Sailor x Tinterías Cilantro and Refried Beans - Round 3 of Inky Goodness

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

After my reviews of the first two Sailor x Tinterías inks and the second set, I couldn’t wait to get the third batch of the Deliciosa inks. I practically pounced on Jeffrey Coleman at the Chicago show to snag a set. (Jeffrey produces Tinterías, a Spanish podcast about pens, ink and stationery. You can find him on Instagram as @drcoleman1102 and also through the podcast account @tinteriaspodcast.)

This third batch of inks continues the Deliciosa theme of food-based ink names - Cilantro and Refried Beans. Just a reminder that, despite their yummy sounding names, the inks aren’t meant for eating/drinking :-). These two inks were launched in September 2023 and come in 50ml square glass bottles like the Sailor Manyo series.

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is from Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista is shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

Cilantro is a medium spring green, not too bright or yellow, but also not a kelly green either - more like a grassy green. Refried Beans is a little harder to describe - it’s a medium light brownish orange, or maybe it’s an orangey brown. Search for images of refried beans, especially ones that are more orange in tone, and you’ll have an idea of what inspired this ink color.

Writing sample of Cilantro on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. You get a bit more shading from the Vista compared to the Go, which leaves a slightly more saturated line. Note that I had two “swipes” for the Go’s 30 second test because I accidentally let the timer go too far the first time, oops.

I was surprised at (1) how much yellow was present and (2) how “bunched up” the remaining pink, green and turquoise colors were. Thinking that maybe the colors would separate out more if I gave it more room, I repeated the test on a 4” strip of chromatography paper with the same results (so no picture.)

Inks similar to Sailor Cilantro: Robert Oster Forest Green (a bit too yellow/olive), Ferris Wheel Press Moonlit Jade (similar color in writing sample, but also has shimmer), Akkerman Dutch Masters 10 Van Huysum’s Sapgroen (too bright and too yellow), and Robert Oster Green Lime (a bit too “regular green.”)

Writing sample of Refried Beans on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. As with Cilantro, there is more shading from the Vista than the Go. Note that I had two “swipes” for the Go’s 45 second test because I accidentally swiped 15 seconds too early, oops, I did it again 🙂.

What was really neat to see is the bit of chromashading effect of Refried Beans from the Vista which is difficult to capture in photos.

Even though the swatches make the ink look slightly brownish, it’s actually a pink undertone that makes this different from many orange inks. I was also surprised to see the hint of green and turquoise at the very top.

Inks similar to Sailor Refried Beans: Robert Oster Brisbane (too yellow), Robert Oster Antelope Canyon (good color match but a bit darker), Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt (a touch too red), Robert Oster Campfire (similar to Antelope Canyon but a touch too brown.)

Both inks had average flow, although Refried Beans felt a wee bit drier than Cilantro. What was even more surprising was that Refried Beans took longer to dry, even though it felt drier when writing. I was surprised at how quickly Cilantro had dried, even in the TWSBI Go, since it is a darker ink. I think that Sailor Cilantro would work well in most pens and nib sizes, while Refried Beans might not be as readable in very fine or dry nibs. The Medium nib from the Lamy Vista is probably about as fine as I would go, unless I was using a gusher of a pen like a Pelikan, which is what I will probably use next time. Also, the Refried Beans ink really needs paper like Tomoe River or Cosmo Air Light to show off the subtle chromashading.

The Deliciosa line of inks on 68 gsm TR.

These inks, as well as the last two, are currently still available for purchase on the Tinterías website. They sell for $30 each (shipping is not included). I don’t know if there will be more inks coming up but if they are, I’m going to get my inky lil hands on them!

(Disclaimer: Inks were purchased directly from Jeffrey Coleman at the 2024 Chicago Pen Show at regular price. All other inks and notebooks are my own.)

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Pairings Party: Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia

What kind of party features a coffee-themed pen and Brown ink? My kind of party! The pairing of the Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen with Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia has been my most used writing combo over the last month, and has taken the clubhouse lead early into September.

The Retro 51 Coffee House is a Goldpsot exclusive, which they kindly sent me earlier this Summer to try out. The black-based pen features chalkboard-style graphics you can find at a coffeehouse - beans, mugs, presses, cups, steam - the works. It’s a cool design for coffee lovers like myself, and I especially like the all-black hardware.

That includes the nib, which is coated black to match the rest of the pen. Retro 51 switched over to Jowo nibs years ago, and this #6 Fine nib writes nicely. The black coating may add the slightest bit of line width compared to a standard uncoated steel nib, or it could be a placebo effect. There are so many variables to take into account beside nib width - ink properties and paper, for starters. Regardless, this one writes smoothly, and the ink flows well.

This pen also fits my hand well. The underlying barrel is stainless steel, but it’s not heavy. There is some weight to it, but it is well-balanced throughout the tapered barrel. The metal section has a slight concave toward the nib for a solid gripping surface. The cap is threaded, taking two turns to remove or replace, and the clip provides a strong attachment.

In choosing an ink, there was no chance I was inking this pen up with anything but Brown. This shade has been edging towards the top of my usage list for the past year, after years of avoiding it. Antique Sepia was recommended to me by a friend after bemoaning the limited nature of Sailor Tea Time Series Fika Coffee Ink, one of my favorites.

This ink is a rich, dark brown that could easily pass a “normal” ink in a business setting. Some lines lean black, and some of the thinner areas of shading bring in the brown. Let’s keep it on theme here and call it a nice Medium Roast. There is a hint of green sheen with the right amount of ink on the right type of paper, but I rarely see it from my standard writing on Bank paper, PLOTTER paper, or Kokuyo paper - all of which I’ve used this combination with heavily.

The Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen is $119 from Goldspot, and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia is $30 at Vanness Pens. The Retro 51 is at a premium from their standard offerings, primarily due to the store exclusive/limited edition nature of the pen, plus the awesome artwork and finishes. Standard Retro 51 fountain pens start around $65 if you are looking to try out a great pen, but don’t need a full caffeine fix. $30 for 50 ml of Kobe (ie. Sailor,) ink is fine by me. Yes, it is still expensive/ml but at least the multiplier is 50, instead of the smaller bottles Sailor loves so much.

I drink coffee every day, often many times a day, so this pen and ink combo has been a blast to use. I just had to make sure I had the real thing flowing through my veins before attempting to write with the pen and ink version.

(Goldspot provided this pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided the ink at a discount, to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Sugar Turtle Studio - Four Ink Reviews

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I may have twisted the Bossman’s arm when I said we HAD to get these Diamine exclusive inks from Tom Forsythe of Sugar Turtle Studio. These inks came out in two releases in 2023 and 2024 - the first two inks were Turtle Belly and Wet Turtle and the second two were Cold Blooded and Warm Heart. Given that Tom just released a new set of inks, I knew I had to swatch and review the first four before I could even think about getting the new ones!

The first four bottles of Diamine x Sugar Turtle Studio inks - Turtle Belly, Wet Turtle, Cold Blooded and Warm Heart. They are currently only available in 30 ml bottles.

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is from Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista is shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

Tom’s Etsy page for Turtle Belly describes it as a deep orange with a hint of red, and depending the on the wetness of your pen/nib, it might appear more orange or darker red. It is a fairly quick drying ink, especially in the Vista.

Writing sample of Turtle Belly on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. You get more shading from the Vista compared to the Go, which leaves a more saturated line.

Chromatography of Turtle Belly shows the dominantly reddish orange tones separating at the end to yellow and brown at the edges.

Inks similar to Diamine Turtle Belly: Not really a surprise that Diamine 150th Blood Orange and Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange (also made by Diamine) would be similar. Monteverde’s Jungle Giraffe is a touch darker, KWZ Flame Red is a touch lighter and Diamine Ancient Copper has a bit more brown.

Swatches of Diamine Wet Turtle.

Diamine Wet Turtle is a green-leaning darker teal and is the only one of the four that is sold out.

Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. As expected with the drier Vista, the ink is almost a medium-light mint green, while the Go’s wet nib and feed makes it a nice green teal.

Chromatography of Wet Turtle shows some yellow followed by a turquoise blue. It’s always fascinating to see the different colors which are often not obvious in the final product.

Inks similar to Diamine Wet Turtle: Hard to tell from the photo, but Montegrappa Green is pretty close in color. Diamine Holly from the 2019 Inkvent is just a touch darker, while Pelikan 4001 Dunkelgrun (or Dark Green) is a bit lighter in swatches and despite the name, a touch bluer. Robert Oster Peppermint was a bit darker and greener too.

Swatches of Diamine Cold Blooded.

Diamine Cold Blooded is a bright blue with a hint of purple and some red sheen on wetter swatches/writing samples. This ink is almost an ultramarine or blurple in color.

Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. The ink is almost “school blue” with moderate shading in the Vista but a much darker, more saturated line from the Go.

Zooming in on the writing sample, you can see the light red, almost copper sheen on the edges of the letters.

Chromatography of Cold Blooded is predominantly blue but you can see hints of purple in the mix.

Inks similar to Diamine Cold Blooded: Not a big surprise that two of the similar inks are also made by Diamine - Thunderbolt from Inkvent 2021 and Festive Cheer from Inkvent 2019. Taccia Ao Blue is also very similar. These inks all have a hint of red sheen, but it’s the bit of purple to them that distinguishes them from many of the other blue-with-red-sheen inks.

Diamine Warm Heart is a light, slightly dusty pink in drier pens and a darker vibrant pink that’s almost fuchsia, but not quite.

Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. It is surprising how different the ink is in a dry vs wet writer! Bright cotton candy pink in a dry pen and darker hot pink in a wetter one.

Zooming in on the writing sample, you can see the pretty dramatic difference between the two writers. I didn’t see any sheen despite the description on the Etsy page.

Chromatography of Warm Heart starts out with bright pink and faint yellow before separating into purple/magenta.

Inks similar to Diamine Warm Heart: Pelikan Edelstein 2019 Ink of the Year, Star Ruby aws the closest match. It is not quite as electric as GvFC’s Electric Pink or Kyo-no-oto’s Imayou-iro. Iroshizuku’s Tsutsuji is also similar and has more sheen. Akkerman’s #20 Pulchri Pink is a touch too red.

Diamine x Sugar Turtle Studio inks can be found on Tom’s Etsy shop for $8 for a 30 ml bottle and Wet Turtle the only one that isn’t available any longer. The upcoming Slowpoke series will be making their way to his Etsy shop as well.

(Disclaimer: All 4 bottles of ink were purchased at last year’s DC and this year’s Baltimore pen shows.)

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