The Tala Blog

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Coffee Varietals Explained

The cup you drank this morning had a lineage. It came from a specific plant, with a genetic history, grown at an elevation, selected by the farmer for particular reasons. And almost none of that appears on the label. The varietal of a given coffee is an entrance into the story of that lineage. 

Marissa Cummings Marissa Cummings

Making Matcha At Home With Marissa

It wasn’t until I started making matcha at home that I realized just how fun it can be. Truly, matcha prep has some ritual energy to it. It’s a little meditative, a little scientific, and a lot more approachable than it looks. Now it’s a daily moment I genuinely look forward to… and go to sleep thinking about!

If you’re even a little matcha-curious, this is your sign to try it at home.

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Haley Horvat Haley Horvat

Partner Program Highlight: CalibrÉ Coffee

“Every neighborhood needs a cafe,” Josh shares right off the bat. As the manager of Calibre Coffee, Josh along with the rest of the team, have made it a point to build something larger than just a location to grab a coffee to go. They saw the opportunity to create a place of connection for the surrounding community and have established themselves and continued to build on that very idea.

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Technical Tala Coffee Roasters Technical Tala Coffee Roasters

Mastercol - Terra: Huila, Colombia

Mastercol – Terra is our first fresh-crop coffee of the new year from Huila, Colombia, arriving after an exceptional run of standout Huila lots throughout 2025. It immediately caught our attention as a double-fermented, single-varietal Caturra from Mastercol—one of our most trusted producer groups and long-term partners since 2017. This is a coffee that feels both familiar and exciting, building on everything we love about the region while offering a renewed sense of vibrancy.

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Community Marissa Cummings Community Marissa Cummings

Coffee Horoscopes

The ~cosmos~ have spoken. Your destiny? Delicious. Gone are the days of circling your horoscope with a glitter gel pen and feeling known by the universe from a paragraph that told you to “embrace your sparkle”. Lucky for you, we’re bringing back that magic… coffee edition.

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Community Mia Rhee Community Mia Rhee

The History of Tala Cyclists

Tala Coffee Roasters, in addition to specialty coffee, often hosts a line of cyclists snaking their way through the cafe on weekdays and weekends–opting for more traditional fare like the single shot or Gibraltar. The history between Tala and the cycling community runs deep, extending back to when the Highwood cafe first opened its doors in 2018, and has expanded ever since.

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Community Mel Kreppein Community Mel Kreppein

Libertyvilles 2nd Birthday Recap

This past Memorial Day weekend, here at Libertyville, we celebrated our second birthday! Two Septembers ago, the cafe at the roastery opened its doors for the first time, bringing longtime Tala fans a glimpse into the process, as well as another cafe to love.

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Community Marissa Cummings Community Marissa Cummings

Barista Beats: Libertyville Cafe Playlists

There’s nothing like stepping into our Libertyville cafe and being greeted with the intoxicating scent of freshly brewed coffee and the friendly faces of our staff. But arguably one of the best parts of the experience is the song you get to jam out to while you sip your coffee. Our baristas have the freedom to curate their own playlists for our café, bringing their own personal flare to the shift. Have you ever wondered what they have next on the queue? We’ve gathered a few favorites from each of our Libertyville baristas (so you can curate a playlist of your own!).

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Community Rachel Severyns Community Rachel Severyns

Staff Cookout Recap

This past week, our team came together to celebrate the start of summer with a summer cookout at our Libertyville Roastery — a perfect way to enjoy good company and great weather. Our evening was filled with delicious food, plenty of over-caffeinated staff members, and lots of laughter!

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Recipes Mel Kreppin Recipes Mel Kreppin

Tala Libertyville’s Unit B Cupcakes

If you’ve ever had the privilege of tasting the Unit B latte, then you know that it can only be described as a warm, comforting hug. With that being said, there is no better treat to make a loved one than these cupcakes, for any and every occasion and celebration.

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