To better understand how our specialty drink menu came to life, we sat down with Joanna, co-owner and lead specialty menu developer, to talk through her process in creating our four specialty drinks, the stories behind them, and what inspired them in the first place. Cheers!

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.

We hosted our annual holiday party last Saturday at our roastery, featuring the same theme as the cafes: Cozy Cabin Christmas. Everyone came dressed in their best flannels to eat some barbecue and play bingo. We try to get all of the staff together as much as possible, but it was especially nice to have everyone here to celebrate the holidays!

When you walk into Tala Coffee Roasters, there are three notorious features, just like the North Shore Roaster’s three café locations. Whether you’re in the renovated firehouse of Highwood, Libertyville Headquarters, or the revamped Winnetka gas station, Tala boasts a wide variety of drink offerings ranging from traditional coffee house wares to seasonal and specialty drinks.

Last Saturday, we threw our Ice Cream Social and Costume Party and had a great turnout! The cafe was buzzing all day, and our one-day-only affogato special was a huge hit, with espresso poured over Oberweis ice cream

Looking for the perfect space to host your next event? Why not use your favorite coffee shop? Whether you’re throwing a birthday party, shower, corporate get-together, reunion, or holiday bash, we’re here to help make your next event one to remember.

Summer comes but once a year and it can be difficult to keep track of all the fun plans and ideas you had at the beginning. Writing them down and creating a bucket list is one of the simplest ways to set those intentions and meet your summer goals! I wanted to see how our Tala team would do when tasked with setting those plans in motion- and got to check in to see how it went!

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.

As part of our 8th birthday celebration at our Libertyville Roastery, we hosted a coloring contest, and let’s just say, our community showed up with some serious creativity! We were blown away by the range of entries — from playful to impressively detailed — and had a tough time narrowing down our favorites. Check out our gallery of all of the amazing entries below!