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.

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

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.

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.

Our “Behind The Bar'“ series highlights one of our team members, celebrating their unique contribution to the Tala experience. We believe the connection across the bar can be meaningful and impactful. Our team puts a smile on the faces of so many each day by simply serving delicious beverages and being an authentic presence in each person’s day. Learn more about what makes each person on the Tala Team unique with this personal interview.

Your morning coffee can do much more than just energize you—it can give your garden a boost too. From backyard pots to larger agricultural applications, coffee grounds are an eco-friendly addition to any soil system.

We are thrilled to introduce our first-ever, sweet, and beautiful coffee from Brazil! Fazenda Boa Vista, a flourishing farm nestled in the rolling hills of Ibiraci, Minas Gerais, has proven its vibrant coffee to be a force to be reckoned with among its competition across the country.