Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim (Ruled) Review

[Mongoosey]

REVIEW: Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim (Ruled)

OOTB

The Cafe (Ruled) notebook arrived safely in a very well packaged box.

The Cafe comes fitted tightly in a protective cardboard outer sleeve sealed in a plastic envelope.

Design

The Cafe is minimalistic in design. It works to not only keep the cost down, but also to enhance the writing experience:

• • The cover is blank and black,
  • there’s no inner folder,
  • no ribbon bookmark,
  • no elastic closure,
  • no page numbers,
  • no index,
  • and only lines on the pages and the specs hidden at the bottom of the inner cover in small type.

I personally love this because:

• • Firstly, the lack of index and page numbers, and especially the blank cover, gives a feeling of personalization unique to Nanami notebooks. I must emphasize that feeling as being a keen sense of “this is my notebook and I’ll make of it what I make of it”.
  • I prefer no ribbon bookmark because I use the Blotter Paper it comes with as one.
  • I prefer no elastic closure because they produce small bumps on the pages where they’re anchored.
  • I prefer no inner folders as they can prevent pages from lying flat.
  • Overall, I find it bears an elegant appearance.

The Paper

The Cafe comes with 52 gsm Tomoe River Paper and I have much to say about it:

• 52 gsm TRP provides the best writing experience of any paper I’ve tried.

​

• It provides a harmony of smoothness and tactile response that allows the pen to glide effortlessly without being slick.
• The pages are thin which keeps the notebook lightweight and slim while still containing 384 pages!
• As a result of being relatively thinner, the pages can crinkle more easily, but I honestly only had a minor crinkle of 1 page because I was careless and reckless.
• The thinness does mean that there is more show-through, but as someone who uses Heart of Darkness and Kiwa-Guro in my daily writers, I don’t mind and even stopped noticing quickly. And I think that’s largely because the paper characteristically absorbs ink relatively less resulting in a softened/milder show-through that is more from the paper being thin rather than ink penetrating towards the other side.
• As a result of this characteristic ink does have a slower dry time and a reduced water resistance, though my permanent inks are still permanent.
• I also do find the inkflow of my pens significantly improves on this paper.
• The lines themselves are not contiguous, but adjacent tiny blue dots that minimize intrusiveness while sill providing guidance.

• The paper is white, and it is beautiful with a soft hue, yet light enough to provide excellent legibility and optimize the characteristics and colors of my inks (Shading, hue, sheen).

The Writing Experience

The Cafe lies flat and I love that. It culminates with the beautiful paper to provide an optimal and inviting writing experience that feels like a welcoming page every time.

For journaling the notebook size of the B6 borders on feeling small, but I still found it large enough for such.

Where I think this B6 shines is in its easy mobility…

EDC/Durability

I find the Cafe essential for when I need a notebook I can easily carry with me anywhere I go, and shifting from an A5 to this B6 allowed me to do this optimally:

• I must emphasize that the Cafe is indeed slim and lightweight, especially for 384 pages!
• It survived my backpack, jacket pocket, and travel bag and held up superbly while still being sufficient in size to write thoroughly in.

(Competed/filled Cafe on Left, New Cafe on Right)

• I found the Cardboard Outer Sleeve great for carrying the notebook around and preventing damage to the pages.
• Though flexible, the cover is strong, protective, and suffered no bends. There was some superficial discoloration on the outer edges from the friction of sliding the notebook in n’ out of the outer cardboard sleeve (done on a daily basis), but it did not compromise the cover in anyway.
• It is a thread bound notebook that is all-in-all built robustly with no damage or loss to its structural integrity upon completion.

(Competed/filled Cafe on Left, New Cafe on Right --- Spine and Binding remained in excellent condition)

• This notebook is great for archival reference.

Conclusion:

At the value of $16 (as of now) the Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim (Ruled) is a remarkable notebook. I not only make sure I have back ups for myself, but this is the notebook I give as a gift, especially to someone who seems disposed to write.

Regardless of the price, this notebook exceeded my expectations for what I thought a perfect B6 notebook could be.

[senzen]

Nice review, thank you.

[migo984]

I enjoy my Cafe Note. I use it with the cheap plastic cover which protects the notebook perfectly, and which I can personalise with photos and inserts, without affecting the clean simplicity of the cover of the notebook itself, which I prefer to keep as is.

[Mongoosey]

Nice review, thank you.

 

Thank you : )

I enjoy my Cafe Note. I use it with the cheap plastic cover which protects the notebook perfectly, and which I can personalise with photos and inserts, without affecting the clean simplicity of the cover of the notebook itself, which I prefer to keep as is.

 

That's a creative means of personalization : ) I like it.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Mongoosey

[JakobS]

When the Cafe Note initially came out I was skeptical it would be useful for my use, but ended up trying one a year or so later, and have found it perfect for the poems I write. B6 paper has also become my favorite paper sizes, followed closely by A5. This is a great notebook, and easy to carry around if you want to change up your writing environment, or use it for mobile writing needs!

[Mongoosey]

When the Cafe Note initially came out I was skeptical it would be useful for my use, but ended up trying one a year or so later, and have found it perfect for the poems I write. B6 paper has also become my favorite paper sizes, followed closely by A5. This is a great notebook, and easy to carry around if you want to change up your writing environment, or use it for mobile writing needs!

 

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

I find just having a notebook around by my side is necessary for creative writing.

 

"Where it hits you is where it's gonna be" and I find the more I have an avenue for that spontaneity the more freely it flows.

 

And the balance of portability and available space of the B6 IME/IMO provides that avenue well, and with a "welcoming page" for such endeavors especially with how flat it lies preventing lost space of the pages.

 

I loved my time in the city when I could go for a walk, leave my bags behind, and have the Cafe in my jacket pocket without weighing me down. I'd go the park, or the balcony of the library, or find a seat along the way and sit down, meditate/cogitate, and let the words that concocted themselves along the way drip or flow out onto the page.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Mongoosey

[inkstainedruth]

That many pages? Wow! I'm going to have to look into these, I think. But I have a question about what the line spacing is: are these considered "college rule" (9/32" or 7.1 mm), or are the lines spaced further apart?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mongoosey]

That many pages? Wow! I'm going to have to look into these, I think. But I have a question about what the line spacing is: are these considered "college rule" (9/32" or 7.1 mm), or are the lines spaced further apart?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Aaah, I failed to mention that:

 

7mm. College rule basically.

[Mongoosey]

If only method man had a Cafe

 

[inkstainedruth]

Well, you've sold me. I've got one of the lined pages B6 journals on order. Not super cheap, even with the regular USPS shipping but, well 384 pages of Tomoe River?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JakobS]

Nanami has a neat notebook comparison between the amount of square inches of writing area per dollar compared to many popular notebooks, the Cafe Note comes out higher than most other notebooks, even a size or two bigger...

 

http://www.nanamipaper.com/pages/notebook-value-calculator.html

 

So you can feel a little better about the price.....

Edited February 26, 2019 by JakobS

[inkstainedruth]

I certainly hope so, especially since I saw some Chinese-made journal at the local Tuesday Morning for six bucks.... I was half tempted to buy it as well, but I couldn't find anyplace that said how many pages there were. Plus, I couldn't tell how good the paper was. And there was this sort of ghosting floral designs on the pages -- I supposed they'd be okay if you liked that sort of thing.

But of course I had just finished ordering the Cafe Note about an hour and a half before....

Does Nanami make any notebooks that have blank (i.e., unlined) pages?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mongoosey]

I certainly hope so, especially since I saw some Chinese-made journal at the local Tuesday Morning for six bucks.... I was half tempted to buy it as well, but I couldn't find anyplace that said how many pages there were. Plus, I couldn't tell how good the paper was. And there was this sort of ghosting floral designs on the pages -- I supposed they'd be okay if you liked that sort of thing.

But of course I had just finished ordering the Cafe Note about an hour and a half before....

Does Nanami make any notebooks that have blank (i.e., unlined) pages?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

You won't regret it : )

 

The A5 Standard is Nanami's Blank, unlined notebook.

 

They don't have a blank unlined version of the Cafe nor any size smaller.

 

I think it'd be fair to post the link to my review of the STANDARD here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/344101-nanami-seven-seas-standard-a5-notebook-review/

 

Another Beautiful Notebook!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Mongoosey

[inkstainedruth]

Hmmm. A5m also would be a good size. Maybe a little better for drawing. I'll see how I like the B6. I don't need the slightly larger one for the moment -- I've got a stack of Miquelrius 300 page flexible cover jobs for journaling. But I do really like Tomoe River paper.... And the Seven Seas one is just crazy big.

Unfortunately, I *also* have to get some major repairs done on one of the cars, and am still waiting to get the fridge fixed (the guy ordered what turned out to be the wrong part ) and am still getting surveys from Angie's List about how things went (not well -- the one out of supposedly three listings we were supposed to be given hasn't cleared out his voicemail messages for some amount of time; and I keep telling that to Angie's List, and all they do is send me another survey going "How'd we do?" and clearly haven't read my previous responses....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[katerchen]

No affiliation, but Innovative Journaling (they used to be Renaissance something-or-other) introduced Nanami specific covers:

 

http://innovativejournaling.com/nanami-journal-covers/

 

use the code NANAMI during checkout for %15 off.

 

(I'm in for one A5 cover)

 

-k

[inkstainedruth]

Those covers look nice -- but I'm not paying more for a cover than I did for the journal.... I'll buy a piece of leather and sew my own first.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mongoosey]

Here's a good video review on the Cafe B6 by JournalJoy, who does great reviews on notebooks:

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by Mongoosey

[Karmachanic]

Those covers look nice -- but I'm not paying more for a cover than I did for the journal.... I'll buy a piece of leather and sew my own first.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

But a quality leather cover will last a couple of lifetimes, and deveoples beautiful patina with age.

[inkstainedruth]

True. But, like I said before, I'd make my own. I know people who do leatherwork that I can ask for advice, and places I can buy the leather from. And once, years and years ago, I took a bookbinding workshop.

Sadly, I think the area Tandy Leather is long gone -- I used to know the guy who was one of the managers, and he and another guy did a leather working workshop years ago that my husband and I went to. (That's where I learned little weird stuff like how it's tanned affects whether you can stamp-tool it: if it's vegetable tanned, you can; but if it's chrome tanned any stamping will just not take -- to the point where you can WATCH it undo itself.... )

Huh. Just checked. The local Tandy location has moved, but in theory (at least according to their website) is still open. Only about an hour away, in the next county. Well maybe, anyway -- their FB page was updated 3 hours ago....

Will it be a great work of art if I make my own? No. But neither was the basket I made in a workshop a number of years ago (in fact the basket is pretty poorly constructed, and I have to be careful what I put in it, and the legs -- it was a "wool drying basket" -- keep falling out). But I made it and am inordinately proud of the fact that I made it.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[DrDebG]

No affiliation, but Innovative Journaling (they used to be Renaissance something-or-other) introduced Nanami specific covers:

 

http://innovativejournaling.com/nanami-journal-covers/

 

use the code NANAMI during checkout for %15 off.

 

(I'm in for one A5 cover)

 

-k

 

 

OMG! Arthur is back! Years ago I bought several small journals from him when he as Renaissance. He is an interesting guy. But his products worked out fairly well.