Maintenance
EssentialDescaler
Limescale is what most machines die of, and vinegar attacks the seals. A liquid descaler declared suitable for espresso machines does the same job as the maker’s own branded fluid, usually for less.
€15.90
Go to bol
Bosch
Serie 4 HomeCafé
Bosch's portafilter machine with a grinder and a 58 mm portafilter
€549.00
Price verdict from 5 DecWe have measured this price since 5 November (5 days). Lowest measured: €549.00 on 10 November. A price verdict follows on 5 December at the earliest, and only after 2 more readings.
Where to buy
Updated on 10 November 2026Updated on 10 November 2026
Daily price history
Last 6 days
Lowest €549.00Now €549.00
5 Nov7 Nov8 Nov10 Nov
View as a table
| Date | Lowest price that day |
|---|---|
| 10 November 2026 | €549.00 |
| 9 November 2026 | €549.00 |
| 8 November 2026 | €549.00 |
| 7 November 2026 | €549.00 |
| 6 November 2026 | €549.00 |
| 5 November 2026 | €549.00 |
Price alert
When the Serie 4 HomeCafé drops
Espresso machines drop hardest around Black Friday and in the weeks before Christmas. Leave your email address and pick below what you want to hear about.
The Serie 4 HomeCafé is Bosch's portafilter machine with a built-in grinder. The conical hardened-steel burrs have 30 settings and grind straight into the portafilter; then you tamp, pick the drink on a dial and froth with the steam wand yourself. A pressure gauge shows whether the grind is right, and a milk jug and tamper come in the box.
The portafilter is 58 millimetres, the size a café uses, where the Barista Express takes 54. PID control holds the temperature, and you choose 90, 92, 94 or 96 °C. The water tank holds 2.8 litres, though at almost 34 centimetres it is wide.
Who for: Anyone who wants to learn espresso by hand, with the grinder built in and a café-size portafilter.
Compared with similar machines
Against 17 other manual espresso machines between €375.00 and €729.00, on the specifications the maker publishes.
- Water tank: 2.8 l, larger than most (usually 2 l)
- Width: 33.8 cm, wider than most (usually 32 cm)
- Grind settings: 30, more than most (usually 25)
Specifications
Making coffee
- Type
- Portafilter
- Grinder
- Built in
- Milk system
- Steam wand you control yourself
- After every use, a short burst of steam or water and a wipe with a damp cloth.
- Portafilter
- 58 mm
- Burrs
- Conical steel burrs
- Grind settings
- 30
Capacity
- Water tank
- 2.8 litres
- Bean hopper
- 250 g
Dimensions
- Width
- 33.8 cm
- Depth x height
- 34.7 x 41.3 cm
- Cord length
- 100 cm
Technical
- Pump pressure
- 15 bar
- Power
- 1380–1650 watt
- Heating
- Thermoblock
Model
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Model number
- PFE403B3
This is what we know for certain. Dimensions and capacities the manufacturer or the shop does not state are left out rather than estimated. A measurement or a tank volume that is not there is one we do not have.
What does it cost a year to maintain?
A worked example, not a specification: 2 cups a day (730 a year), the intervals from the maker's manual, with the water filter the maker recommends, and the lowest price in our catalog today.
- Cleaning tablets
- Not stated
- The machine says when. Bosch gives no interval.
- Descaler
- Not stated
- The machine says when. Bosch gives no interval.
We cannot price anything for this machine: what the maker requires is not in our catalog, or the maker gives no interval.
How often you descale depends on your water hardness. Where the maker gives no interval for it, we leave it out rather than estimate it.
Beans, counted separately
6.57 kilos a year at 9 grams a cup: €108.34 with the cheapest kilo in our catalog, €445.45 with the dearest.
Frequently asked about the Serie 4 HomeCafé
- Is the Serie 4 HomeCafé a bean-to-cup or a portafilter machine?
- The Serie 4 HomeCafé is a portafilter machine.
- Does the Serie 4 HomeCafé have a built-in grinder?
- Yes, the Serie 4 HomeCafé grinds beans itself. You can also use pre-ground coffee if you prefer.
- How does the Serie 4 HomeCafé froth milk?
- The Serie 4 HomeCafé froths milk: with a steam wand you control yourself.
- How wide is the Serie 4 HomeCafé?
- The Serie 4 HomeCafé is 33.8 cm wide. Check the height too if it has to sit under a wall cupboard.
- How much water does the Serie 4 HomeCafé hold?
- The Serie 4 HomeCafé's water tank holds 2.8 litres.
- What is the Serie 4 HomeCafé's model number?
- The model number is PFE403B3. Compare on that rather than the name: makers sell near-identically named versions side by side, and the prices differ.
Drinks it makes
- Americano
- Cold brew
- Espresso
- Milk foam
- Warm milk
- Hot water
- Lungo
In the box
- Double-walled basket for 2 cups
- Double-walled basket for 1 cup
- Portafilter
- Dosing funnel
- Hand pump
- Milk jug
- Single-walled basket for 2 cups
- Single-walled basket for 1 cup
- Tamper
- Cleaning brush
- Cleaning disc
- Cleaning needle
As the manufacturer states it. What a shop ships may differ.
Accessories that fit this machine
Picked on what this machine does and does not do itself
Milk
EssentialMilk jug
A stainless jug of around 600 ml is the difference between milk that froths and milk that boils. The shape of the spout decides whether you can pour anything with it.
€12.95
Go to bol
Brewing
RecommendedKnock box
The puck has to go somewhere, and the bin clogs with wet coffee within a week. A box with a rubber bar is quieter than it sounds.
€21.95
Go to bol
Brewing
Can waitCoffee scale
Dosing by eye is why the same machine tastes better on one day than the next. A scale accurate to a tenth of a gram, with a timer, turns pulling espresso into something repeatable.
€44.95
Go to bolBeans for this machine
Every bean fits every machine. What differs is the order: on a bean-to-cup the 100% arabica beans come first, because dark-roasted blends carrying robusta give off more oil and that clogs a built-in grinder sooner.
Segafredo
Segafredo Intermezzo
€16.49per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€16.49 · 1 kg bag
A blend with robusta, made for the Italian bar. Full and bittersweet, and the kind of bean a bean-to-cup grinder gets through without complaint.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Segafredo
Segafredo Espresso Casa
€18.45per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€18.45 · 1 kg bag
Segafredo’s house blend, for anyone who also drinks their espresso with milk.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Crema e Aroma
€19.99per kilo
Keenly priced€19.99 · 1 kg bag
The classic Italian bar blend: arabica with a good deal of robusta, which is where the thick crema espresso is known for comes from. Robusta is a cheaper bean than arabica, and that usually shows in the price per kilo.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico
€23.99per kilo
Keenly priced€23.99 · 1 kg bag
All arabica as well, like the Oro. The middle path between the soft arabica blends and the firm bar blends.
- 100% arabica
- Blend
What differs
Often compared with
€459.00 in Black Truffle
Price verdict from 11 NovW 31.8 x H 40.4 cm · 2 l tank
With essential accessories€487.85
machine + descaler, milk jug
€329.00
Keenly pricedW 28.5 x H 40 cm · 1.7 l tank
With essential accessories€357.85
machine + descaler, milk jug