ZenDim Coffee Labs — Field Notes
At ZenDim Coffee Labs, we built a portable espresso machine called the ZenithShot Elite. It's battery-powered and engineered to pull real espresso anywhere. But "anywhere" is a bold claim — so we keep testing it in places that push the limits.
This story starts with a glass.
The Glass
The Fellow Cortado glass costs $40 after tax. That's a lot for something that holds four ounces of liquid. But the moment I pulled it out of the box, I understood the price.
- Weight: 249 grams — noticeably heavy for its size.
- Build: Thick walls, clean finish, Fellow logo etched subtly into the surface.
- Feel: It doesn't feel like a coffee accessory. It feels like a small piece of furniture — something designed to sit on a counter and belong there.
I've been filming espresso in plastic cups and standard mugs for months. They work fine. But "fine" was never the goal. I wanted to know if a premium glass could change how portable espresso looks on camera.
It did. Immediately.
The transparent walls reveal the full body of the extraction from the side. The crema sits on top with more contrast, more depth, more visible color gradation. In a ceramic mug, you see the surface. In this glass, you see the entire shot — from the dark base to the golden crema layer.
Upgrade the cup and your espresso instantly looks more premium.
The Shot
I ground 18 grams of a medium roast Rwanda using the ZenithNano grinder, loaded the non-pressurized basket, and pulled a 36-gram shot at home.
The bag lists clementine, vanilla, and chocolate. I found all three — plus something unlisted. A warm, cinnamon-like spice that sits underneath the citrus and rounds out the finish. I've brewed this bean before and noticed the same thing. That hidden note is what separates it from every other medium roast I've tested. It's not on the label, but it's in the cup.
The espresso through the Fellow glass looked different than anything I'd filmed before. Richer. More intentional. The thick glass walls caught the light and gave the crema a warm glow that a paper cup could never replicate.
Brew Parameters
- Dose: 18 g
- Yield: 36 g
- Ratio: 1:2
- Basket: Non-pressurized
- Bean: Medium roast Rwanda
- Notes: Clementine, vanilla, chocolate, hidden cinnamon spice
The Ride
Now for the real test.
I packed the ZenithShot Elite, the Fellow Cortado glass, and everything I needed into a crossbody bag and headed to Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose. The mission: make espresso on Danny the Dragon — a themed attraction ride that moves slowly through several sections, including a tunnel.
I poured water into the machine first and let it heat while I prepped the puck. The Fellow glass fits the machine perfectly — no adapter, no wobble, no compromise. As the ride rolled through the themed sections, the extraction started.
Watching espresso fill a transparent glass while moving through a zoo tunnel is not an experience I ever planned for. But it happened, it worked, and the shot tasted exactly like the one I pulled at home twenty minutes earlier.
Same crema. Same body. Same hidden cinnamon note from the Rwanda beans.
That's the point. The espresso doesn't change because the environment does. The machine doesn't care if it's on a kitchen counter or a dragon-shaped ride in a children's zoo. It just extracts.
The Verdict
Was the $40 worth it?
For the glass itself — it's beautifully made. But it's worth noting what it is and isn't:
- Not insulated. It won't keep espresso hot for long or iced drinks cold for extended periods.
- Not double-wall. Double-wall alternatives exist, but reviews consistently flag them as fragile.
- Built to last. Thick, stable, and designed to travel. For my use case — filming outdoors, making espresso in motion — durability matters more than insulation.
For the pairing — the Fellow Cortado glass and the ZenithShot Elite feel like they were made for each other. The dimensions match. The aesthetic matches. One is a $40 glass designed by a company that understands coffee culture. The other is a portable espresso machine built by a team that refuses to compromise on extraction quality.
Together, they make portable espresso look like it belongs — not just functions, but belongs — wherever you take them.
Featured Products
- ZenithShot Elite — Portable Espresso Machine
- ZenithNano — Portable Electric Grinder
- Fellow Cortado Glass — Available on Amazon
ZenDim Coffee Labs — Real espresso anywhere.