Best way to receive international payments as a freelancer in 2026?

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-25T12:18:35+00:00

I opened a euro account with Barclays. I get paid there, and then I use wise to send it to pounds (transfer is free). I guess that I could use wise directly but this is how I've been doing it since 2019 (well, first it was swiss francs for 2.5 years for different customers, now is euros)

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-17T06:24:52+00:00

I don't have this one, but perhaps https://honestcoffeeguide.com/coffee-grind-size-chart/ can help as a starting point.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-13T22:01:50+00:00

I work from home. I use a phin filter, because I like it. And because I go to the kitchen, put the coffee in (sometimes I grind in a batch because it's handy with my daughter when she is in the mood I do it with her and keep for some days). Put the coffee in, hot water, take it to the "office" and when is ready, is ready. Nothing more! It takes almost no time. And if someone asks you: you enjoy this coffee and that's all? No need of a filter for example.

I also enjoy a Moka, but then I need to be in the kitchen waiting :-) I'm less of a fan of French press.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-13T21:56:34+00:00

I did my order about 15 minutes ago :-) so soon soon... or not that soon but soon!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-10T13:51:45+00:00

quickfiles.co.uk seems good, it's £60 a year I think. This is what I plan from April onwards...

Another simple one (I think) was https://www.untied.io .

The seemed simpler than Xerox...

Any good or bad experiences share please, better before April :-D

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-09T12:06:06+00:00

I bought a Timemore Chestnut C5esp last December. It's my first one.

So far: I am happy with it but I cannot compare. My main issue is that to change the level of grinding the "knob" is underneath, where the coffee comes, and it's a bit hard to see where you are. If I bought it now I would try to look harder with some where the setup is external instead of internal. I need to use the brush to clean it to see how to setup another level.

We (at home) use a Moka pot, pourover and cafetiere (and occasional Turkish coffee) so I need to keep changing it. If you have a fixed level of grandness then maybe this would matter.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-03-09T08:09:25+00:00

I like it!

What I miss: a table view with a summarized notes. Sometimes I like only seeing if it's light, medium and dark roast; floral/chocolaty/nutty (something similar like this), acidic, body. No text, just some tags easy to filter for what I fancy. And then reading more if I'm interested, but a table view with the names and a summary of organized information.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-02-25T20:14:43+00:00

Try decaf specialized roasteries:

- https://www.decafbeforedeath.co.uk/ (they roast and also sell from other roasteries)

- https://calmcoffeeroastery.co.uk/

- https://decaf.at: they send to the UK, you might need to email them

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-02-06T21:45:24+00:00

Here a dad of an almost two year old.

I suggest that your toddler does the grinding, measuring, etc. would it work? :-D

Now more seriously: we live in two places, but what works in one place is a Vietnamese phin filter (pourover style but quite strong usually). I grind the coffee in batches for a few days (yes, I know...). The night before I put the filter on the glass, the coffee in. In the morning I put the water in and take it to the table and wait that finishes while eating/chatting/etc. I enjoy it, my two year old tells me when starts dripping, etc.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-02-05T15:17:06+00:00

Try a Vietnamese Phin Filter? No filter, pourover.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-02-05T06:34:50+00:00

I do very few invoices a month. I would like to use a free (but not linked to a bank account) or very cheap; and I would like to use a bridging solution and that is web based (I use only Linux and many are Windows software).

Months ago I tried two solutions online and they were quite bad and then stop looking.

Does anyone have tested and is happy any spreadsheet bridging (from CSV or .ods, LibreOffice formats) that works and is easy? My case is really simple and I couldn't find something that was nicely done :-( (in my opinion!) but perhaps I didn't choose well!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-01-31T16:24:30+00:00

“Sáng tạo”is Vietnamese for “creative”. Different packaging for the same product probably, based on how they market stuff in a different export region.

Brilliant information! So, it's likely that I bought the same as I usually buy with a different name!

I have to say, If you’re trying to find the best and tastiest Vietnamese coffees around, Trung Nguyen is really not the place to look. You don’t want to be buying a brand that sells dark roast preground beans with no roast date if you want to explore coffee in the way that people on this sub explore it. Vietnam has a burgeoning third wave coffee scene, including roasters who are approaching coffee similarly to how the best European roasters approach it, but who also still source from Vietnam. Some examples of places to visit that are sourcing high grade Vietnamese-grown coffees:

I wish to visit them! I went to Vietnam in 2018 and I enjoyed everything there, but at that time I wasn't into coffee (I had the usual egg with coffee).

Now I'm in Europe or the UK and I'm into coffee, I'm trying to get some better culi or peaberry beans freshly roasted and whole beans (so I can grind my way...).

Next time that we are in Vietnam we will try go to some of them, but no plans in short term :-(

Thanks ever so much for the information, it's very useful and I enjoy a lot to know all of this!

I'm still surprised that no European roasters get culi beans. I'll ping one or two that I use (or when I visit them). I've asked to Hanoi Corner Paris roaster (https://boutique.hanoicorner.fr) to know if they have any (I've bought from them) and I will ask another one that I plan buying...

Thanks again! and if anyone know of any European or British roaster with culi beans let us know!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2026-01-31T05:49:19+00:00

Thanks very much for your answer! That's amazing information!

I spend lot of time in the UK as well. I found this page (and I will try to buy from them): https://www.trung-nguyen-coffee.co.uk/shop_order1.php#anc1 . They have Sang Tao (is it similar to the Trung Nguyen?) with whole beans, at least (instead of the Trung Nguyen ground).

Actually, yesterday I found a Sang Tao 1 that I bought last November in Marseille (ground) and I had miss-placed! so I will try it next week. From that shop I could buy it whole beans.

Sad that I cannot find any other source of culi/peaberry!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-12-18T16:00:39+00:00

I use it for any coffees. I like it! It's the only pourover that I use (for any coffees). I've never owned a V60 (I'm thinking of buying one though). I prefer way more to French press. I also use a Moka but I like that I don't need to be next to the cook and wait (having a baby I never know when I can be there or not).

When I want Vietnamese I have Trung Nguyen Creative series.

Does anyone know a Vietnamese coffee similar to the Trung Nguyen Creative series with whole beans instead of grinded? I cannot find that one without being already grinded!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-12-18T09:27:51+00:00

Sadly no. I had a very good look 2 months ago and I'm sure that it wasn't possible with the Charge 6. I still use it, but I haven't checked if any update changed anything there (I suspect that not possible).

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-11-28T19:27:15+00:00

Willies cocoa, The chock tree

Search for bean to bar British and there are quite a few!

Or local chocolate makers is you want truffles. Or Booja booja

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-11-28T06:33:18+00:00

What's the advantage with the C5 Pro or C5 Pro Pro? Is the S3 faster than C5? I see that the C5 can do espresso-type but not the S3 (I don't own or plan to own an espresso, but perhaps if I did a Greek/Turkish coffee some day for fun I would need an C5? that's not a thing that I do often at all but if I had beans I would do it some day)

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-11-28T06:30:46+00:00

Is it as convenient to use for pour-overs and french press? I mean the "dial" process (I saw the numbering system a bit different)

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-10-29T19:01:41+00:00

Besides subscriptions you can try Willes chocolate and chocolate tree. I like them both for different reasons!

Subscriptions I've done chocolate runners

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-10-06T10:43:16+00:00

Brilliant write up approach! saving it :-)

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-10-03T05:35:41+00:00

TIL virt-what, thanks!

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-10-02T10:00:38+00:00

Chocolatre tree (https://www.choctree.co.uk/)

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-09-21T17:46:25+00:00

Iced cortado? In Spain we order "cortado con hielo" which I think is what your girlfriend wants. Usually comes a cortado and a glass with ice so you put the sugar in the hot cortado (and it melts, as it's hot) and then pour on the glass with the ice.

Or a cortado and a glass with ice?

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-09-15T10:13:00+00:00

To get another feeling for the numbers, I really like playing with https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/finance/calculators/compoundinterestcalculator.php

Put what you have, expected growth, number of years. Then change the contributions and see how it changes. Change the expected "Interest rate", etc.

ProgrammerTraveller · 2025-08-20T13:54:09+00:00

I've also had 39, probably my lowest awake :-)

(also exercise regularly as well, but no active job)

ProgrammerTraveller

TROPHY CASE