The Tala Blog
Featured Article
The Return of the Baklava Latte
It started as an experiment, and now it’s the drink our regulars refuse to let us take off the seasonal menu. The beloved Baklava Latte was formerly an exclusive drink at our Libertyville café, but it was met with such rave reviews that we knew it needed a semi-permanent spot on the seasonal menu at all of our cafes.
October Events
October is here, which means cooler mornings, fall drinks, and plenty happening around our cafés. We’ve got events, pop-ups, new things to try, and a few good excuses to make a coffee run.
The Case for a Third Place
In a world that increasingly happens behind a screen, third places give us a reason to slow down, step outside, and simply be around other people. Marissa makes the case for coffee shops as modern third places — spaces where small, everyday interactions can foster connection, community, and a sense of belonging.
August Events 🗓
August is here, and we're making the most of every last bit of summer. Long evenings, iced coffee in hand, weekends spent outside, and a calendar full of reasons to gather — there's still plenty of the season left to enjoy before routines shift and fall settles in.
Read what’s brewing this month.
Decaf Colombia
For years, decaf coffee has carried an unfair reputation. It’s often thought of as the coffee you drink when you have to skip caffeine — not the coffee you actually look forward to drinking. But we believe every coffee we roast should be exceptional, whether it fuels you or is simply meant for you to enjoy.
Gatuya AA: Muranga, Kenya
Fresh-crop African coffee season is one of our favorite times of year, and we're kicking it off with the return of a coffee we couldn't wait to roast again.
Say hello (again) to Gatuya AA from Muranga, Kenya.
Why We Love Cold Brew
Although specialty coffee over the last decade has slowly embraced the merits of cold brew, there was a time when cold brew was a specialty faux pas. That was about the time when we opened Tala, and unashamedly planted our flag on the team cold brew.
From Concept to Cup: Creating Funky Monkey
You may know her as the icon of the summer, but to me she’s just a casual Tuesday morning latte. The coveted Funky Monkey, our banana bread-inspired latte, was whipped up in my own kitchen years before she ever entered the seasonal menu chat at Tala.
Thanks for Celebrating
This past weekend, we celebrated Nine Years as a business. As usual, we threw a big party. Thank you to everyone who came out to have a fun time on Sunday, whether you got a Birthday Cake Latte, enjoyed something epic from one of our pop-ups, came to our roastery tour, grabbed a slice of cake, or—my personal favorite—drew your smiley face on our community self portrait. We had so much fun with you all!
The War on Laptops Has Gone Too Far
At what point did coffee shops and laptops become sworn enemies? We’ve collectively agreed that cafés are places to read books for three hours, journal about our feelings, and have four-hour first dates that go nowhere. But open up Microsoft Excel for twenty minutes, and suddenly you’re a threat to society?