Smartisan Office Serves Professional Coffee Near Starbucks Quality

When your office moves out of a building that had a great Starbucks downstairs, what do you do? For former employees of Smartisan Technology—maker of the now-defunct Hammer smartphones—the answer wasn’t just nostalgia. It was action.

Starting March 3, Smartisan began offering employees professionally made coffee that reportedly tastes almost identical to Starbucks, served in actual Starbucks-branded cups—for just ¥5 a cup.

What Changed After the Office Move?

After relocating from New Zhongguan Building to Motorola Building, many Smartisan staff missed the Starbucks located in their old building. To address the craving, the company didn’t just install another pod machine. Instead, they brought in a proper commercial espresso machine and high-grade imported coffee beans, tasking logistics staffer Qin with crafting a café-level coffee program over a couple of months.

How Close Is It to Starbucks?

According to an internal memo, the coffee—now available from March 3—has been fine-tuned to taste “infinitely close” to Starbucks. The kicker? It’s even served in genuine Starbucks cups. The coffee uses premium imported beans that the company claims are better and more expensive than those used by Starbucks itself.

Why Charge Even a Small Fee?

Here’s the twist: while the coffee is available to all 210 employees, it’s not free. Each cup costs ¥5, covering just the raw coffee cost. The actual ingredient expense is ¥8.5 per cup—excluding water, electricity, labor, or the depreciation on the high-end espresso machine.

The company decided to charge after considering three factors:

• Low initial uptake—new or shy employees weren’t approaching Qin for coffee, possibly unaware it was an option.
• Potential waste or overuse—if coffee were completely free, usage might spike, leading to budget overruns. (The memo cites other tech firms where free drinks led to excessive waste until a small charge reduced it.)
• Unequal access—keeping it low-key risked making the service available mostly to senior staff, rather than everyone.

How Does the Coffee Program Work?

To manage distribution fairly and affordably, Smartisan launched “Startisans” coffee vouchers:

• Vouchers are handed out at the front desk, where employees register with their ID cards.
• Employees fill out their name, workstation location (using nearby pillar numbers), and coffee preference.
• Vouchers are given to Qin—or, when he’s unavailable, to admins Fang or Shi—and the finished drink is delivered to the employee’s desk.
• The cost is deducted from the monthly meal allowance based on how many vouchers each employee uses.

If you just want a quick caffeine hit and aren’t fussy, the office still keeps free instant coffee available in the kitchen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of coffee is being served at Smartisan?

The coffee is made from imported beans that the company says are higher quality and more expensive than Starbucks’ beans. It’s prepared on a professional espresso machine and is described as tasting nearly identical to Starbucks. The company did not specify the exact roast level or origin, but the focus is on replicating the familiar Starbucks profile.

How much does the coffee actually cost to make?

The raw coffee cost per cup is ¥8.5. Employees pay ¥5, and the company covers the remaining ¥3.5 along with all other expenses like water, electricity, machine wear, and labor.

Why use real Starbucks cups?

The memo specifically states that the coffee is served in “as real as it gets” Starbucks-branded cups. This detail was part of the effort to recreate the Starbucks experience that employees missed from their old building.

Who operates the coffee program?

The program is managed by Qin, a logistics staff member, who spent two to three months perfecting the coffee recipe. He prepares the drinks on-site, and when he’s unavailable, administrative staff (Fang or Shi) handle voucher distribution.

What if I don’t want espresso-based drinks?

The article doesn’t specify whether alternative brewing methods (like pour-over or drip) are offered. The focus is on espresso-based coffee prepared similarly to Starbucks, and the program is tailored to replicate that style.

Is there any free coffee available?

Yes. The office continues to offer unlimited free instant coffee in the pantry for those who prefer a simple, no-frills option. The memo jokingly refers to it as being for “people who don’t understand coffee,” like company founder Luo Yonghao.

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