Lydia Troxler was born and raised in Elon, NC. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduated from the school of Journalism and Mass Communications with a focus on news editing in 2002. Before joining the ranks of the Counter Culture crew in June 2003, Lydia worked as a nanny, law clerk, preschool teacher, and waitress. As a member of our Customer Relations team, Lydia provides coffee knowledge, counsel, and barista training, and also maintains the relationships between Counter Culture forms with customers. Her favorite things include magazines, fuzzy hats, men with beards, turkey sandwiches, and truffle pigs.

Q: What coffee are you currently drinking?

These days I’m between the Rwanda Karaba Koakaka and the Organic Bolivia Cenaproc. I like to drink what’s freshest in the house, and these two are really great right now. On the espresso front, I’m a Five Country girl, and I like it short.

Q: Choose your favorite coffee and brewing method.

That’s a tough one, but probably our Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe, and definitely a French press.

Q: Who at Counter Culture Coffee would you most like to arm-wrestle and why?

I'm not much of an arm-wrestler, (I'm a lady!) but I'd challenge Daryn Berlin to a fancy pants contest anytime. Daryn = fashionable for approximately 1.5 years, LT=fashionable fo' LIFE. Sorry, dude

Q: What is your favorite book?

All-time favorite is A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Close runners-up include A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger, most by John Irving, Ernest Hemingway, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, anything from David Sedaris (Raleigh pride!!!!), and always the works of the good Dr. Suess.

Q: What keeps you busy outside of work?

Since I’ve worked at Counter Culture Coffee, I’ve attended approximately 1,943 weddings, so I guess watching people tie the knot is up there; I also like to cook, craft, hike, read, and spend time with my husband Ermanno, our cat Gilbert, friends and family.

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.

I've learned so much about coffee in my time here that I really don't know where to begin. One thing that comes to mind is all the invaluable espresso training I got from Miss Cindy Chang ... she's a whiz at milk!

Q: When you were 8 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to own a restaurant, “Penguins,” in New York City. I could probably still recite the business plan; suffice to say it involved fancy, fancy clothes and glamorous-looking cocktails. And lots of ice cream, as I recall … at that age, I also thought driving cross-country in an RV would be a fine career.

Q: If you could beam yourself anywhere in the world for a meal, where would you go and what would you eat?

Last year I vacationed in the Yucatan, outside of Tulum. The eco-tourism lodge where we stayed had the best breakfasts … every morning presented a huge plate of sliced fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, and cold wheat toast. Pretty simple, but it was the best way to start a beautiful day in the sunshine.

Q: Which Counter Culture Coffee customer is most likely to see you outside of work (i.e. where do you like to hang out)?

I’m eating out a lot less lately, but my first cup of Counter Culture coffee was at Elmo’s Diner in Carrboro, a frequent haunt of mine in college. These days, I like to have drinks and eats at City Beverage in Durham, and I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods or Earth Fare in Raleigh.

Q: Your peers here at Counter Culture Coffee know how much you love cheese and respect your adventurous epicurean spirit. Could you share your Top Five cheeses with us?

Yikes. It’s true, I do love cheese. Top 5 (today, tomorrow it may well change) I love a brie (and who doesn’t,) but the best I’ve had was in Europe, where it isn’t stabilized for export and is allowed to mature. I also love blues, so Roquefort is another fave, although my husband isn’t a fan of the moldy cheeses so it isn’t around the house as much. I’d never turn away a Stilton or a good hunk of any peasant-style farmer’s cheese, and since this is MY top five list, I’d round it out with a big box of Cheez-Its.