Photo: Perhaps sensing I needed a soothing drink, a morning jolt, or a brain boost, Dr. Greg Lewis offers a cup of his high-end coffee at the annual Three Hills fall farmers market October 3. Rural Report/DAVID NADEAU, Three Hills

At best, this is a study in contrasts, not an arm wrestle, not an argument.

Here’s me: never had a sip, nary a drop, of coffee in my life. Never ever.

And here’s Greg Lewis, MD, a 44-year-old Three Hills resident who lives and breathes coffee. Well, not exactly-family, church, and medical responsibilities rank higher on his life priorities ladder-but coffee is clearly something more than a handy hobby or an enduring passion.

As a study in contrasts, there could be a contest: Mr. Never-Tried-The-Stuff David and Dr. Gregg: “I’ve always liked coffee and have been drinking it since I was 12. Mom made me a cup, and I was delighted with the flavor and experience.” 

Looking at this robust young man, you’d think he could easily survive a day without coffee. “Definitely not! I’ve only not had coffee a few times over the years!” 

We know well of pressures unique to the medical world, so it follows that a sideline of buying, roasting, blending, and selling coffee would be a significant release from the hospital and clinic. “True. I appreciate the art and creative side of our little business. I don’t usually get to access those parts of my personality in medicine. Interesting: when people learn I’m a coffee-selling doctor, they appreciate that it’s hands on and get excited to hear about what I do.”

Asked if he drinks coffee at the Three Hills hospital or in the Kneehill Medical Clinic, Lewis’ quick reply, “Do flowers need rain?”

In our brief conversations, I’ve learned that Lewis aims high and wants the best for patients and customers. He sources high-end beans from many countries in South/Central America and SE Asia, as well as the Philippines, Africa, and Yemen. While he could be collecting stamps, sports cards, or softballs, coffee easily snagged gold in the GL Interest Olympics. “I’ve always liked knowing how things work. Learning how to roast coffee was one of my first forays into this part of my personality.”

After graduating in 2011 as a doctor from Albany Medical College in Albany, NY, Lewis recently earned a master’s degree. His coffee bean roasting education, begun in 2007, was decidedly less rigid, relying on informal training “before the advent of YouTube in its current state.”

When asked to distinguish between a paying hobby and being a full-time doctor, Lewis said, “I enjoy customer service aspects of both.”

Married to Lois with five boys, Dr. Lewis has 10 years of medical missionary service, 8 as a family in the Philippines. Lois is a professional midwife.

What started as a study in contrasts, not an arm wrestle, not an argument, dissolved into my feeling sorry for myself, that my long life came to nothing more than a boring treadmill of skim milk, tepid water, and flat cola, so I confessed, “Dr. Greg, I've never tasted one drop of coffee. What am I missing?”

“Everything! You should try it. Coffee is an acquired taste like other delightful foods. Most people like the smell of coffee being brewed; I want people to enjoy coffee that tastes better than it smells.”