“The love and energy that went into making this place happen” is part of what makes Original Grinds Coffee Co. special, said owner Lindsey Forshaw, seated outside her coffee stand at 615 E. Washington St.
The stand has two windows for drive-through, but also has a seating area composed of tables and chairs that make interesting geometrical shadows with a view of the Olympic Mountains.
Forshaw said that she uses Fidalgo coffee beans, and that two of her customers’ favorite drinks are white chocolate Americano and caramel macchiato, which she called “a hit.”
Iced drinks are very popular, she said; OG uses nugget ice, which contains pockets of air, floats well and is crunchy.
“We want our drinks to taste good,” she said, but it is also very important to her that they look good. “I make every drink as if I were making it for myself,” said Forshaw, “because I want it to be perfect for each customer.”
In addition to drinks, OG is known for its freshly-made food.
“There weren’t many places in town to get lunch fast besides fast food restaurants, so we wanted to offer healthy lunch food items,” Forshaw said.
Lunch sandwiches are made to order and OG has a panini special every week. OG offers “the real OG cup,” a choice of sausage or bacon with biscuits, and gravy and a fried egg until noon, in addition to breakfast sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, muffin tops and other quick snacks.
Something that makes the stand extra special, said Forshaw, are the salads. Currently there are three choices, though Forshaw said to “stay tuned” as she will soon introduce a fourth, something “super yummy.”
Customers have a choice of pickled beet salad with goat cheese, pepitas and vinaigrette dressing, berry nut salad with mixed greens, strawberries, craisins, red onion, feta cheese, pecans and raspberry vinaigrette, and chicken Caesar salad.
“The food and the sandwiches are awesome,” said customer Garrett Smithson, a “day one” OG regular.
“The staff is amazing,” he said.
Smithson said that he’s liked every panini and the Americano is his favorite drink, but “everything is good.”
Forshaw’s father, Dan Forshaw, also commented on the enthusiasm Forshaw’s staff of four put into their work.
“They work hard, and are all so nice,” he said. “The food is amazing and the place has a good vibe.
“I’m very proud of her. She has lots and lots of experience managing others. It was definitely time for her [to open her own shop].”
Lindsey Forshaw, who has lived in Sequim her entire life, said she has been a barista for 16 years, and a manager at other coffee places for numerous years. When the opportunity came up to buy a previously-owned stand, it was a perfect fit.
“I love it,” she said. “I’d rather have my own than work for somebody else.”
Forshaw said that she has been so well-known for her barista skills that, “people call me the OG of coffee.” So when thinking about names for the potential business, “we wanted to have ‘OG’ in it … [and] Original Grinds was perfect. Everybody calls us ‘OG,’ so it’s good.”
OG has a vibrant social media presence on Instagram and Facebook, where they post every day, Forshaw said.
“People are pretty interactive,” she said.
To get to the coffee stand, customers should turn south off East Washington Street onto Center Park Way and then left on the gravel past the seating area, as the traffic flows best that way.
Original Grinds is open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends.
For more information, visit facebook.com/OGcoffeeco or call 360-77-4148.
Original Grinds Coffee Co.
Coffee, culinary treats
Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
On the web: facebook.com/OGcoffeeco
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Lindsey Forshaw, owner of Original Grinds Coffee Co., stands in front of her stand at 615 E. Washington St. with two of her staff: Deanna Benedict, left, and Kori Miller. OG opened in May of this year and serves a variety of hot and cold drinks, as well as a food menu that includes made-to-order sandwiches and freshly made salads.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Turn south onto Center Way to reach the Original Grinds Coffee Co., at 615 E. Washington St., where staff serves hot and cold drinks and freshly-prepared food, including a weekly panini special.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Original Grinds Coffee Co. offers freshly prepared salads on-the-go or at their outdoor seating area. On the left is the pickled beet salad with goat cheese and pepitas, and on the right is the berry nut salad with strawberries, craisins, pecans, feta and red onions. Owner Lindsey Forshaw said she wants to offer food that is healthy as well as fast.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen
