UPDATE Oct 2020: Witch's Heart - Great for Halloween, but I will be drinking all year round. Such a delicious and complex tasting drink. You get sweetness from the white grape and berries, and a bit of tart from the apple and lemon. I've never had edible glitter before, but it makes this drink magical. You're friends will be impressed. Only negative there is an odd 'cough-syrupy' after taste. It doesn't bother me, but this drink is not for everyone. It makes a small drink output. The most activity to date was a 32 drink gathering. Let’s see when the summer entertaining season comes.

For a quality mixed drink in the Bartesian, you've got to do more than pop the capsules into the machine and press mix. Paper plane - It reminds me of a whiskey sour I had at a restaurant. Tastes of citrus, sour, herbal and bitter. Unusual but pretty good. It's like a sour patch kid for adults. This drink is not for everyone. All of my guest have said it tastes like medicine, but I like it (but the herbal notes can be a bit overpowering). Decent drink output. Sex on the Beach- Another fruity but dangerous favorite. I primarily taste cranberry, peach and pineapple in this one. This pod makes a substantial drink. Spiced Old Fashioned - this was in last years collection - disappointed it was included. It's not bad, but you really have to like drinks that are basically just whiskey. Like last year, I add a good bit of apple cider, which makes it taste similar to the apple pie, so I don't waste the pods. Wouldn't want it again, but it's in the collection again..whomp whomp.Ginger Peach Iced Tea - Summery and refreshing. I do find the ginger to be a bit overpowering, so I add a dash of Peach Schnapps to provide more of that peach flavor I'm looking for. This is a substantial drink! It fills my 16 ounce glass on regular. This drink sneaks up on you since you can't taste the alcohol. Yuletide Hurricane - Also needs to be a year round drink. It tastes like topical Hawaiian punch (for adults). Lots of orange flavor - if you don't like orange or citrus then this is not the drink for you. It has edible glitter which makes this drink visually beautiful. VERY SWEET - made on strong always to balance the sweet. Love! Swapping the glass bottles of liquor can prove to be a bit messy since some liquid WILL fall from the lids... this is especially true when exchanging the gin for the vodka depending on the type of drink you're making. On the flip side, being able to select the brand of liquor you prefer in your drinks is a great advantage of this machine. You are in complete control of your liquor selection. The touchscreen graphics are basic... I mean VERY basic. The graphics could have been programmed by a 6 year old on an iPad. Ok, the graphics would have looked better if they were programmed by a 6 year old on an iPad! I suppose Bartesian didn't really need to make fancy graphics for their inaugural machine but for the cost of it and the day and age of technology I would have expected far more... maybe something like an animated pictured of the beverage being made along with it's progress or a video even of the beverage. Instead, we have a simple progress bar that if you look hard enough, you can count the pixels used to create the graphic on the low cost screen!

Reception? To date, I haven’t found anyone yet that has NOT liked it. Some admit candidly “I didn’t think I was going to like it this much”. The water container is integrated into the machine and not one of the glass containers. It's a bit awkward that the water is filled in a gray painted plastic container and not a clear one, making it easier to view the water level. In future generations, I would like to see Bartesian replace the painted plastic for either a glass container or clear plastic one and potentially include a filter.Yes, it’s plastic but I’m guessing if it was metal it’ll cost a lot more. Someone will make a different model once. I also pour cold water into the machine. Sometimes even drop some ice on the reservoir. But it’s not needed. Does it makes sense for you financially? You need to figure that out. But it’s like having a bartender at home. Screwdriver - Very sour. I wish this one was a bit more balanced as well, and had a tad but more sweetness. Go grab some OJ and make this yourself, but it is nice to have on hand for guests. I would not buy again. When you want to clean the Drinkworks machine, you can do so by removing the pod basket, water container and drip tray and washing them with warm, soapy water. Every so often, wipe the outside of the machine down with a damp cloth and run a cleaning cycle with the included cleaning tabs. If you forget to clean your device, the machine will prompt you to run a cleaning cycle.