Coffee makers have seen a series of transformations over the years from simple machines like Moka Pots and Bodum to sophisticated machines. It seems like manufacturers are taking a leaf out of sci-fi movies’ books with all these great designs and functionalities.
Ironically, with all this sophistication coffee making has become a completely simplified task. You only need water and ground coffee, and you are good to go. For plumbed coffee makers, however, you only need coffee grounds, because water is already available.
What is a plumbed coffee maker?
Plumbed coffee makers differ from other coffee makers, owing to their source of water supply. Normal coffee makers require refills on their water reservoirs before brewing is done and this is usually done manually by a person. Plumbed coffee makers do not require occasional refills, because they are connected directly to the water supply.
How do plumbed coffee makers work?
Built-in coffee makers brew coffee automatically, so there won’t be much effort on your part. Depending on the model you chose, you will only be required to add coffee grounds into the machine occasionally.
The water runs continuously, and you can brew as much coffee as you want. The process of brewing differs among different models, for instance, others have removable filter baskets, where coffee is added, while others require coffee pods.
Can I put a plumbed coffee maker at home?
Yes, you can. These coffee makers are usually better placed in an office environment, where the traffic is quite high. However, you can install a plumbed coffee maker at home, especially if you find it annoying to constantly refill your machine’s reservoir each time you want to make coffee. There are models that work better in a home setting, for instance, the single cup models.
How many cups can a plumbed-in coffee machine make?
As many as you want. With a continuous stream of water, there isn’t a definite number of cups a typical machine can make. However, a brewing cycle depends on the capacity of the filter basket.
For instance, a fully filled filter basket may produce 30 cups of coffee. However, you may still produce more coffee if you refill the filter basket.
How do I know if a coffee maker can be plumbed in?
The surest way to know if the coffee maker can be plumbed in or not is by looking at its user manual. However, one sure way to tell is by its size. Most large machines are designed to include the plumbing-in function. A good example of these are the automatic bean to cup machines and coffee vending machines.
Smaller machines are not designed to be plumbed in. They only have water reservoirs, where refills are done manually. Another feature to look out for is whether it has an internal water reservoir or not. Most plumbed coffee makers do not have internal water reservoirs. Very few machines have both water tanks and plumbed in functions.
Are there safety precautions that I should be aware of?
Quality of water should be the number one priority when dealing with plumbed in coffee machines. Most people use municipal water without much regard to the dangers it may pose on their lives. Municipal water contains a lot of chemicals that lead to limescale buildup in the system. This eventually affects the taste of the coffee.
You will, therefore, be required to carry out routine descaling on the machine to get rid of the chemicals. Furthermore, you will have to install a water filter to the machine to remove all the impurities in the water.
Will the machine take up a lot of space?
No, it will not. Plumbed in coffee machines are usually installed on the walls, where there is water supply. Although they are larger than normal coffee machines, they can only be placed where there is water supply, and this is usually on the wall. Since they are fixed on the walls, they are also less prone to accidents. They are rarely moved, except when their location needs to be changed or when they have to be cleaned.
What if I forget to turn it off?
They have an automatic turn off function that kicks into action after some time. In fact, they just shut off after the brewing process is done, so you don’t have to worry if you lose focus of the brewing. Most of them also have a proper drainage system to dispose of the water in the system, just in case they have to be moved or cleaned.