I recently reviewed four inks from Monteverde’s updated ink lineup: Moonstone, Chaorite, Mandarin Orange, and Napa Burgundy. Without exception, all four performed well, and all have seen a lot of use in my pen and ink rotation since then. I immediately put in a request to Pen Chalet to try a few more: Olivine, Topaz, Red Velvet, Fireopal, and Caribbean Blue.
From the top: Monteverde Caribbean Blue, Fireopal, Red Velvet, Olivine, and Topaz.
So what’s the verdict on these? With one exception, I found these to be good inks, but of this batch, Fireopal and Topaz are probably the only colors that will make a regular appearance in the future. A few specific thoughts on each:
Olivine. I don’t usually like to start with the bad, but let’s get this out of the way because of these five inks, Olivine was the one that disappointed. I love dark green inks, and normally greens are relatively low-maintenance inks that perform well in any pen. While Olivine is a great color, this ink crusted on the nib and clogged pens to a degree that I’ve never experienced before. I found it essentially unusable, and would recommend Callifolio Olivastre or Sailor Epinard or Tokiwa Matsu as alternatives.
Topaz. Another ink from the “Gemstone” collection. Monteverde Topaz is a bright yellow-orange similar to Sailor Apricot. This ink wrote well, though I probably prefer Monteverde Mandarin Orange as the darker, and therefore more legible, orange ink. Topaz does shade some and would look great in a broader nib.
Red Velvet. No performance issues with this ink, but I’m just not a Red-Brown type of guy. I found the color to be a bit “muddy,” and with so many ink options available Red Velvet isn’t something I feel that I'll use going forward.
Fireopal. A nice bright orange-red that grows on you. No performance issues. As I mentioned above, it's a pretty color, and I'll probably hang onto this bottle.
Caribbean Blue. Like Red Velvet, this one didn’t have any performance issues, but I found this ink to be too washed-out for my taste. It won’t replace Montblanc UNICEF Blue or Lamy Turquoise / Pacific Blue anytime soon.
Takeaways and Where To Buy
In my opinion, Monteverde inks tend to be one of the best price/value propositions on the market. Monteverde offers a wide range of colors - I just checked and it’s now up to 43 (!!!) - and the ink comes in both 30ml ($8) and 90ml ($13.50) bottles. If you really like a color, that 90ml bottle is an exceptional deal.
Many thanks to Pen Chalet for sending these bottles over for review. Pen Chalet carries the full range of Monteverde inks, as well as a wide selection of Monteverde pens.
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