Amid fast franchises, this cozy tea cottage in Legazpi reminds you to slow down

Nowadays, it has become even rarer for establishments to connect with their patrons beyond regular profit-driven business models. Cafés have become crowded venues for pulling all-nighters and meeting deadlines, as opposed to spaces where people can recharge and reconnect with one another. 

Think about it, when was the last time you actually knew and interacted with the owner of a store? Or perhaps engaged in random conversations with strangers over food and drinks?   

For Tizan, a herbal tea shop in Legazpi City, staying true to their ‘slow living values’ is exactly how they have successfully cultivated their community of ‘teatas and teatos’ over the past five years.

Refreshing blends, beautifully-plated specialties, a homey atmosphere, and provincial cottagecore vibes that transport you right into a Ghibli movie— the place has it all. 

But beneath the Instagrammable interior are years of trial-and-error that shaped how store owners Erika Mae Bona and Shiela Marquez have come to run their humble cottage.

Tisanes, the caffeine-free alternative to coffee

In today’s age of coffee trends, not many people know about the beauty and benefits that non-caffeinated alternatives have to offer.

The cottage’s name “Tizan” came from the word “tisane,” which are caffeine-free herbal tea drinks made by steeping herbs, spices, flowers, or leaves in water. This is opposed to true teas, such as black, green, and oolong, which are made exclusively from the Camellia sinensis plant. And contrary to popular misconception, they still have a considerable amount of caffeine in them. 

Tisanes come with numerous potential health benefits, such as aiding digestion, promoting relaxation, and providing antioxidants, all without the negative effects of caffeine. They’re not just limited to foreign plants as well, as there are a lot of native fruits and herbs in the Philippines that can be used to make them.

According to Marquez, her love for biology and the environment are what inspired her vision for the aesthetics and offerings of their tea shop. She mentioned native fruits like kamyas, kaningag or Philippine cinnamon, and cascara or coffee cherry tea. 

“There are so many local herbs and plants that have hidden benefits, we just don’t know it. Everything we need is right here, we only have to find ways to utilize it well,” Marquez said.

Marquez added that since many Filipinos experience being diabetic or have health complications, she and Bona really considered what kind of impact their food and drinks would have on the community. 

“We drank a lot of coffee during our college days, but it came to a point that it already

upset our stomachs as we grew older. Aside from the fact that [we are] lactose intolerant, we just couldn’t handle the palpitations. I told myself that we needed drinks that were okay for people like us. Because when you start a business, it always has to be problem solving,” she said. 

From architecture to entrepreneurship

Marquez and Bona began planting the seeds of Tizan in 2020, combining multiple loves and passions through their businesses. 

Both were architecture graduates working in a private company. According to Bona, they started out simply thinking about ways they could earn additional income while working. This led them to selling all sorts of things and even providing services like screen printing, bouquet arrangements, and grazing tables. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in January 2020, their pushcart dreams were postponed and they began selling DIY tea making packs for customers to make in the comfort of their own homes.
“Our original dream was simple: sell herbal tea drinks from a cart. But 2020 had other plans. The pandemic forced us to pivot completely and rather than waste our dried herbs and flowers, we started selling them in pouches online and created ‘Herbal Teas 101’ postings to help our customers learn about our tisanes,” they recalled in one of their video diaries.

“We also made ready-to-drink bottles and experimented with different flavors. Although we didn’t find the right footing just yet, teas really became in demand during the pandemic because everyone was health-conscious,” Bona shared. 

Soon, they entered the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Fund, officially known as the Kabataang Agribiz Competitive Grant Assistance Program of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) as part of the pioneering batch, and won enough cash to buy a dehydrator. This new tool paved the way for another new business— Mayon Dried Fruits.

However, this quickly became costly for them, as there was not really a market for such produce at the time. 

“We got too excited that time and just went crazy trying everything we could. It was an expensive lesson for us, but it definitely made us smarter and more intentional with our decisions moving forward,” Marquez said. 

‘Pushing’ through the pandemic

It was only when Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) restrictions were lifted that they finally took the chance to sell their products in person. It was here that they found their market: bikers, joggers, young professionals such as nurses and doctors, and titos and titas who just wanted to relax. 

“For almost 2 years, we kept our cart rolling. There, we first met our titas and titos. We met fellow cart owners who we became friends with,” they said. 

Still, bumps in the road were inevitable. According to them, the experience was fun until the place became crowded and challenging weather tested them every night. 

“By the time we finally push our cart up the boulevard, we already feel like passing out from exhaustion. We push until the end and [even] if it’s rain or shine, we’re there. It’s funny because we try to help our customers de-stress, but in the end, we ended up being stressed ourselves,” Marquez joked. 

So, in November 2024, Bona and Marquez finally decided to have their own space in the form of a refurbished house-turned-cottage. 

“We realized we wanted something more comfortable for our titas and titos. Thankfully, we have supportive friends who believed in our vision for this little cottage,” they said.

Promoting holistic health

Marquez noted that their expertise in architecture became handy in designing. She recalled that they chose light green and white paint colors to symbolize nature and life. Meanwhile, the interior was reminiscent of the European countryside and shabby chic designs, coming together with nostalgic Filipino items like a 90s game cabinet and all sorts of “anik-aniks.”

With these interior choices, coupled with warm lighting and good ventilation, the cottage truly feels like an escape from the harsh rigidity and blandness of stressful office cubicles and dim working spaces.  

Most of their decorations are old and antique items given by their friends and loved ones. For example, some teacups were from Bona’s grandmother, and one of their wall displays is actually a broken chair. Also lying around are y2k teen and celebrity magazines, jackstones, and vintage collector cards. 

Through their social media posts, they also give ‘gentle reminders’ in hopes of helping those going through tough times.

Perfecting their menu

The owners started thinking of new ways to make their blends taste just as good if not better than usual caffeinated beverages. Part of the unique items they’ve had are their “Dandee Series” consisting of tisanes made with roasted dandelion roots that taste like coffee, but have no caffeine content. Homemade walnut milk is also something they’ve been trying. 

For refreshers, the Peach Mango Tea is their bestseller, perfect for those who don’t drink tea that often or want to regulate their blood circulation.

Some of their pastries include the usual crinkles, cookies, and donuts, while they also serve cakes every now and then. Bona is the head baker, and according to Marquez, she’s also the one who organizes her ideas and turns them into reality. 

For their dishes, they focus on selling brunch food such as bruschetta and other English breakfast items. This variety of options is what makes each visit to their establishment unique. 

“If you look at all the well-known and loved restaurants here in Legazpi, they all have that one menu item that people keep coming back for. We’re currently trying to build that for our own menu, but oftentimes we like to switch between new items and recipes so that our regulars can try something new every time they come back,” Bona said. 

Supportive and diverse community

Tizan’s owners believe that while the place and menu make their place special, it truly took a village to raise their business. 

“One time, we heard the conversation of two tables, one was a group in their 40s and one was composed of younger millennials. They didn’t know each other before coming to our cottage, but suddenly, the older customers were giving advice to the 20-year olds, and they even shared each other’s orders, saying ‘Try this, it tastes good!,’” Marquez shared. 

It was in these kinds of interactions that Marquez and Bona saw the beauty of having a tight-knit community like theirs. 

“When we were still selling at Puro, one customer ordered our lavender tea. She told us that night was one of the best ones she’s had since being diagnosed with depression. That’s when I thought, okay, we were really making a difference somehow,” she added.

They shared that they are close friends with other small business owners too. 

“I feel happy seeing that there isn’t any competition between us. We support and help each other grow, and we respect the different markets and specialties that each food business offers. We often go to events together, and the cafe owners usually do cuppings as well,” she said. 

Furthermore, they’ve not only served drinks for people, but also opened their doors to the animals frolicking around the area. Some are strays, while some of them still have collars. The two suspect that they have owners they go home to in the night after spending the day at their cozy cottage. 

From helping young professionals de-stress, giving hope to a customer with depression, and even taking in stray cats and dogs, Tizan has built a safe space for those desperate to take a breather, all the while they were figuring out their own path too.

Embracing their own niche

Running a business isn’t always a walk in the park. When a Tiktok of their cottage went viral, they were overwhelmed with the sudden influx of customers. The longer the lines got, the more exhausted they became. They say they were not used to the large batches of customers, leaving service time to be delayed for around two hours.

This led to customers leaving the cottage unsatisfied by their service. 

Marquez and Bona said that they understood their frustration, and were motivated even more to do better. Determined to make it up to their customers, the two decided to take a short break to recalibrate and finalize the hiring of new recruits that would help them run things a bit smoother.

“We’re not perfect, and we’ll be the first to admit that. Our little cottage was built for slow living, cozy conversations, and that peaceful energy we all crave. It breaks our hearts when we have to turn away first-time visitors because we simply don’t have seats available,” the post read. 

Now, however, Tizan has reopened. With old-time patrons and newfound friends behind them, they are confident in their upcoming plans and operations moving forward. 

According to Marquez, they never felt pressure to adhere to what was trending, although they were often unsure of how successful they would be, especially at the start. 

“We only really promote ourselves through word of mouth, because when you stand by your values and principles, the customers will come to you organically,” she said. 

Bona and Marquez’ Tizan journey was truly full of so many triumphs and trials. According to Marquez, if she could talk to her younger self, she would tell her to slow down.

“Don’t rush. Everything will make sense in God’s perfect time,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Bona says she would have urged herself to get rid of her shyness. 

“I wish I could tell her to take more risks and socialize more because then, she could have grown a whole lot more. Still, I am proud of how far we have come and I cannot wait for all that we plan to do next,” she said.

If you aren’t in a rush and are looking for a place that serves delicious food and relaxing provincial vibes, Tizan is another bucket-list worthy destination in Legazpi.