Inkophile had a great post today about a letter from J. Herbin’s general manager regarding a few inks that had accumulated SITB (slime in the bottle).  While the ratio of inks with SITB was very small compared to the number of inks sold, J. Herbin did extensive research to remedy the problem.  I also learned that they made the materials in their inks more eco-friendly, which means they are better for the planet, your health and the health of the people mixing the inks.  Click here to read General Manager Thierry Cappe’s letter on the FPN, posted by Karen Doherty, V.P. of Exaclair, Inc.

If you are a regular reader to La Plume Etoile, you know that I love J. Herbin inks.  This letter and quality at the company makes me love using their inks even more.  In fact, yesterday I got J. Herbin’s Rouge Bourgogne on my favorite white shirt.  Acting fast, I was able to wash it out quickly and you’d never know it was there.  This has happened to me several times and it is so reassuring to know it will wash out, in addition to it being safe for my pens.

La Plume Etoile + J. Herbin = Love.

Happy Valentines Day!

The Color: A lovely grey that is more blue-tinged than yellow-tinged.

Consistency/On Paper: Fairly wet and consistent, with no feathering and EXCELLENT shading.

Overall: A reliable ink with an elegant look.  I was originally unsure of using a grey ink, thinking it may look too washed out.  However, it shows up nicely and has become part of my regular rotation.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Color: A beautiful cranberry red.

On Paper: Consistent with some very nice subtle shading.

Consistency: Saturated and performs well.

Overall: Another favorite from J. Herbin.  This is my most-used red ink that almost exactly matches my one of my pens in cranberry red celluloid.  It is beautiful, elegant and I love it.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Color: This color confuses me.  It is almost exactly the same as J. Herbin’s Larmes de Cassis.  It has more of a cranberry tinge to it, but my written samples of the colors are almost indistinguishable from each other.  I can’t figure it out!

Consistency/On Paper: Fairly wet and consistent, although can sometimes run a little thin.  This “thinness” does lead to some excellent shading.

Overall: A very pretty color and a reliable ink.  This is another exquisite color that I don’t use enough.  More pens, anyone?  The photos below show Rouge Opera as written with a J. Herbin glass dip pen as well as an XF nib.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Color: A very pretty purple, wine color.

On Paper: Wet, saturated and consistent.

Consistency: As previously stated, Larmes de Cassis is saturated and consistent.  It flows well.

Overall: A great ink in a pretty, unique color.  I really don’t use this one as often as I would like, as I tend to stick with certain inks in certain pens.  I guess this means I need a new pen!  The photos below show the ink as written with a J. Herbin glass dip pen and with an XF nib.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Color: A bright, standard blue with purple undertones.  It is quite similar to the color of the ink in many blue ballpoint pens. 

On Paper/Consistency: Very wet, saturated and consistent.  This ink flows very well and is always reliable.  I have never had a problem with it.

Overall: As a personal preference, it is not the type of blue I would normally buy.  However, I had bought a vintage pen on eBay and when I cleaned the pen, Eclat de Saphir almost exactly matched the dried ink in the pen.  The pen was from the 1950s, but I do not know the last time it had been inked.  In any case, I decided to stick with that color in the pen as a homage to its past usage.  Like I said, this ink is very reliable and it is a regular in my rotation.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Color: It is definitely red, but there are orange-toned reds and blue-toned reds and this red definitely skews on the orange side.  

Consistency: Mostly, very dry in flow and watery in saturation.  However, the color was quite vivid at more saturated moments.

Overall: Le sigh.  I love (LOVE!) J. Herbin inks, but I just do not like this one. While I normally prefer blue-toned reds to orange-toned reds, I could still like this color if not for the flow and saturation problems.  This ink is just too dry and doesn’t flow well.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

I am terribly behind in reviews and I apologize.  I will try to post more regularly, as I have a lot of reviews waiting to be posted.

The Color: BLACK.  It’s fantastic.  A black ink should be very black and a black-black rather than a bluish or greenish-black.  Perle Noir (“Black Pearl”) is exactly that.  If I had to say this black had a tinge of another color, it would be a purple or eggplant. 

On Paper: Wet, black and consistent.

Consistency: Very saturated, yet safe and gentle for pens — like all other J. Herbin inks.

Overall: Another favorite from J. Herbin.  This is THE black ink in my rotation.  Not only is it the perfect black color, but it is also safe for my vintage pens.  J. Herbin always flows well and I don’t have to worry about “gunk” building up in the pen or the nib.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

I love pink.  What can I say?

The Color: Rose Tendresse is a perfect, feminine, light bubblegum pink.  It’s soft and girly, just as pink should be. 

On Paper: Somewhat wet, with lovely subtle shading.

Consistency: Saturated, yet gentle, like all other Herbin inks.  I first tried Rose Tendresse in a Reform 1745 and it was VERY dry.  I now have it loaded in my pink Esterbrook (!) and have used it with a 2314-M nib and a modified 1555 Gregg nib.  Rose Tendresse flows extremely well from both of these nibs, which makes me think the Reform might have been the problem instead of the ink in my first trial.

Other Considerations: Rose Tendresse translates to rose tenderness.  Just another reflection of this ink’s soft and feminine qualities.

Overall: Another favorite from J. Herbin.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.

The Quo Vadis blog had another green and orange ink giveaway for St. Patrick’s Day.  This giveaway is a bit special because I was sent J. Herbin’s Vert Olive at last year’s giveaway, which was my first review on La Plume Etoile.  Karen sent me Vert Pre to try this year.

The Color: Vert Pre is a bright and cheerful green that instantly evokes images of spring and summer.  It is similar to Vert Olive, but brighter and more casual.  Vert Olive has more of a yellow tone and has a more formal feel.

On Paper: The swatch below was done with an Esterbrook 2442 nib in a dipless set. Its flow quality is in the middle of the wet/dry spectrum.  Vert Pre’s shading really impressed me and I was able to get noticeable shading on different types of paper.

Consistency: Saturated, yet gentle, like all other Herbin inks.

Other Considerations: Not much to report here – the ink performed wonderfully when I tested it and is consistent with the quality of other J. Herbin inks.  I have read complains from other reviewers that Vert Pre has poor flow; but I have not loaded it myself yet to make that determination.  I need more pens to fill!

Overall: Another great ink from my favorite ink brand.

Purchasing and Pricing: A 30mL bottle runs between $7-10 depending on the retailer and is available at most online retailers catering to fountain pen and ink users.