the device is very sturdy and requires only minimal maintenance (just rinse it out) since the coffee and filters are self-contained in the ese pods.
i have gone through a series of home electric espresso machines, and the handpresso is far easier to use and clean - a simple rinse of the device and its ready to go for next time.
cleanup is more simple than any other brewing method i can think of, just throw away the spent pod and rinse off the 'portafilter'.
once the expresso has been brewed you just have to unscrew the black bottom and drop the ese pod into the trash...rinse the handpresso in water, wipe and you are done.
this coffee maker is very easy to use and keeps the coffee hot for several hours as long as the pot is at least rinsed with hot water before brewing.
when you dump it in the trash only about half the grounds come out and you have to rinse the rest of them out in the sink.
hint: the coffee stays hotter longer if you've brewed a full pot and if you rinse out the carafe with hot water first to warm it up.
i just shake out the grinds into the trash, and rinse with water.
clean up is a snap: toss the filter and rinse the carafe.
i rinse the easily removed cartridge holder after every brew, but it's not really necessary--nothing gets on it.
and you can use your own tea bags, just rinse the capsule holder, and run hot water into your cup.
the reservoir is a snap to lift off and replace, easy to carry and rinses clean.
the instructions that came with it are nearly indecipherable so here's my summary (of course you'll want to rinse all the parts in plain water, no soap, before use):
just rinse and dry.
first of all, use the rinse feature often.
use the rinse button often, clear the grinds, use the clean button on the frother, descale as necessary.
the alternative is to carefull dry the glass after each use (i.e., no quick rinse/air dry.) i didn't make perfect latte on the first try although it was passable.
i would suggest that you rinse it off and dry it after every use (or every other use).
rinse the drainboard, it's easily removeable.
it rinses after heating just before making the first cup and when you shut the machine down.
on occasion we rinsed out the guts, only twice did we descale it.
*at first i thought so much plastic was a little awkward, but it has made cleaning a snap--it's so simple to just pull all of the pieces out, rinse off in the sink, and put it back together.
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