The New Monteverde Inks

January 20, 2017

Monteverde have been selling their own bottled ink for a few years now, but it seems they're really making a push now to expand their catalog and become a major ink purveyor. Just looking at Goulet and Anderson Pens, I can see listed. . .

Amethyst
Black Ash
Blue/Black
Brown Sugar
California Teal
Canyon Rust
Capri Blue
Caribbean Blue
Charoite
Document Permanent Black
Document Permanent Blue
Emerald Green
Erinite
Fireopal
Garnet
Horizon Blue
Malibu Blue
Mandarin Orange
Midnight Black
Monteverde Green
Moonstone
Napa Burgundy
Olivine
Purple Mist
Purple Reign
Red Velvet
Rose Pink
Ruby
Sapphire
Scotch Brown
Topaz
Valentine Red
Yosemite Green

That's a serious lineup! It looks like some basic colors have been replaced. "Black" was replaced by Ash Black and Midnight Black. "Pink" became Rose Pink. "Burgundy" became Napa Burgundy. Blue/Black is still Blue/Black, but the swatch looks much different from the early bottle that I tried, much darker and more saturated.

And then there are the document inks. Also, I see they are starting to offer 30ml bottles in addition to the familiar 90ml ones.

All of these inks have ITF (Ink Treatment Formula), an additive that Monteverde claim to improve ink flow. The claims for ITF have continued to add up, and it's now alleged to prevent ink from drying out in your pen, improve drying time, lubricate, and protect the pen from corrosion and clogging! You can color me skeptical.

However... I did recently get a fresh bottle of Monteverde Black (just plain Black) to test, and it is well-behaved in every way. Maybe the ITF subtly contributed to that, I dunno? The only negative I could find was the lack of any permanence or water resistance whatsoever, which is something I always felt black ink ought to have at least a wee bit of. I guess the Document Black will fill that purpose now.

Monteverde is a brand that I think is too often overlooked. They've grown their fountain pen empire year by year. Their products sometimes haven't been the best, but they've never been too proud to go back and revise and improve them.

January 20, 2017

I'm very interested to see how these new inks express themselves on paper. Hopefully folks will start trying them out.

January 20, 2017

I was one of the first few to post about the new line. Sadly, local retailers do not seem interested in bringing them over

January 20, 2017

I tried their Blue-Black of their old line and was not impressed. Seemed much like an ashy blue-gray than a blue black. The new colors look interesting.

Their pens are nice though, at least the two Primas I have. Every ink shades beautifully with the nibs on these oens, even inks that I have been unable to get to shade using any other nib. But that is OT.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Tinjapan

January 20, 2017

I'm very interested to see how these new inks express themselves on paper. Hopefully folks will start trying them out.

Writing sample of the 9 colours I have:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/317671-monteverde-ink-reviews/?p=3770229

January 20, 2017

Great! Some of those look worth trying out.

January 20, 2017

Writing sample of the 9 colours I have:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/317671-monteverde-ink-reviews/?p=3770229

Interesting. From the scan it's hard for me to see the difference between Red Velvet and Canyon Rust. Also, Malibu seems like a watered-down Horizon Blue.

I guess Horizon Blue is Monteverde's shot at the contemporary vibrant/shocking blue category that so many love. Would probably be the next color that I try.

January 20, 2017

Hello all,

I've tried three of them: Brown Sugar, which is a deep, rich root beer brown that feels lubricated enough under the nib and once it gets going, the flow is decent... but I've had start-up and occasional skipping issues with it in three different pens. It's a beautiful color, but problematic... for me.

The Malibu Blue performs well, but the color leaves me cold... it hits like a common, middle-range blue, without the pop of a true cobalt blue.

The other one is the Permanent Document Blue, which is almost a classic blue-black; it has excellent flow and decent lubrication. It is also waterproof, but not completely... some of the color does float up and give you that "cloud effect" on the paper, but enough stays put where you still have clear, legible text remaining... I like it and use it for envelopes.

- Anthony

PS: Pen Chalet seems to carry the full range; that's where I bought mine.

Edited January 21, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

January 21, 2017

Interesting. From the scan it's hard for me to see the difference between Red Velvet and Canyon Rust. Also, Malibu seems like a watered-down Horizon Blue.

I guess Horizon Blue is Monteverde's shot at the contemporary vibrant/shocking blue category that so many love. Would probably be the next color that I try.

You are very right about the red/browns.I actually contacted the seller about Canyon Rust & Red Velvet. They are so similar that I could barely tell the difference.

However Malibu isn't like Horizon Blue st all. It is much more like Herbin Éclat du Saphir, with a distinct lilac tone. There is absolutely no lilac/purple in Horizon Blue. HB is a really vibrant blue, nicely saturated, but not quite what I'd call "shocking blue".

I am actually pleasantly surprised by nearly all these MVs. Some are quite generic colour-wise, but they all behave very well in use.

January 21, 2017

The new colors come in 30 ml bottles vs 90 ml on the old. New ones (on ebay) are $8 and $11 vs ~$12 for the old.

Ker-ching! No wonder MV wants to jump on the bandwagon.

January 21, 2017

I've tried two of these. I'm using the new Blue-Black at my office. It does appear to be darker (almost black) and more saturated than the older Blue-Black. I'm using it in a Waterman L'Etalon EF. Last night I inked up an OMAS Paragon (new style) with the Brown Sugar. The only disappointment is that there's no shading or sheen to either ink, but the colors are rich, and the behavior, which I guess can be attributed to the ITF, is excellent. I have small bottles of the Documental Blue and the Malibu Blue, but haven't tried them yet. I saw somewhere on FPN that Bert Oser says these new inks are made in Austria--one has to wonder if there is a connection with Montblanc.

At any rate, the price is reasonable, and you can try the smaller bottle or a sample before investing in the big bottle. I'm looking forward to trying these inks in broader-nibbed pens.