The Tala Blog
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Spring Drink Menu 2026
Spring is finally here, and so is our long-awaited seasonal lineup. With a mix of café exclusives and returning favorites like the Ube Latte, Main Squeeze, and Dirty Horchata, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this season.
Getting Creative with Amoret
“You can make it in the morning for caffeine or whatever and that’s great and definitely a benefit but to another extent, it’s a way to put time aside in the morning and slow yourself down. If you’re doing the pour over or if you’re just sitting down with a drip and just drinking it. At least for me it gives time in the morning and it’s definitely just a dedicated part of the day type of thing.” Jesse Taylor, creator of the song amoret
Happy World Water Day!
Everyday that we get to use clean, filtered water to make coffee is a day to celebrate! It just so happens that today is the day celebrate because it is World Water Day! . . . World Water Day provides intentionality to advocate for better water management practices across the board, from big corporations to your own household.
Spring Drink Menu 2023
The days are warming up and sunshine is filling up the forecast for the week! It’s beginning to look a lot like spring and we are very ready for it! From walks through the forest preserves, to sitting on the rocks down by the lake, to roller blading on the bike path, there are (almost) endless possibilities. The only thing that will make all these activities just that much better is stopping by Tala and grabbing your new spring drink before you get going!
A case for the Aeropress!
I brought the AeroPress camping with me and everything changed. After seeing how the AeroPress preformed in the outdoors with bladders of water and minimal equipment, I am never going back. All of the things I mentioned above came into play again but even more so. I didn’t have to worry about breaking it as we tried to fit our cooking gear, cloths, tent and sleeping set up snugly into our packs.
New Release: Nyamasheke, Rwanda
Our newest single origin release comes from the Kanzu washing station in the Nyamasheke district of Rwanda. This is a washed coffee with bourbon varietals. The flavor notes that we picked up on from this specific coffee are blackberry, honey and custard. We are so excited to share this coffee with all of you since it has been quite some time since we’ve featured a Rwandan coffee in our lineup!
Partner Program Highlight: Milwalky Taco
“We kind of changed the town a little bit. I think we were the first place to do craft cocktails, especially the original Milwalky Trace. Which is just a normal cocktail nowadays but at the time we were doing stuff that nobody was doing. All our cocktails have way more booze than most places. We go hard with our drinks. We’re known for that. . . We’re known for our service and our food and all those things we concentrate on. Those are the things we care about and it shows and pays off.”
Lavender Lemon 75
Valentine’s day is perfectly romantic, and while some may say it’s a hallmark holiday, we could never oppose a good excuse to mix up some cocktails and spend time with the one who makes us smile the most. This year we wanted to have some fun and make a drink that characterizes all the romance and charm of Valentine’s day as we know it. This cocktail is bubbly, floral-y, and definitely fun! So get out your shaker and jigger and favorite coupe glasses and follow along!
Composting and Coffee: How it Works
Making a lot of coffee creates a lot of used coffee grounds. In fact, it creates three pounds of used coffee grounds just to make one keg of cold brew, six pounds of coffee to make one batch of cold brew concentrate, half a pound of coffee for each batch of Ruca house blend we brew up and then there is each puck of espresso for each and every espresso drink. That adds up very quickly, especially when you’re brewing coffee from 7am until 6pm daily!
Brewing vs. Buying: A straightforward Cost Analysis
By brewing coffee at home, you can do less running in your day, you can work smarter and prepare your coffee routine for the week ahead without even going out (shout out to Coffee Club and Neighborly deliveries), and you can save money! Plus you get really delicious coffee whenever you want or need it. And you definitely need it Monday mornings, and Tuesday, and Wednesday. . . Don’t get us wrong, we love serving you coffee at the cafe, but we also understand that sometimes you want to save. We believe you should be able to save money while also enjoying excellent coffee.