Refilling the water reservoir for the coffee maker can be annoying. I mean it isn’t much trouble, but many of us are wired to seek convenience. And it won’t be a terrible thing to rig the coffee maker so it fills up easier! You could get some coffee maker to work that way, or get a coffee maker with water line.
These are usually commercial coffee makers, so the café can continue serving a large number of customers. These are quick, easy, and take away a lot of trouble. Plus, being built for commercial use, they can be expected to last several years. If you prefer taking the espresso route, see the best commercial espresso machines.
5 Best Plumbed Coffee Makers For 2021
Comparison Chart
Wilbur Curtis G3 Low Profile Airpot Brewer 2.5L Airpot/Pourpot Single Low Profile Coffee Brewer Stainless Steel Finish – Commercial Airpot Coffee Brewer – TLP12A (Each)
1. Brew Express BEC-110BS 10-Cup Countertop Coffee System — Best Looks And Design
Brew Express BEC-110BS is the coffee maker you want for home use or a small commercial establishment. The direct line coffee maker comes with a 10-cup thermal carafe and will quickly brew a full pot of coffee. You don’t have to brew a full pot every time and the coffee maker will happily adjust to half-carafe or a single cup.
It is fairly compact and will easily go on a countertop at home or in a café. The self-filling due to the direct line allows it to go with continuous brewing. Hot water is always available on demand and there is no time lag for brewing to begin. Use the “cup selector” button to reach your choice, then hit the brew button.
The machine also has an interesting “light” button that switches on a light. Which, well, looks cool!
Overall, this is a pretty good coffee maker that you can use for home or commercial use. It’s certified for either use and has been tested to last for thousands of cycles. Now the most important part: yes, it brews really great coffee. It’s consistently good and at the right temperature.
A built-in sensor checks when the desired amount of coffee has been poured or if the carafe is present. The sensor cuts off flow when the carafe is removed or the desired amount of coffee has been poured. A programmable function is available so you can brew coffee at a preset time of your choice.
Coffee Maker Highlights
- Reasonably priced
- Useful for home or commercial use
- Does not take much space
- Easy to install
- Programmable functions for brewing at preset times
2. Keurig K150P Commercial Brewing System — Excellent Single-Serve Coffee Maker
- Keurig k150p commercial brewing system pre-assembled for direct-water-line plumbing
Keurig K150P is an excellent Keurig coffee maker with water line. Following the idea of convenience, the machine comes with (dubious) “pre-installed necessities” for direct water-line plumbing. Its ease of use and setup also qualifies it to be one of the best office coffee makers.
Functionally, it is pretty similar to the average Keurig. Just place the pod of your choice, and let the machine do the rest. Keurig K150P includes a touchscreen interface that has options to finetune your beverage. You can choose between five different brew sizes, going from 4oz to 12oz with 2oz increments.
Worth noting that Keurig’s claim that the machine comes “pre-assembled” to use with the water line, is not entirely true. You will still need a water line supply and filter to be purchased and attached. So what’s pre-assembled? Nothing of note!
While the standalone machine is reasonably priced, the cost of adding a filter is a significant price bump. The cost of the filter is true for any direct-line coffee system and is something to consider before you buy.
Coffee Maker Highlights
- Great for office or home use
- Quick brewing
- Easy brew size selection
- Very convenient and easy to use
3. BUNN CWTF15-APS, Commercial Airpot Coffee Brewer — Best Overall
BUNN CWTF15-APS, Commercial Airpot Coffee Brewer is my choice as the best coffee maker with water line. It’s fast and makes a great cup of coffee. The construction quality is excellent and something that we have come to expect from BUNN coffee makers.
It isn’t really a killer in the looks department. Some may even be so inclined to call it (f)ugly. But hey, let’s not go there and accept the ruggedness of the Bunn CWTF15-APS for what it is. Also, a nod to Bunn for prominently including the letter WTF in the model.
We can’t love it for its looks or name, so it must be the performance!
It’s amazing at brewing a consistently good cup of coffee. What’s equally impressive is the speed with which this coffee maker delivers coffee. According to the company, you can get about 120 cups of 8oz each hour from this machine. Even some of the busy cafes and restaurants could do well with that speed.
The coffee maker manages to keep water at the right temperature for extraction and will deliver a great cup of coffee. Though it brews fast, it doesn’t forget to be thorough. A hot water dispenser is added to the machine. This coffee maker can deliver hot water on demand.
This coffee maker can work in pour over mode without the direct line as well. However, for the hot water function to be available, the machine must be connected to a water supply. BUNN CWTF15-APS has excellent stainless steel construction and can be expected to last a long time.
Coffee Maker Highlights
- Solid, durable construction, though with dated looks
- Fast coffee brewing
- Suitable for home or commercial use
- Includes dedicated hot water dispenser
- Can work without a direct water line
4. Wilbur Curtis G3 Low Profile Airpot Brewer — Best Commercial Brewer
- External/non-immersed temperature sensor -reduces mineral build-up.
- Touch controls -provides million-cycle switches and protection from spare parts handling damage.
- Programmable temperature control -factory preset to 200f. temperature is easily adjusted in 2f increase
- Brew cycle counter -tracks brew cycles. user-friendly features were designed for food service profes
- Wilbur curtis is the preferred beverage equipment provider of restaurants, hotels and other commercial
If you need a commercial coffee maker with water line, this is it. Wilbur Curtis G3 Airpot Brewer can work remarkably fast in brewing that pot of coffee. Again, like the Bunn coffee maker we just saw, this isn’t much of a looker. However, looks can take the backseat in commercial operations and features can come to the front.
And it is rich in features. Apart from fast and delicious coffee brewing, Wilbur Curtis G3 allows fine tuning the brewing process. You can finetune the brewing temperature range from 170° to 206° F. It’s possible to do this in increments of 2° F and the factory default is at 200° F. Whatever temperature you choose, the machine will maintain it diligently.
Presence of a liquid-level control interface prevents element burnout. Even in continued operation, where you’re brewing pots of coffee back-to-back, the machine will check water levels. If the reservoir is low on water, the machine will protect the element.
There is no display here. The control panel is just a couple of buttons with a few LEDs to show off operation and machine status. Wilbur Curtis G3 Airpot Brewer has a robust stainless steel construction, including the filter basket. It’s built for high-quality and high-performance.
Since the machine is geared directly towards commercial use, it is designed to be robust and have long operational hours. Even in an environment where the Wilbur Curtis G3 has to pull long hours, you can reasonably expect the machine to last years.
The machine can work in standalone mode. However, professional installation is necessary for dedicated water line and power supply.
Coffee Maker Highlights
- Robust machine
- Fast brewing
- Options and functions to fine tune brewing
- Average to poor looks
- Hot water dispensing spout
5. BUNN My Cafe MCO — Best Commercial Single Serve
- Ideal for office and small business environments
- Dispense sizes from 4 to 16oz (118-473ml), adjustable in .25 increments
- Touchscreen interface allows user to customize brew settings for coffee, tea, cocoa and hot water
- Flip tray to accommodate wide range of cup sizes and travel mugs
- Automatic water refill
For places where single-serve coffee is in hot demand, BUNN My Cafe MCO can be the option to choose. This machine is designed to work with K-Cups and compatible options. In true Bunn fashion, it delivers the beverage super fast, while maintaining the convenience of single-serve coffee makers.
The machine can hold 25 K-cups in its tray and auto-eject used cups. A touchscreen interface placed prominently on the machine makes it easy to choose your preferred beverage and beverage-size. You can set your preference to coffee, tea, or cocoa.
Preset brew sizes are available, though you get a wide range of customization options. The conventional sizes are available in 4oz to 16oz, with increments of 2oz. However, you can customize the preferred brew size in increments of 0.25. The coffee maker includes a flip tray to accommodate various brew sizes.
A separate hot water dispenser is also included, should it be needed. The machine is USB-programmable for changes or updates to its firmware.
Coffee Maker Highlights
- Excellent single-serve brewer
- A range of customizable and preset options
- Very convenient and simple to use
- Expensive
Making A Smart Choice With Plumbed Coffee Makers
Consider Your Budget
Very capable and convenient coffee makers are available for use in this category. Most of the coffee makers in this category overlap well with commercial as well as home use systems. The convenience of use is a major draw for many people.
However, it is important to keep your budget in mind. Practically all of these machines will have to be installed by a plumber. Additionally, you may need to add a water filter or water softener to the supply. This depends on the water supply in your area, and to some degree, the coffee maker. However, it’s useful to keep these costs in mind.
The installation and associated equipment costs might very well run in the same range as the more cost-efficient machines. It doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but still something to consider to avoid a price shock.
Cleaning The Coffee Maker
Eventually, any coffee maker will need cleaning. Cleaning a direct line coffee maker can be tough since there is no way to introduce vinegar or other cleaners into the system. You will have to depend on very specific approaches suggested by the manufacturer. It can get fairly intensive, and that’s why using a water filter is often recommended.
In case you have a coffee maker that can also work in pour over mode, it might be useful to switch to pour over mode for cleaning. These are hardy and well-built models that will last years. But they do need some maintenance to achieve that.
Which Is The Coffee Maker To Buy?
Not all coffee makers are created equal. But then neither are all our requirements the same. Our personal requirements and preferences often dictate the right choice. The models specified here represent the best amongst the coffee makers with water line.
My suggestion is to pick the BUNN CWTF15-APS coffee brewer. If you need a smaller, simpler machine for home use, Brew Express BEC-110BS is a very capable coffee machine. Should single-serve machine working with Keurig K-cups be on the agenda, take a look at the Keurig K150P Commercial Brewing System.
