"Laïzé" is a verbal expression in the Taiwanese business culture. When you leave a shop, you can usually hear the shop keepers say laïzé to you. It literally means : « Pop in anytime » which shows the hospitality of Taiwanese people. Customers are always invited to come back to the shop again as guests with no pressure whatsoever.
We would like to bring and develop this spirit into Paris. You are always welcome to be our guest with a cup of tea. In Laïzé, you will discover this is the place where the traditional tea culture of Taiwan meets the modern lifestyle of today. Such a cup of tea has never been so tasty and refreshing !
Pop in for a Tea !
Our tea grows on the south foot of Pakua Mountain in central Taiwan, then it is produced in Taiwan's cultural capital - Tainan - which gives the tea not only natural aromas but also a historical character. Rooted in the red earth of central Taiwan and irrigated by the mountain spring water, the tea leaves reveal an exquisite fragrance without any additives.
In the tea plantation, tea trees are grown amongst other wild plants. Each tea tree is watered with great care and then its leaves are picked by hand. You can hear the humming of bees and see butterflies flying around the tea trees. In this completely natural environment, not only is our tea tasty but it is also safe and environment-friendly. After the fermentation and roasting by our tea masters, you can simply taste the fragrance of Formosa in a cup.
Tea has thousands of years of history in Asia and was considered to be medicine in ancient times. It was favoured by the ruling class and literati. In the 9th century, tea was exported to Japan along with Buddhism and it developed its spiritual characters.
Taiwan has its native tea trees named Camellia Formosensis. In addition, there were more tea trees being imported and cultivated in Taiwan and then exported to other countries, thanks to the increasing trades between Taiwan and the western world in the 19th century.
After 1895, Taiwan was under Japanese rule. The tea business had become more prosperous than ever. A tea room was showcased at The Exposition Universelle of 1900 to promote Formosan (Taiwanese) tea in Paris. Taiwanese oolong tea won the first prize at the exhibition and earned itself a reputation as one of the best teas in the world. The exhibition opened the door for Taiwanese tea in France.
After the Meiji Restoration (1868), Japanese people began to embrace western culture and to get into a habit of drinking black tea. To meet an ever increasing demand, Taiwan started to produce black tea. In 1937, Formosa Black Tea was rated as the premium class tea at the auction house in London.
It also became the tea for the royal family of Japan.
After WWII, a Japanese man who ran a bar in Taiwan transferred his business to one of his local employees. However the bar did not continue selling alcohol, but started serving tea instead. The subsequent owner realized that the delicate foam created by the use of cocktail shaker for making iced tea could reduce the natural bitterness of black tea, and therefore the foundation of bubble tea had been established.
Since then, there has been more and more tea houses starting to create experimental tea beverages based on the same skills required to make Boba milk tea. Now, not only can you find countless tea shops in Taiwan, but also around the world. The signature tea beverage has turned Taiwanese tea from a cash crop into a symbol of the Taiwanese modern lifestyle.
In recent years, the tea-making technique has kept improving and it gives Taiwanese tea its unique
characters. No matter the traditional tea ceremony or the trendy bubble tea, it reveals the diversity of
Taiwanese tea culture which is waiting for you to discover !