Improving Coffee At Home

We hear it all the time: why does it always taste better when you make it? To some extent, coffee professionals who have all of the training and equipment might always have an edge on your at-home brewing experience, but you can step up your game at home to enjoy things even more, and this is the perfect time of year to do it!

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Tala Coffee Roasters
Coffee Cupping Explained

If you've ever wondered how we select the finest coffees from around the world for our latest offerings, you're in for a treat! Before we order a batch of coffee beans, we embark on a flavorful adventure known as cupping. This process is not only a ton of fun but it plays a crucial role in ensuring that your coffee experience is nothing short of exceptional.

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Cuahutli Alvarado
Choose a Coffee for You

Whether it’s music, food, or podcasts, we all have preferences and things we do or don’t enjoy. The same is then true of our taste in coffee! So how do you know what kind of coffee you are going to enjoy? Here are some helpful pointers on how to select coffees you find delicious.

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Liz Clayton
How We Designed Winnetka: Exterior

We looked at the broken windows, the piles of rubble, the broken-up concrete, and aged panels and saw what it could be. As we approach our finished product, I have to say that I think we were right. It looks pretty awesome.

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Joanna Tong
Tala is Coming to Winnetka

This iconic corner building at the intersection of Winnetka Avenue and Green Bay Road will soon be a Tala cafe, and we couldn’t be more excited. Although a very prominent and noticeable plot in the Indian Hills district, this building has been an out-of-place eyesore for many years, as the Village of Winnetka searched for the perfect addition to this neighborhood. We are excited to be breathing new life into this old building and opening our doors to become a hub for connection, community, and, of course, great coffee!

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Joanna Tong
Pre-Grinding Coffee

No matter how you make your coffee, one of the most important elements in the brewing process is grinding your coffee beans. The best way to grind coffee depends on a number of elements, so in this post, we’re going to go over one aspect of coffee grinding—the when. That is, when is the best time to grind your coffee to maximize its flavor? The answer: right before you brew it.

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Liz Clayton
Fall Drink Menu 2023

The heat waves are behind us, school is in session and the flannels and beanies are coming out from wherever they’ve been kept all summer long. It’s the season of changing leaves, bonfires, corn mazes, and, of course, fall drinks at Tala! We have some of your favorite drinks returning and one new addition to the lineup, so make sure you stop in and give each a try!

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Burr Grinders v. Blade Grinders

I remember when I first learned about the differences in coffee grinders. I definitely always thought that it was imperative to have top-of-the-line everything: scale, espresso machine, tamp… I didn’t know that grinders could make such a difference.

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Cassie Houriet
Libertyville is Open!

After a long time of dreaming and planning and several months of build-out, we are excited to bring you a cafe in Libertyville! You can find our new cafe in the industrial district tucked behind Liberty Lake. We have quietly roasted in this building for over six years, and are so excited to finally be able to serve our coffee under the same roof as we’ve been operating since the beginning. For us, opening this cafe is like a homecoming.

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Tala Coffee Roasters
How We're Designing Our Libertyville Cafe

The twists and turns of this project have significantly impacted the design, so much so that our original plan differs hugely from our final product. As frustrating as limitations can be, I find that sometimes the best creativity comes not from what can be done, but what cannot be. It was precisely the limitations we were met with along the way that brought us to our final design.

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Joanna Tong
Fellow Opus Grinder

We just added the Fellow Opus Grinder to our gear lineup as the perfect high-quality versatile grinder for those brewing our coffee at home. If you’re looking for a grinder to step up your at-home brewing game, we’d highly recommend this option.

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Keith Lilja
Indulge in the Perfect Affogato

Welcome to the world of affogato! If you're a coffee lover with a knack for sweets, this Italian dessert is about to become your new obsession. Picture a velvety scoop of ice cream drowning in a pool of rich, robust espresso—truly a match made in heaven.

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Lili Richter