Speaking of answers, most of you are asking if this game involves luck. Well, yeah. Pulling tokens out of a bag with sometimes 25 different options makes for quite a bit of luck. But there’s where the puzzle happens. It’s how you tweak and press your luck to when you see fit. You can pour your cup whenever you feel ready, from turn one all the way to the final turn on the track. Sometimes it’s good to wait an extra round, other times saying “just a little warmer” scorches a handful of your ripe beans.

Pressing you luck is all over this game, which is why I like it so much. The tension built at the pour is always at a highest. You’re confident you roasted for the right number of rounds, you’ve pulled three straight 4s, so it’s looking good. But then you pull a smoke token, an unscoring flavor token and, somehow after extra roasting, a zero bean, all which you toss on the tray. Instead of eating the zero point, you’re now stuck with the next bean: more smoke. And then a one bean. And another one. And at this point, looking at the extra abilities you’ve acquired, there’s nothing really you can do.

While that sounds like it can make for a miserable experience, part of that falls on your shoulders. The use of the flavor tokens and getting those pour abilities is crucial. Reading yourself for the best options and the worst options is the entire point of the game. And honestly, a single challenge is so short (ten to fifteen minutes) that you’ll not think of it as a waste of time, but that feeling of wanting to another challenge to better your score.

The game doesn’t come without its faults. Instead of the win/lose type of solo game, this is the high score variation, which can turn some people off. But if you are a solo gamer, you are probably used to games in that style. The big thing that will keep people from purchasing it is the price. There is one place to buy coffee roaster, which is the BoardGameGeek Geek Store. It is a game shipped from Asia, so the price point for this single-player game is $60. Yikes. That is quite a bit for a game you can’t enjoy with another player in the same game.

But for those that enjoy a good solitaire game, this is one you should really be eying. I currently have Onirim, Friday, and Coffee Roaster that I go to for a solitaire experience. Onirim is quality, but I enjoy it best in app form on my phone. Friday is good, but it is the game I am worst at. I enjoy the puzzle, but to be honest, I prefer the theme and art of Coffee Roaster.

Similar to what fellow co-host Nick has said, this is a game that I could enjoy in the morning, fittingly, with a cup of coffee and our good friend Hans.

RATING:

Median Score - 6 out of 7

Dylan - 6

Nick - 6