upon us, so we've added a couple of cool drinks to our menu. We're now offering iced coffee (made with those Lavazza beans we're so fond of) and iced tea with mint for anyone who needs to chill out.

Coffee shortage to be followed by tea shortage?

First we were warned about a possible coffee shortage. Now the papers are talking about problems with tea production. It's heavy rain that's affected coffee growers, whilst droughts have caused the tea shortages. However, these tea shortages were first reported by the BBC back in March... so it all seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup (sorry!) to us.