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MONTBLANC JE T'AIME LOVE LETTER INK
Deep Red, Rose-Scented
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Sample written with a Morrison flex-nib pen, on Clairefontaine 5x5 grid paper. As usual, appologies for the bad photo quality, I just don't have the time or the setup here to do it better.

Colour:
This ink is a deep, dramatic, moody red, like the colour of classic long-stemmed red roses. It is not quite the same as MB Bordeax (it is brighter than the Bordeaux), and it is definitely different from the standard (discontinued) MB Red. It is somewhat similar to Noodler's Swishmix Burgundy. I will try to post a comparison with these other inks at some point.

Shading:
Especially considering that I was using a vintage flex-nib pen, I'd say shading is minimal. Not totally flat, but minimal.

Feathering:
None what so ever on Clairefontaine and Rhodia (see the close-up image). Minor to moderate on thinner, cheaper paper when using the flex nib, but not when using an XF nib.

Saturation
Fairly high, especially for Montrblanc. This is probably the most saturated MB ink I've tried.



Flow:
No problems with flow in the several pens I've tried, including vintage; very well behaved. The ink not as dry as other MB inks. I would rate is as average in flow, but if anything more on the wet side.

Fading:
I did not do an intentional fading test, but I accidentally left a note written with this ink by a sunlit window, only to find it a week later. The colour was not much altered.

Rinseability, Staining, Other Issues:
Despite being a red ink, fairly saturated, and scented, there do not appear to be staining or clogging problems. Rinses easily. I have not tried to leave this ink inside a pen for an extended period of time however (2 weeks+).

Remarkable Features:
This ink is scented to smell like roses. The scent is quite strong while you write and while the ink is drying on the paper. It remains as a vague scent on the paper for a couple of days or so, depending on temperature and humidity conditions. To my surprise, the rose scent is fairly realistic, and not synthetically nauseating as I had expected it to be. Still, it does begin to drive me mad when I write with the pen for too long, mostly because it confuses my senses and makes me wish I could see the nice roses.

Availability:
I have never tried to find this ink in the US, but in Vienna it is plentifully available in both bottle and cartridge form, in nearly any stationary shop that sells MB ink. I think this ink is supposed to be an LE, but it does not seem to be all that rare.

Conclusion:
The colour is quite dramatic and most definitely suggests love, which gives the ink both a dark, elegant beauty and great kitsch appeal. If you write with it in public, the rose scent will definitely be noticed, so be aware. This is the perfect "Love-Letter Ink" if you're in the market for one!

QM2

I am pasting this reply that was placed in a different thread:








Hi Solitaire,

It does not matter to me whether I am right or not, I just like to know facts. Whether the two inks are the same is not a matter of opinion; this is information that can be verified. So, I am genuinely interested to know, where you have seen it stated that Montblanc Je t'aime and Herbin Opera are the same ink. If it's true and you can show me "evidence", I will gladly accept it, and will be grateful to you for teaching me something new. But if it is a speculation, then stating it on a forum like this as "fact" is not a good idea.

Same with Poussiere de Lune and MB Season's Greetings: Especially given that one is purple and the other is brown, I would be interested to know why you think they are the same ink.

I mean this in the friendliest way possible, but if you say things like this you must be able to back them up : )

QM2

You are entirely right.
Ink opinons are suspect and like me you are very interested in them, and sceptical of them.

During the time I have been writing about ink I have found the makers (or make that the names on the labels) to be excessively secretive about the constituents, and about the suppliers of their brands. As you know there are far fewer ink makers than there are ink label names.

Just as more and more pen makers have turned over their nib making to large nib making factories, so ink is coming from fewer and larger concerns. (Fortunately for us all, there are many tiny experimental back-room ink labs coming on line all the time. At present this seems to be esp the case in Germany

The way to get a definitive answer to whether MB uses Herbin ink for its scented lines, is to approach them both. I sincerely hope you have better luck than I have had in getting a response.

Please let me know if you establish more firmly the truth - one way or the other
With friendly good wishes
Solitaire

Thanks for the great review QM2

To further complicate things, MB released two love letter inks. The first one that most people are familiar with was released in 2005 and labelled "Je t'aime", which was made in France for MB. It may have been made by Herbin. It's a dark ruby red colour and has a strong rose scent. The second one, released this year and labelled "Love You", made in Germany. This one has a bit brighter colour and less saturation, and has a lighter and sweeter scent.

I don't have the Herbin Opera to compare them to, but I have the Herbin Les Subtles Rose scented ink. To me, all three inks are different in colour and scent. Although I may be wrong.

Mine says "Je t'aime", and below that, "love letter ink", so it must be the older French one.

I am certainly aware that there are more ink brands than there are manufacturers. But it is difficult for me to believe that MB Love letter was made by Herbin, simply because it has none of the typical Herbin properties. It is a very dark, saturated, wettish and opaque ink with almost zero shading. I would find it easier to accept that it was made by Private Reserve or even Noodlers than Herbin. So if it really is made by Herbin, than it is an intriguing deviation from their standard process.

What I am wondering though, is where Solitaire got the information or rumor in the first place. Did you hear it from a friend? Read it on a forum? Did a shop owner tell you? I tried to research it online, but found no mention of a connexion.


Thanks,
QM2

These are pictures

2005
Click to view attachment

2008
Click to view attachment

There is a rumor out there that the 2005 ink was made by Herbin for MB. I first heard (or rather, read) about it on this forum. I thought it made sense at the time, since I knew that Herbin had a red rose-scented ink which I hadn't tried. But after I got the Herbin ink, I had my doubts about the truthfulness of that piece of information.

Right, I definitely have the top, 2005 one. Interestingly, I have never seen the 2008 one in stores, but the 2005 is plentiful here. I've tried out the Herbin rose-scented in the store but did not get it, because like most Herbin reds it was too pink.

That's interesting. I had a very hard time 2 years ago finding the 2005 ink in bottles. The 2008 ink I came across by chance in a MB boutique in another country when I was travelling.

Have you tried the Season's Greeting inks, and the Sakura ink?

The Season's Greetings ink is also readily available here; dime a dozen.
But I have never seen the Sakura ink.

Where about do you live? Any of your local stores have a web site where I could place an order?
The Season's Greeting inks are nice, but I think the 2006 one feathers on a lot of papers.
The Sakura ink was released by MB for the Japanese market only. It's a pink coloured ink with cherry blossom scent.

I generally live in the USA, but currently in Austria (that is where I see these inks). But I believe the inks can be ordered directly from the MB website.

Ordering from MB is for North America only, as far as I know. Even so, they only have the new one, although they have the picture of the old one on their web site.

Thanks for the review.

Please do post a website here if you can find one for sale online. Ordering from the website is for USA and Canada only.

Great review! Thanks! But I'm surprised that it's readily available in Europe, I havent had much luck in finding this ink in Southern California.

I've been using this ink now for a couple of months and liking it very much for footnotes to my longer passages. Helps them stand out from the usual blue. Scent is okay, but not important to me.

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