Components
- 1 Roast Board
- 143 Tokens
- 1 Cup Board
- 1 Turn Disc (red)
- 1 Counter Cube (brown)
- 11 Bean Sheets
- 1 Summary
- 1 Cloth Bag
- 1 Roasting Score Sheet
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Coffee Roaster is a 1 -player board game. The player works a bean roaster to produce a coffee creation matching a target roast level. As beans in the bag are drawn they are roasted.
After a roasting is complete points are awarded through a cup test. Players earn points by roasting to the target roast level, retaining the natural flavor of the bean and evenly roasting beans.
Keep in mind the moisture trapped in the beans and the amount of smoke from roasting. Skillfully place the Body, Acidity & Aroma Tokens on the Roast Board and use the gained effects to guide the beans in the Roasting Bag to the desired blend.
There are 22 beans introduced in this game. In the Full Menu 3 of these beans will be roasted. Your point total with indicate your real ability as a Coffee Roaster.
Menu
In this game, there are two menu types to play.
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Full Menu (30 Min).
You roast 3 kinds of bean, one after the other. Select a bean from Group 1 (Pg. 15) and start roasting. Write down the results of the Cup Test on the Roasting Score Sheet.
Then continue on with a Group 2 then a Group 3 bean.
Then total your scores from the 3 tests and this determines your competency as a roaster. Please enjoy the rich flavor of the COFFEE ROASTER world.
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Trial Menu (10 Min).
Try 1 coffee bean roast challenge. Roast only one bean, then do one cup test. Choose any bean. Enjoy roasting each bean for practice.
Setup
Cup Board
Place the Cup Board next to the Roast Board. Place the Counter Cube on the 0 of the Roast Counter in the lower part of the board.
Bean Preparation
Choose a Bean for the current challenge from the Bean Sheets.
- For a Full Menu choose any Beginner Level bean from Group 1 (Light Brown Bean Sheet).
- For a Trial Menu you can choose any bean that you like. (a Beginner Level bean is recommended for your first play)
On the Bean Sheet in the cream-colored area the number of each token to be used is written. Place all of the indicated tokens in the bag.
Roast Board
Place the Roast Board in front of you and place the Turn Disc nearby (It will be placed shortly depending on the moisture level of the current bean).
Place the 5 Unique Effect Tokens and the Wild Flavor Token. Place each token on the corresponding spaces.
Place the Smoke Tokens on the spaces with smoke marks. Make Stacks of 2 and 3 on the respective spaces.
This concludes the preparation phase and now the game can begin.
Game Play
During the game the tokens in the bag are taken out, processed and returned. This is a Roasting Phase.
This is repeated a number of times. After a turn the player may choose to finish or continue with another Roasting Phase. When the player decides to finish roasting they move on to the Cup Test and calculate their score and that concludes one bean challenge.
1. Advancing the Turn Disc
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On the first Roast Phase place the Turn Disk.
The blue numbers with water droplets correspond to the amount of moisture in the current bean, and indicate the Turn Disc's start space.
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Check the number of Moisture Tokens indicated on the Bean Sheet for this challenge. Place the Turn Disc on the space that corresponds to the number of Moisture Tokens for the current bean. This is the start space for this challenge.
If there are 7 Moisture Tokens then the start space for the Turn Disc is the "7/8" space.
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On the 2nd and all future turns advance the Turn Disc one space to the right. If the space to be moved to has Smoke Tokens then place all of the Smoke Tokens in the bag, and then move the Turn Disc.
2. Pull Tokens From the Bag
The bottom of the Roast Board depicts a temperature gauge. Under the round spaces in bold lettering the numbers 6 to 14 are written. These numbers indicate the number of tokens to take out of the bag on that turn.
The player thoroughly mixes the tokens in the bag, and then pulls out the number of tokens indicated by the bold numbers, and places them in front of themself. (Take care not to pull more than the indicated number of tokens from the bag)
If the number of tokens is less than the temperature gauge number then take all of the tokens from the bag and continue as normal.
3. Roasting
The tokens that were removed from the bag must be processed in the following order.
Remove all revealed Moisture Tokens from the game.
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Use Immediate Effects
Place tokens on the LEFT half of the Roast Board and Immediately use the Indicated ability.
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B. Use Flavor Effects
After using the Flavor Effects place the used Flavor Token on the RIGHT half of the Roasting Board and earn the Unique Effect Token.
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Increase the Level of Roast
Increase the Bean Token's level of roast.
The tokens are processed in order starting with 'a' and finishing with 'c'. It is not permitted to return to the 'a' step after starting the 'b' step.
It is not possible to process 1 token in more than one way. Each processed token must be placed on the Roast Board, returned to the box or returned to the bag.
Moisture Evaporation
If there are any Moisture Tokens that were pulled from the bag, remove all of those Moisture Tokens from the game. It is not permitted to keep them.
About tokens that are removed from the game
In order to know what tokens remain in the bag any tokens removed from the game are not placed back in the box, it is recommended to place them out of the way, nearby, so they can be referenced.
About the Roast Board
By placing tokens on the Roast Board you can earn Unique Effects. The upper part of the Roast Board is divided into 2 sections.
The Left Half contains effects that are used immediately, while The Right Half contains effects that are used during the Cup Test.
When placing on the Left Half of the board the tokens are placed directly from the pool of tokens taken from the bag.
However when placing on the Right Half of the board the tokens placed there must first be used as one of the three Flavor Effects "Concentration", "Preservation", or "Dispersion".
Only after using the Flavor Effect of a Body, Acidity, or Aroma Token can it be placed on the Right Half of the Roast Board.
Tip: While roasting any one bean each of the Left Half's effects can only be used once. Placing on the Right Half is restricted to only Flavor Tokens who's Flavor Effect has been used.
It is important to keep the current bean's unique characteristics in mind while preparing for the cup test Every move from the initial roasting affects the bean's progress.
A. Using Immediate Effects (when Placing On The Left Half)
Place a token on a corresponding space of the Left Half, and immediately use that effect. Placing Flavor Tokens or not is optional.
Even if a player has Flavor Tokens in front of them it is never required to place them on the Roast Board. However if a player chooses to place a Flavor Token then the effect must be used immediately.
There is no limit on how many tokens can be placed in one turn.
For Immediate Effects that require 2 tokens it is not required to place both tokens at the same time. One may be placed and the other token may be placed at a later time.
Placing on an Any-flavor Space
Spaces with all 3 Flavor Tokens shown are called Any-Flavor Spaces.Any 1 Body, Acidity or Aroma Token may be used on this space.
Immediate Effects At a Glance
- Each Immediate Effect can each be used, at most, once per Challenge.
- Choosing the best timing to use these is important.
- Adapting to the current situation and sometimes playing it by ear can be necessary.
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Redrawing 2
Choose any 2 tokens pulled from the bag this turn, return them to the bag, mix thoroughly, and pull 2 tokens out and add them to the others already in front of you.
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Cleaning Up
All of the Smoke, Burnt Bean and Reject Bean Tokens in front of the player are removed from the game. There is no limit to the number of tokens removed in this way.
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+2 Drawing
Take 2 additional tokens from the bag and add them to the others already in front of you.(If there are less than 2 tokens in the bag then this ability cannot be used. You also cannot place a Flavor Token in this situation).
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Drawing 5
These 5 tokens are processed separately from the others taken from the bag this turn. Take 5 tokens from the bag, and select 2 of these 5 tokens to remove from the game.
The other 3 tokens are returned to the bag. Any type of token may be removed from the game.(If there are less than 5 tokens in the bag then this ability cannot be used. You also cannot place a Flavor Token in this situation).
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Wild Flavor Token
Gain the Wild Flavor Token. Take the Wild Flavor Token from the board and add it to the tokens in front of you.
The Wild Flavor Token can be used immediately as any one Body, Acidity or Flavor Token. It also mimics the Flavor Effects of the token used.
If the Wild Flavor Token is not used during the turn acquired then it is placed in the bag. (The Wild Flavor Token can not be used as the Sweetness Token).
Immediate Effects and Moisture Tokens
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"Redrawing 2" & "+2 Drawing"
If a Moisture Token is drawn it is immediately removed from the game, but a replacement token is NOT drawn.
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"Drawing 5"
If any Moisture Tokens are drawn among the 5 then they are NOT automatically removed from the game. If any Moisture Tokens are not selected for removal then they return to the bag.
B. Using Flavor Effects
Body, Acidity & Aroma Tokens each possess individual Flavor Effects. Flavor Effects are used in combination with Bean Tokens. Skillfully using these
After using a Flavor Effect you must immediately place the used Flavor Token on the Right Half of the Roast Board. If there is no unoccupied space to place the Flavor Token then that Flavor Effect cannot be used.
There is no limit on the number of Flavor Tokens the player may use in any one turn.
Using Flavor Tokens or not is optional. It is not required to use Flavor Tokens pulled from the bag. Any unused Flavor Tokens are returned to the bag at the end of the turn.
Concentration
2 Bean Tokens become 1
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The Body Token's Flavor Effect adds the values of 2 bean tokens and creates 1 token equal to the sum of the 2.
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The bean tokens to be combined must be Roast-Level 1,2 or 3 Bean Tokens, and there total must be 4 or less.
1 +1 =2,1 +2=3,1 +3=4 or 2+2=4
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Using Concentration
Take 2 suitable bean tokens and return them to the box. Take a new token equal to the level of the sum of the 2 from the box, and place that in the bag.
Preservation
Keep 2 beans from increasing levels
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The Acidity Token's Flavor Effect is to return 2 bean tokens to the bag without increasing their roast level.
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Eligible Beans are any 2 Roast-Level 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 Bean Tokens
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The 2 bean tokens don't necessarily need to be the same roast level, but exactly 2 bean tokens must be chosen. It is not possible to preserve only 1 bean.
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Using Concentration
Take 2 suitable bean tokens and return them to the bag.
Dispersion
1 bean token becomes 2
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The Flavor Token's Flavor Ability is to break 1 bean token into 2 separate lower level tokens.
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The bean token to be split must be a Roast-Level 2, 3 or 4 Bean Token. 2->l &1, 3->1 &2, 4->1 &3 or 4->2&2
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Using Concentration
Take 1 suitable bean token and return it to the box. Take the corresponding 2 new tokens that add to the level of the returned bean from the box, and place them in the bag.
Using the Wild Flavor Token
The Wild Flavor Token can be used in place of any Flavor Token for a Flavor Ability. When that Flavor Ability is used the Wild Flavor Token must be placed on a space orresponding to that ability's token.
When used for Aroma's Dispersion Effect then it must be aced as if it were an Aroma Token, so it can NOT be aced on a space only for Body or Acidity.
Stacking 2 Flavor Tokens when Placing
As an exception unused Flavor Tokens maybe placed.
Stack any 2 Flavor Tokens and place them on the Right Half of the Roast Board. Only the Flavor Token which is on top is considered for the rules of placement. The Flavor Token on the bottom's type is ignored. This can be used if you can't or don't want to use a Flavor Ability.
The Wild Flavor Token can be placed in such a way. If it's placed on the top it can be placed on any space.
Tokens other than Flavor Tokens (Bean, Smoke, Reject Bean etc) may NOT be placed in this way.
Place and Collect Unique Effect Tokens.
After using a Flavor Effect the used Flavor Token must be placed on the Right Half of the Roast Board in an appropriate space.
When both of the necessary tokens have been placed then you gain the Unique Effect Token. These Unique Effect Tokens are used after the Roasting Phase in the Cup Test Phase. When you gain a Unique Effect Token place that token on the Cup Board in the space with the token's picture.
To earn a Unique Effect Token you must fill both spaces, but it is not necessary to fill them both on the same turn. It is possible to play one token on one turn and the other token on a future turn.
C. Increase the Level of Roast
Generally 1 rank is gained. All Bean Tokens that were neither placed on the board nor involved in a Flavor Effect are roasted and their rank is increased by 1.
In the red zones, the rank is increased by 2.
The 2 locations where Smoke Tokens were placed and the circle is red are the Red Zones.
Normally a Bean Token's rank rises 1 Roast Level, but on these spaces each Bean Token's rank rises 2 Roast Levels.
The Hard Bean Tokens are an exception and they don't go up 2 ranks, but always become Roast-Level-0 Bean Tokens.
The Red Zone, called 'Crack' in coffee roasting jargon, is an important time in the roasting. It's important to keep these 2 spaces in mind when planing your overall roast strategy.
Using the Roast Counter
On the bottom of the Cup Board in the orange area is the Roast Counter for tracking the roast progress.
It represents the total level of roast contained in the bag. Each time a bean's roast level is increased move the Counter Cube along the appropriate number of spaces, and consult this when you're considering continuing roasting or moving on the the Cup Test.
If you ever go above 39 then just start again at the bottom using 0 to represent 40. (When not using the Roast Counter the game becomes more difficult. The player is free to choose to use it or not).
Processing
In general the Bean Tokens should be processed in descending order.
The Bean Token in front of the player should be returned to the box. For each Bean Token returned a new Bean Token of 1 rank (2 ranks for the Red Zone) higher should be taken from the box and placed in the bag.
Any Bean Token that would reach Roast Level 5 or higher becomes a Burnt Bean. Place that Bean Token in the box and place a Burnt Bean Token in the bag.
Smoke, Reject, Burnt & Flavor Tokens are not affected. Unless they are removed by the effects of the Roast Board then they are all returned to the bag at the end of the turn.
Note: In the rare case that the appropriate token is not available when increasing it's rank through roasting then that bean's level is not raised and it's returned with the others to the bag.
Moving the Counter Cube
Every time a bean's roast level rises move the Counter Cube the same number of spaces.
Decreasing the Roast Counter
When placing a Roast-Level-1 Bean Token on the Roast Board decrease the Roast Counter by 1.
During roasting when replacing a bean with a Burnt Bean Token decrease the Roast Counter by the bean's roast level.
When using the 'Drawing 5' ability if any Bean Tokens are removed then decrease the Roast Counter by the appropriate amount.
4. return tokens to the bag (ending the turn)
When all the Tokens have been processed then the turn is over. Any tokens remaining in front of the player are returned to the bag.
Cup Test
The Cup Test is used after roasting to check the flavor of the coffee that's been produced.
The round spaces of the Cup Board are filled, and when 10 tokens have been placed then the Cup Test is finished. Then we move on to scoring.
5. Finishing Roasting (on to the Cup Test)
Continue Roasting or Finishing
When the Roasting Phase is finished, and the tokens have been returned the decision must be made to keep roasting or finish. The only time you can move on to the Cup Test is now, at the end of a Roasting Phase.
Continuing (on to the Next Turn)
If you choose to continue Roasting then begin the next turn starting at the "Advance the Turn Disc" step.
At most you can only continue to the last roasting step (14 of the Temperature Gauge). At the end of that turn you must move on to the Cup Test.
Finishing (Advancing to the Cup Test)
When you decide to finish roasting then you advance directly to the Cup Test.
Take tokens from the bag, one at a time, and decide, as they are taken, to place that token in the cup or on the tray. If there are no empty spaces left on the tray then you must put it in the cup.
If you place it in the cup then the spaces are filled from the top of the cup from left to right, then the 2nd row, 3rd row, etc. The final space that will be filled is the cup's bottom row's right space.
The cup's 2 upper left square spaces hold the Roast-Level-3 Token and Sweetness Token respectively. If you didn't earn one or both of these then the empty spaces are filled with tokens pulled from the bag.
If you pull a Moisture Token from the bag it is not put in the cup nor the tray, but is immediately removed from the game.
When 10 Tokens have been placed or there are no tokens left in the bag then the Cup Test ends. Continue on to scoring.
If the tokens run out and there are only 9 or less tokens in the cup then a penalty is incurred. (-5 points)
Unique Effect at a Glance
Understanding the special characteristics of the current bean, the current condition of the contents of the bag, and collecting some Unique Effect Tokens to prepare for the Cup Test are all important aspects.
If you've acquired any Unique Effect Tokens then they will be used during the Cup Test.
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Roast-level-3 Token
This token is placed in the Top Left space of the Cup Board's Cup area. During scoring it is treated identically to a Roast-Level-3 Bean Token.
(This token can not be redrawn).
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Sweetness Token
This token is placed in the Top Center space of the Cup Board's Cup area.
This is a 4th type of Flavor Token it is necessary in order to earn the full 10 Flavor Points on the Group 3 (Dark Brown Bean Sheets).
If it is used in a bean that doesn't require it then it acts as a Wild Flavor Token during scoring.
If all of the Flavor Tokens needed for the maximum Flavor Points are already in the cup then the Sweetness Token serves no purpose. (This token can not be redrawn).
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Redraw-2 Token
This token is placed next to the cup on the right side. After the cup has all 10 spaces filled then choose any 2 (round) tokens from those 10 and put them back in the bag.
Draw 3 tokens simultaneously, and choose any 2 of the 3 and place them in the 2 empty spaces.
At this time even if there is empty space in the tray (or extra tray) the chosen tokens must be placed in the cup. The other token is returned to the bag.
Using this token's ability is optional, but if you choose to use it the full effect must be carried out.
It is not possible to return only 1 token to the bag.
If any Moisture Tokens are drawn from the bag then they are immediately removed from the game and tokens are drawn until there are 3 non-Moisture Tokens.
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Draw & Select Token
This token is placed outside of the cup, on the right side. This token is used when filling the 2 round spaces of the second row of the cup.
If this token is acquired then its effect is not optional, it must be used.
Take 2 tokens from the bag at the same time, and choose and place 1 of them in the cup. At this time even if there is empty space in the tray (or extra tray) the chosen token must be placed in the cup.
The other token is returned to the bag.
This process is carried out for both appropriate spaces.
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Extra Tray Token
This token is placed below the tray area of the Cup Board. When the Extra Tray Token has been acquired then the two round spaces below it can be used identically to the normal tray spaces.
Important: Regardless of whether these Unique Effect Tokens were used or not during this Cup Test, they can not be held over for the next Cup Test.
After this Cup Test is finished all of the Unique Effect Tokens are removed from the Cup Board and returned to the appropriate spaces of the Roast Board.
Scoring
Points are awarded in 3 different ways.
These points are added together and any penalties are subtracted then a score for this bean challenge is determined.
Roast Points
You acquire points based on making a roast level that is near the target roast level. See the Roast Points section of the current bean's Bean Sheet. The number written below the star of the corresponding total roast level is the number of points earned. Any roast level that is not written is worth 0 points.
Skill Points
If you collect many beans of the same level of roast then you earn additional points.
If you get 3 bean tokens of the same roast level (level 1 - level 4) placed in the cup then you earn 1 point, 4 tokens earns 2 points, 5 is 3 points, 6 is 4 points, and 7 is 5 points. Less than 2 earns no points, and no matter how many you collect 8 or more earns 5 points.
Flavor Points
Retaining the beans natural characteristic flavors can also earn you points. For reference see the Bean Sheet's 'Flavor Points' section.
The Flavor Token symbols drawn there are the desired Flavor Tokens to have in the Cup Test. If you have 1 of those tokens placed in the cup you get 1 point, 2 is 3 points, 3 is 6 points, and if you get 4 required tokens then you earn 10 points.
Flavor Tokens placed in the cup other than the target tokens don't earn any points. More Flavor tokens of one type than the number written also doesn't influence the amount of earned points. (The Wild Flavor Token can be used for any Flavor Token (Body, Acidity or Aroma Token).
However, it cannot be used as a Sweetness Token.
Negative Points
Tokens of the types in the box below become minus points if they are in the cup.
Tokens in the tray or extra tray never affect your score.
In the following cases a minus point penalty is incurred.
Next Bean Challenge
Before moving on to the next bean challenge remove all of the remaining tokens from the bag, clear all tokens from the Cup Board and the Roast Board and return all tokens to the box. Setup the boards once again, and then choose a bean from the next group.
The 22 beans introduced are split into 3 groups, divided by color (light brown, brown & dark brown Bean Sheets) and further divided into 3 difficulty levels. When starting a Full Menu you begin with a Group 1 (light brown Bean Sheet) typically a Beginner Level Bean.
You will play 1 bean from each group in order: Group 1,2 then 3. The difficulty level of the bean is decided based on your previous bean's Cup Test score. If you score 9 or less points then the next level will be Beginner Level.
In case of a score of 10-14 points the next level will be Advanced Level. 15 points or more and you must play the next bean on the Expert Level.
Likewise the results of your Group 2 Cup Test affect your Group 3's difficulty level. You can choose any bean from the appropriate group and difficulty level.
Starting on Group 1 's Expert Level
To start a Full Menu on Group 1 's Expert Level you must have previously achieved the rank of Middle Level Roaster (see page 16) or higher.
After you've achieved the rank of Middle Level Roaster or higher, even once, then you are always free to start on the Expert Level of Group 1 's Bean.
Specialty Coffees
In Coffee Roaster there are 5 specialty coffees. A specialty coffee is a coffee bean that has been intensely reviewed, and gained recognition as a high quality bean.
While being high grade and having few defective beans, the roasting window for getting a delicious taste is very short, and all of them are extremely difficult beans to roast.
However when the level of roast is just perfect you can get an amazing flavor rich in charm that is impossible to get from a standard quality bean.
All 5 of these beans are included among the expert level beans. They must be skillfully roasted, but if you want to earn a high score and aim for the title of Meister then these specialty beans are the ones to try.
End of the Game
The game finishes after 3 bean challenges.
Write the total for the 3 Cup Tests in the appropriate space on the score sheet.
Earning a Rank
Based on your total score your rank is found from the following chart. The rank you achieved is your current competency as a Coffee Barista.
| Points | Rank |
|---|---|
| 60+ | Meister |
| +53-59 | Top Roaster |
| +47-52 | Town's Best Artisan |
| +40-46 | High Level Roaster |
| +35-39 | Middle Level Roaster |
| +28-34 | Most Promising |
| +20-27 | Entry Level Roaster |
| 19- | Apprentice Roaster |
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