Coffee Rush is a quick filler game designed for 2 to 4 players. In this game, players take orders, collect ingredients, and race to fulfill as many orders as they can before the game ends.

Components

The standout feature of this game is its components! They’re stunning and add a lot of fun to the game. The ingredient tokens are detailed, and I especially love that they didn’t go for simple transparent cubes for ice; instead, the ice tokens look like real, imperfect ice cubes! The coffee cups are a nice touch too. Plus, the game includes two trays for all the ingredients, an insert that perfectly holds the coffee cups to prevent damage, and high-quality cards. Overall, the production quality is spot-on.

Gameplay

The game’s premise is very simple: score the most points by fulfilling orders. New orders keep coming in, and players must complete them before time runs out. Order cards list the required ingredients for each drink and are drawn from the orders deck blindly. The shared board on the table displays all ingredients, and players take turns moving their meeples to gather what they need. In the end, each fulfilled order scores 1 point.

Players have access to four upgrades on their boards – 3 provide more ingredients when placing and moving meeples, and one makes movements easier. These upgrades are worth 2 points each at the end of the game, and to get them, you give up three fulfilled orders, essentially trading three points for two. However, early upgrades can significantly help fulfill more orders so they can be very valuable.

Each player board has four tabs; new orders are added to the first tab and every round, orders move down one tab. Failing to fulfill an order that is on the fourth tab results in the order being removed and a negative point. However, this setback is somewhat compensated with a rush token. Rush tokens grant extra movements when gathering ingredients from the board. These tabs and the passage of time in the game are implemented well. Since it’s impossible to fulfill all orders, we frequently used failed orders and rush tokens as a strategy to help gather ingredients for other orders.

It’s important to highlight that an element of luck comes into play with blind draws from the deck, and this can be particularly noticeable at the beginning of the game. To address this, the rulebook includes a variant where all players receive an easy order during setup for added balance.

Our plays tended to run closer to 40-45 minutes, going beyond the 30-minute estimate on the box. Because players manage several orders at a time, have a limited supply of ingredients, can only fulfill three orders at a time, and may get blocked on the ingredients board by others, some analysis paralysis can occur.

The rules are straightforward and can easily be explained in a few minutes. Coupled with the stunning components, this makes Coffee Rush an excellent gateway game. It’s worth noting that there is no variable setup in this game and player interaction is very limited. These factors can make the game feel repetitive after a while.

Final Thoughts

While Coffee Rush might not be your go-to for repeated plays due to potential repetitiveness, it stands out as an excellent choice for introducing new players to board games or for laid-back game nights. It brings us enjoyment each time we get it to the table and it has earned a place on our shelf.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.