Café elegantly combines engine-building, spatial puzzle (tile/card laying) and optimization of limited action points. During the game, you select cards from the market and add them to your coffee supply chain; and in the second phase, use the icons on the cards to produce, dry, roast or ship coffee.
Table Space: The game occupies a decent bit of table space- I took it with me on vacation, and while I could not play it with my friends on a train, we were able to play while taking a break at a cafe.
Components: The cards themselves are of good quality and don't need to be sleeved. The different colours of the coffee 'cubes' may not be easily distinguishable to someone who is significantly colour-blind. The rules come in two variants (Standard and Advanced).
Gameplay: My review is based solely on experience playing the Standard variant. Under the Standard variant of the rules, there is little player interaction as each player must focus on building their own engine (or to be more accurate- coffee supply chain). The advanced variant introduces an element of competing with other players and bidding for cards available to pick up from the market.
Vibe: I think the game can be both fun and meditative, so long as your playstyle does not emphasise on perfectionism or desperation to achieve a set outcome in the long-term (or in other words, if you like going with the flow of the cards that are dealt to you).
Replayability: After one game was played, neither my friends nor I had the urge to play it again. However, it seems like a game we'll come back to again from time to time if we are in the mood for something light and short, but still reasonably crunchy. I don't see this game going stale after a few plays.
Score: 4/5 stars (I reserve perfect scores for games which leave me longing to play them again!)