The Tala Blog

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Tala Food Features

As of October 9th at Libertyville, and for the entirety of Winnetka’s existence, we’ve had six distinct food items on our menu, each filled with great flavors and good protein. The menu came together with the efforts of our amazing production team, as well as a Lake Zurich vendor called Zelda’s Sandwich Joint.

News Hannah Pearson News Hannah Pearson

Dueling Processes: Washed vs Natural

It isn’t every day that you get the chance to see how distinctly the processing method can change the flavor of a coffee. We are excited to offer both washed and natural versions of our Chelbesa Washing Station coffee on our online store. This unique opportunity allows you to explore and appreciate the diverse flavor profiles that result from different processing techniques.

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Summer Drink Menu 2024

Summer is officially here, and so is our summer drink lineup! Now that we have six summer seasons under our belt, we have a lot of favorite drinks to choose from. Customers often ask us earnestly to bring back their favorite drink from previous years, but the problem is everyone has a different favorite. This year we decided to take the guesswork out and get scientific about it with an Instagram poll (nothing screams scientific like social media, right?!).

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Spring Drink Menu 2024

In the Chicagoland area, we had almost forgotten it wasn’t already spring, but as of yesterday, the season is official! With the onset of budding flowers, greener grass and longer days comes our long-awaited spring drink launch.

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Community, News Marissa Cummings Community, News Marissa Cummings

Introducing the Unit B

A few months ago, Tayah and I were tasked with the creation of the Libertyville signature drink, and today we’re excited to announce its release! We spent weeks meeting to discuss complementing flavors, whipping up various syrups in the kitchen, and saying “no” to a lot of concoctions. But finally, one receipe rose to the top, a delicious bevagage today and onward known as The Unit B.

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Winter Drink Menu 2024

Saying goodbye to the holiday drinks is made much easier once you get a taste of what the winter drink menu holds. These warm flavors almost make you forget how cold it is. Some of our most intricate and complicated drinks of the year are featured on this menu. The colder indoor energy of the winter seems to invite the tinkering and tweaking for these delicious concoctions you’ll find here. Read about each below and flag the tasty drink for your next visit!

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News Joanna Tong News Joanna Tong

Tips From A Stocking Enthusiast

Since I was a little girl, stockings have been my favorite part of Christmas. I don’t exactly know why, but something about all the little things all together in one goodie bag feels so extraordinary to me. I know it’s common for stockings to be an after-thought—I've even met people who, to my astonishment, skip them altogether—but I love to fill them thoughtfully as a grand finale to opening presents. Regardless of your typical approach, I am here to share some tips on how to step it up a notch this year, especially if you’re stuffing a stocking for a coffee-lover!

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Community, News Joanna Tong Community, News Joanna Tong

How We Designed Winnetka: Interior

Over the past year, our Winnetka cafe site has undergone a radical transformation visible from the street, but what many may not realize is that the interior work began long before the exterior did, and after many long months, the work is finally done and we are open! Over the past 2.5+ years that we’ve been working on this project, I’ve been asked about the design so many times, especially because it is an old retro gas station. A lot of people have been curious about how we arrived at the aesthetic we have.

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Holiday Drink Menu 2023

The long-awaited holiday season is here, and at Tala we go hard for the holidays… or should I say Tala-days! It has been a hallmark (no pun intended) since the beginning of our company that we celebrate with fun decorations, epic drinks, and an extra measure of holiday spirit. We are blessed all year long to see the connective power of coffee in bringing people together, and this is on display all the more during the holidays. So grab a loved one and meet for for a festive holiday drink at your favorite cafe!

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Community, News Joanna Tong Community, News Joanna Tong

Tala is Coming to Winnetka

This iconic corner building at the intersection of Winnetka Avenue and Green Bay Road will soon be a Tala cafe, and we couldn’t be more excited. Although a very prominent and noticeable plot in the Indian Hills district, this building has been an out-of-place eyesore for many years, as the Village of Winnetka searched for the perfect addition to this neighborhood. We are excited to be breathing new life into this old building and opening our doors to become a hub for connection, community, and, of course, great coffee!

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Fall Drink Menu 2023

The heat waves are behind us, school is in session and the flannels and beanies are coming out from wherever they’ve been kept all summer long. It’s the season of changing leaves, bonfires, corn mazes, and, of course, fall drinks at Tala! We have some of your favorite drinks returning and one new addition to the lineup, so make sure you stop in and give each a try!

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Community, News Tala Coffee Roasters Community, News Tala Coffee Roasters

Libertyville is Open!

After a long time of dreaming and planning and several months of build-out, we are excited to bring you a cafe in Libertyville! You can find our new cafe in the industrial district tucked behind Liberty Lake. We have quietly roasted in this building for over six years, and are so excited to finally be able to serve our coffee under the same roof as we’ve been operating since the beginning. For us, opening this cafe is like a homecoming.

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