It's easy to see why a first-time guest walking into Go Get Em Tiger might confuse the Los Angeles coffee house with a bar. There's no line to wait in to place an order with a barista. There is no intensive preparation that requires the barista to hunch over each beverage and conduct a quick chemistry experiment to reveal a cup of coffee.

Instead, there is a handsome wooden bar that beckons customers to walk up and place an order. Much of the coffee preparation is automated, says co-owner Charles Babinski, which allows him and his co-owner Kyle Glanville to give more attention to the customers and serve their needs, "rather than be hunkered over the pot of coffee, trying to brew it the right way," he explains.

"We always want the experience to be engaging and fun," Babinski says. "We're well known for just having great quality coffee. We buy from a pack of roasters, and our buying practices aren't based off brand, they're based off quality. We blind-taste-test everything."

Glanville and Babinski also operate G & B Coffee in L.A. They've made a name for themselves with their house-made almond-macadamia milk, which caught the eye of the New York Times last month, leading the newspaper to dub iced almond-macadamia milk latte one of the best iced coffees in the country.

"Everything that we do, if we do it, we have put energy into it," Babinski says, adding that thanks to the Times article, the almond-macadamia milk latte has become the company’s hottest seller. Another menu item Babinski is quick to recommend is the Business and Pleasure, a small flight of drinks that Go Get Em Tiger serves, such as a sparkling iced tea, shot of espresso, and a shaken cold almond milk cappuccino. It’s a swift and distinctive introduction to the brand.

Asked what kind of marketing the brand has done, Babinski says none. All the business comes from word of mouth—not too bad for a company that has been open just over a year.

By Sonya Chudgar