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.
Winter Drink Menu 2026
Letting go of the holiday drinks feels easier when winter brings a lineup this good. Our 2026 Winter Seasonal Drinks lean into warmth, balance, and depth—built for cold days and slower moments. This is the time of year when we get to fine-tune and experiment, creating some of our most thoughtful and layered drinks. The result is a menu that feels comforting yet intentional, meant to be enjoyed one sip at a time. Read on and find the winter drink you’ll be craving next.
Mastercol - Terra: Huila, Colombia
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.
Amoret Espresso Blend
Amoret Espresso Blend is the foundation of our espresso drinks—it’s the coffee we build our milk-based drinks around and the blend that defines our approach to balance, sweetness, and texture. Designed specifically to shine in espresso and milk, Amoret delivers an experience that is both technically precise and emotionally resonant.
Ruca House Blend
Ruca House Blend is our homage to the classic cup of coffee—the comforting, familiar, endlessly drinkable cup that feels right at any moment of the day. Designed to be extremely approachable without sacrificing quality, Ruca is a blend that welcomes the casual coffee drinker while still earning the respect of the seasoned connoisseur.
Tala Holiday Party: Cozy Cabin Christmas
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!
Holiday Sourdough
As the holidays came and went, the common denominator in the household was likely the kitchen. Whether you were assigned a dish to make, took on the daunting task of baking the holiday cookies, or just sauntered in just when the timers beeped and the food was ready, the kitchen likely saw an increase in the amount of foot traffic during the holiday season.
Tala-La-La-La Holiday Blend 2025
Every year, as the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, one familiar thing returns to our shelves and our cups: Tala-la-la-la, our much-loved holiday blend. Despite its core coffees rotating each year, the release of this blend has become a true Tala tradition. It’s part celebration, part reflection, and entirely delicious.
Brown Butter Sage Cornbread Cookies (with Honey Buttercream!)
These cookies mix the texture of classic cornbread with the chewiness of a bakery-style cookie. Finishing them with a swirl of honey buttercream feels like spreading honey on warm cornbread, except sweeter and better.
Do you know the Muffin Women
Do you know the muffin women? Located in Mundelein, Illinois, in a nondescript wholesale kitchen is Holcomb Hollow. A business that began from “the plan is jam mentality,” if you get the friend's reference, you know, at the local farmers market, eventually developed into an original gluten-free flour recipe and all the baked goods behind it. Mia sits down with Melissa Norton, head baker and co-owner, and Elena Morris, chief operating officer, to learn more about what makes these muffins so special.