De Atramentis Frankincense: Ink Review

 De Atramentis Frankincense ink is a dark gray ink that is good for all occasions. Want to know more? Read on!

Supplies Used:

• LAMY AL-star with medium steel nib (also EF and B nib)
• Rhodia No. 16 dotpad, 80g white paper
• Tomoé River white paper
• Moleskine notebook

Smear Test (Dry Time):

• Medium– This ink was completely dry in 30 seconds. No smudging, no movement, no nothing! 

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

• Medium/High– While this ink isn't classified as "water resistant" it sure is good at resisting water! It barely smeared at all when we applied water. Pretty impressive and again, really unexpected.

Saturation:

• Medium– There was a difference between the first and second swab, but the second and third looked the same.

Ease of Cleaning:

• Easy-Disappeared quickly from the nibs and feed upon cleaning it.

Shading:

• Medium– A lovely amount of gentle shading! It went from a light grey to a darker shade, even with a medium nib. Impressive!

Flow:

• Medium– It flowed well from the pen, not too heavy but not too light. A solid medium.

Unique Characteristics

• Scent– This ink has a spicy evergreen scent. You can smell it out of the bottle but I couldn't really smell it at all while writing with it.

Packaging and Aesthetics:

• 35ml glass bottle with 2ml ink samples also available.
• Utilitarian bottle that is stand alone. No box included.
• Wide necked bottle makes it easy to fill your pen!

Summary:

This is a really great ink, and it's a mellow shade of dark gray. The flow was great and the smell an added bonus. It'd be great to use on letters or for journaling.

You can find De Atramentis Frankincense in a 35ml bottle or a 2ml ink sample.