Coffee People
The business of coffee relies on the shared passion of coffee people all over the world, and this section is dedicated to introducing the members of our diverse, dynamic supply chain. Here we ask a few fun questions of our partners at origin, our employees, and our customers; and we share their answers with you so that you can get to know them like we do—in their own words.
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Lemuel Butler, Customer Relations
Lemuel Butler—aka Sexyfoam, aka djpez, aka NewCowboy, aka NewSouthernCoffeeMan, aka Lem—was born in Boston, MA, during the filming of his favorite movie of all time, The Omega Man. Moving to North Carolina as a child remains one of his favorite early memories—thus making traveling one of his favorite hobbies. In addition to traveling the east coast with his high school band, Lem toured with the hip-hop band (Sankofa); became a barista at one of the best coffee shops in North Carolina, the Daily Grind Espresso Cafe; traveled to Costa Rica to drink coffee on the Poas volcano; drank coffee in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica; French-pressed coffee in St. Lucia; and learned organic farming in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua. If not traveling; deejaying in some club in NC; mountain biking on wooded trails; watching Family Guy; having brunch with his daughter, girlfriend, random family members and/or friends; one can find Lem blending coffee or teaching Beginner or Intermediate Espresso labs at Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC.Q: What coffee are you currently drinking?
I have access to every coffee we roast and a Clover, so I spend 5 minutes trying to decide what to drink. It usually ends up being the closest coffee to the blending table.
Q: Choose your favorite coffee and brewing method.
At home, I have two favorites 60 percent Brazil Fatima, 30 percent Idido Misty Valley, 10 percent Kuta brewed in my Krups espresso machine and any Ethiopian coffee French pressed.
Q: Who at Counter Culture Coffee would you most like to arm-wrestle, and why?
No one, I don't want to hurt anyone.
Q: What is your favorite book?
I just finished When A Crocodile Eats The Sun ... great book, a little sad, but great.
Q: Share an interesting fact you've learned about coffee while working at Counter Culture Coffee and name the person from whom you learned it.
Coffee, like tea, has anti-oxidants and provides more anti-oxidants than fruit. Cindy Chang.
Q: What keeps you busy outside of work?
Outside of coffee there is deejaying; outside of deejaying, there is everything else.
Q: When you were 8 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 8, I wanted to be a smoke jumper.
Q: If you could beam yourself anywhere in the world for your lunch break, where would you go, and what would you eat?
I would have seafood roti on the second floor balcony of Chez Camille in Soufriere, St. Lucia.
Q: Which Counter Culture Coffee customer is most likely to see you outside of work (i.e. where do you like to hang out)?
Crook's Corner Sunday brunch 1 p.m. Come on out.
Q: Lem, you are an award-winning barista and a deejay. How do the two pursuits intersect?
So many pursuits so little time. Whether I am creating drinks for coffee aficionados or creating mixes for music aficionados, it is all about doing my best as creatively as I can.
Q: Please list your Top 5 greatest coffees ever and your Top 5 greatest albums ever.
Top 5 coffees:
Biloya Sundried Natural
Idido Misty Valley
Twin Cities Express (Lem’s 2007 SERBC espresso blend
New Cowboy (Lem’s 2006 SERBC espresso blend)
Espresso Aficionado
Top 5 albums:
A Tribe Called Quest, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol.1
The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die
John Coltrane, Olé Coltrane
Prince, Sign o' The Times
