Jacques Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre: Ink Review
Hi inky friends! Madigan here, reviewing the newest Jacques Herbin 1670 ink, Caroube de Chypre. Like most of the fountain pen world, I fell in love with last year's Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor, so I was excited to see what their newest shimmering ink would be like. I'm a huge fan of these fountain pen inks that add a little something extra.
I don't know what it is about brown inks, but they are so unexpectedly pretty. I avoided brown in the crayon box like it was a monster as a child, but as an adult, brown fountain pen inks hold a special allure. Usually, they have a bit of shading and, while they stand out against the paper, the contrast isn't as stark as with black or dark blue ink. Jacques Herbin Caroube de Chypre was no exception to the brown ink rule! It's a deep, rich brown, with lovely shading. The gold glimmer and green sheen make it an exceptionally stunning ink. Read on to discover more!
Ink Review
Smear Test (Dry Time):
- Medium– When writing, it was dry in a little over 20 seconds. That's pretty good! If you want to see more of that sweet shimmer, I suggest laying it on thickly which will extend your dry time, so keep that in mind. If you are using a fine or extra-fine nib though, it should be fine to use for quick notes or journal writing.
Drip Test (Water Resistance):
- Medium– I thought this one would just dissipate, but I was pleasantly surprised! While it wouldn't be good for rain storm or shower writing (that goes for any fountain pen ink, really), if you spilled a little water on it, it might still be legible. You can certainly still see the lines with the drip test.
Saturation:
- High– With the swab test, you can see virtually no difference between the first and third swab. That being said, you will see a lot more gold glitter the more ink you put down. You might even see that pretty green sheen!
Ease of Cleaning:
- Difficult– From experience, I can tell you that cleaning the feed of a fountain pen filled with shimmering ink can be difficult. You'll want to take special care with this one. I recommend removing the nib and feed, cleaning between the two and taking a tooth brush to the fins. Certain fountain pens are especially finicky with these types of inks- I've heard from a few customers that TWSBI pens in particular are not fans. That being said, it worked great in the LAMY and the Ahab I had it inked up in.
Shading:
- Medium– I'm being conservative here with this rating, since it really depends on the paper you are using. On Rhodia, it is more of a medium, but on Tomoé River, you can really see the stunning shading. It's spectacular!
Flow:
- Medium– It has good flow, without being overly juicy. Emerald of Chivor can be a bit wet, but this one was pretty standard, in a good way! You can use it in day to day writing without being worried about smearing.
Packaging and Aesthetics:
- Gorgeous box with writing that matches the ink.
- Beautiful square bottle with a wax seal to match!
- The bottle has a small round opening, which could make it difficult to fill a fountain pen once you get to the very bottom
Summary:
This is a truly exceptional ink! I put the "inks similar in color" section above, but I feel like it is misleading. There is nothing else like this on the fountain pen market at this time. While there are plenty of brown inks, and plenty of shimmering inks, there are no other brown shimmering inks. In addition to its uniqueness, it is really pleasant to write with. This particular shade of brown looks especially stunning on cream paper. I can see it being great for journal writing or correspondence.
