Celtic Cup Coffee at 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 101B in Silver Spring, will hold its grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 26. The event will feature live Irish traditional music, a dance demo by the Culkin School of Irish Dance, coffee roasting demonstrations, prize giveaways, and an opening ceremony with a land acknowledgement and ribbon cutting.
According to the shop, “At Celtic Cup Coffee, we strive to provide the absolute best coffee experience to our customers. Since each coffee drinker is different, the only path to that best experience is to work with each customer to find the right bean, the right roast, and the right preparation method for that individual. The process requires excellent communication skills, operational flexibility, and the very best responsibly sourced raw ingredients, backed by the expertise of a roast master with over 25 years of experience.”
Doug Ilg, who has a background in computer science, transitioned to the coffee industry after a 30+ year career, including work as a contractor with NASA and other agencies. His role involved developing methods for computing, organizing, storing, and distributing scientific data imagery from various Earth-observing environmental satellite systems. Motivated by a passion for coffee, Doug aims to help his community broaden their home coffee brewing horizons.
Doug’s journey in coffee began in his childhood. He recalls his earliest memory of coffee at the age of 6 or 8, when he pleaded with his parents to let him join the adults with a cup of coffee. His initial experience consisted of a carafe of hot water and a packet of Sanka® instant coffee.
In the 1990s, Doug was introduced to home coffee roasting by a co-worker whose husband roasted coffee using a cookie sheet in their home oven. After receiving a brief tutorial, Doug began roasting small batches in his own home oven, which ignited his passion for producing high-quality coffee. Over the years, he experimented with various small home roasters while honing his skills in the craft of coffee roasting.
In 2019, Doug founded Celtic Cup Coffee, focusing on custom roasting coffee in micro-batches and assisting customers in brewing their best cup of coffee at home. Initially, Celtic Cup operated as a Maryland Cottage Food Business, producing low-risk foods from home.
