Infused ice maker appliance with manual harvesting

An ice maker appliance, comprising:

• a mold body comprising a mold cavity, the mold cavity configured for receiving a volume of liquid water therein and retaining the volume of liquid water to form an ice piece in the mold cavity;
• a pod receiver upstream of the mold cavity along a flow path of the volume of liquid water, the pod receiver configured to hold a pod containing an additive, whereby the ice maker is configured such that the additive mixes with the volume of liquid water upstream of the mold cavity and the formed ice piece comprises the water and the additive;
• a door rotatably mounted to the pod receiver, the door movable between a closed position wherein a pod receiver slot is enclosed within the pod receiver and an open position which permits access to the pod receiver slot in the pod receiver;
• a hollow needle on an internal surface of the door;
• and
• a water inlet port on an external surface of the door, wherein the hollow needle punctures the pod when the door moves from the open position to the closed position, and wherein the flow path of the volume of liquid water extends from the water inlet port to the hollow needle and into and through the pod, whereby the ice maker is configured such that the additive mixes with the volume of liquid water in the pod upstream of the mold cavity.