Spencer Lemely will be at the market every Wednesday and Saturday selling Roos Roast coffee until he says no. Lemely doesn’t know exactly when they’ll decide to walk away, but is content with the lower-stress alternative to teaching social studies in the Detroit Public School System.
“I miss the philosophical conversations,” Lemely said. “But [teaching] was real intense sometimes. On a good day at work. kids didn’t fight each other, no one got yelled at. But now, this [selling coffee] is so chill. And my blood pressure is down.”
Lemely grew up Christian, and enjoyed discussing that identity with his students. Now, his “spirituality” manifests itself in the coffee he brews, although it wasn’t always that way.
“I didn’t even start drinking coffee until after college but then I got into to the art of it, like the pretentious wine tasting side,” Lemely, said. “I used to only drink like a cup a day before, but now it’s probably at least three cause it’s always free.”
He has enjoyed discovering how factors like elevation and location affect the coffee’s flavor. One day, Lemely hopes to visit the farms that grow the beans he roasts; one of their favorite varieties is a single-origin variety from Colombia, a destination they would love to travel to.
