This Coffee Maker Never Needs to Be Refilled with Water — And It’s Making My Mornings So Much Easier

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
published May 27, 2020
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Young woman standing in kitchen, drinking coffee
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The coffee-making process can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. You can opt for instant coffee, for example, or you can take the time to weigh out your beans, grind them, and do a whole pour-over ritual. Of course, there are lots of in-between options, and there can be any number of things that you’re willing or not willing to do for a cup of Joe.

For me and my husband, as ridiculous as it sounds, having to fill and refill our coffee maker’s water reservoir was a total deal-breaker. It’s not a fun thing to do and, honestly, once you get used to not having to do it, you’ll never want to have to do it again!

Credit: Shifrah Combiths

Buy: Brew Express, $299

This brings me to the Brew Express, which we found out about from a friend. What’s the Brew Express, you ask? It’s a “self-filling” countertop coffee maker that hooks up to your refrigerator’s water supply — so it never needs to be filled or refilled with water. It’s sleek and unobtrusive and, most importantly, saves you from fumbling with pouring water at awkward angles into small spaces before you’ve had your morning coffee.

Connecting the unit to the refrigerator’s water line is easier than it sounds and can be completed in a matter of minutes. In addition to brewing up to 10 cups of coffee, you can brew a single cup straight into your mug. You can also use the unit to dispense plain hot water into the carafe or a single mug for tea, hot chocolate, or other hot beverages. 

We love our Brew Express. (Although it’s worth noting that we balked at the price tag and ended up getting a refurbished unit, which has served us well for more than eight years.) Honestly, it felt archaic when we’d have to pour water into another coffee maker — say, when we used to visit family or travel to Airbnbs (before the pandemic). When that happened, my husband and I smiled at each other a little smugly, knowing that if more people knew about plumbed coffee makers, maybe they’d be more mainstream. You? Well now you know! And if you want to know what a difference it makes to eliminate a coffee-making step, consider trying it out. 

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