This is where Filgap Coffee’s coffee and product ideas are taking shape — through roasting, tasting, testing, and learning.
The coffee we’re working toward
I tend to look for sweetness, balance, a clean finish, and enough body to feel satisfying, with acidity that supports the cup rather than taking it over.
For espresso, I often lean toward a richer, dessert-like direction — balanced and substantial, with flavours closer to dark chocolate than something very light or tea-like.
There is already plenty of good coffee
At a coffee show, I came across shelves filled with coffee from specialty roasters from many different places. The range was impressive. It also made me think about a simple question: once coffee has been roasted, how long does it take to reach the person who will drink it?
Good coffee can come from anywhere. I’m not trying to argue otherwise. The question for Filgap is what changes when coffee is roasted closer to where it will be enjoyed — when the roast date, the journey to the cup, and the person drinking it are all a little closer together.
That is part of why Filgap Coffee is starting locally in Squamish.
Freshness is part of the taste
Freshness is not simply about drinking coffee the day after it was roasted. Coffee needs time to settle, and different coffees change at different rates. What matters to me is paying attention to that window — and to how sweetness, aroma, and character change over time.
Personally, I tend to enjoy coffee within about two weeks of roasting. It is not a hard rule, but it is one reason freshness will stay close to how Filgap roasts, packages, and eventually shares coffee in Squamish.
What I’m testing now
Whole-bean coffee sits at the centre of the current Filgap plan. I’m roasting small batches, tasting them, making adjustments, and trying to understand what feels right for Filgap Coffee.
Keurig-compatible capsules and espresso concentrate are two other formats I want to test. They may fit coffee moments where convenience matters more, but they are not finished products yet, and I still need to learn how customers respond to them.
