Where: Go Get Em Tiger
Location: 230 North Larchmont Boulevard
Cost: pricey

Perhaps this is a clear sign that I’ve had entirely too much sunshine in my native lifetime spent in the City of Angels, but I do enjoy the fun, albeit cliché, “play on words” trend when frequenting a local spot. There’s something just so much more enticing about saying “hey, let’s go grab a treat at Sprinkles” rather than “the cupcake shop” or “meet at Toast in 10?” rather than “that breakfast place on 3rd Street?”

Los Angeles is notorious for this. There’s Milk (a cafe); Graffiti (a coffee shop); Taste (an American cuisine restaurant); Vanilla and Frosted (competing cupcakeries); and Son of Gun (a seafood spot) — I think you get the point. And I’m sure I found the winner of them all….Go Get Em Tiger! Oh, and if it’s not clear, their mission…caffeine.

Currently, the reining champion of the best iced latte in America (according to The New York Times), Go Get Em Tiger opened its doors on the increasingly charming Larchmont Boulevard last month, joining its sister spot G&B Coffee as an alternative to those who can’t make it downtown.

When I heard that the best iced latte in America was also conveniently located in LA, I knew my coffee addiction would find me there sooner than later. In fact, it found me clear across town 2 days later to get in on the hype.

I might lose cool points as a true connoisseur of espresso, but I have no shame in admitting that I’m not a fan of lattes without milk (soy, almond, whole or whatever “milk mood” I’m feeling that day) and some sort of flavoring (vanilla typically being my weapon of choice). The point being that I don’t ever drink plain lattes, hot or cold. Ever. And because of this quirk about myself I instantly went for their Sweet Iced Latte, insisting on upgrading to their signature almond-macadamia milk (instead of the whole milk it normally comes with). Unfortunately, their version of sweetened wasn’t with the subtleties of a little vanilla syrup, but with simple syrup. Needless to say, it was a SWEET latte (even for me!)…and I can’t blame them, it’s what I ordered.

This was probably a case where all I needed was their trademark milk and the espresso over ice. The sweetener distracts from the main attraction, what’s creating the all the caffeine-induced buzz right now, the almond-macadamia milk. I very much-loved the frothy texture of the milk and supreme care that went into crafting my designer latte, but likely would’ve been able to enjoy it more without the added sweetener to get the chance to let the nuttiness of the beverage come through.

Aside from this hiccup, what I instantly loved about Go Get Em Tiger was its welcoming ambiance. I’ve been to many coffee bars in LA that felt so pretentious I wouldn’t step foot into one – other than to quickly grab the awesome coffee (because, of course, it’s yummy!) and leave before anyone sees me in said establishment, supporting said pretentiousness. Yet, Go Get Em Tiger is a place I would actually spend an afternoon with my laptop and a latte nearby blogging away, or to meet a girlfriend to catch-up over coffee.

At $6.00 for a standard sized iced latte, this isn’t a place I’d drop into frequently, but more of an indulgence when I’m feeling especially rich and want to treat myself. If I’m quite honest (price aside), my favorite places to grab a latte on-the-run are still The Sycamore Kitchen (on La Brea) or Blu Jam (on Melrose or Ventura). This doesn’t mean my relationship with Go Get Em Tiger ends here. I do want to head back to do what I should have done the first time I was there, and that was to let their famous fresh almond-macadamia milk do all the talking.

I’ll keep you posted.

As far as the naming convention of what really just comes down to a simple coffee bar, perhaps the sentiment is that I, too, tend to feel like I can conquer the world once I’ve had my caffeine fix. With the right latte in hand and caffeine slowly coursing through my veins, on some level I tell myself I’m ready for the day. I can Go Get Em Tiger!

UPDATE: Catch my thoughts on Go Get Em Tiger, Take 2. I’m afraid I can’t behind the hype after all.

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