Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Montblanc Toffee Brown Ink

Yup..."Foffee." It is now a thing. Having only two cartridges of this ink, I should have swapped them between more pens, but I did find that Montblanc Toffee Brown to be a very reliable ink. Really, reliable is the best description for it. Or maybe, I will just stick with "foffee..."

Edit 10/2/13: Re-scanned and added another pen.




This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of TeaFrog's Love Rooibos

A Review of TeaFrog's Love Rooibos

The name makes me curious. Why would a tea be called Love? Aside from being TeaFrog's most popular rooibos blend (imply that people love it), I couldn't figure out the reason for the name. So, taking this initial assumption in hand, I had high hopes for this tea. Opening the package, I placed my nose at the opening and was assailed by a myriad of aromas, not the least of which smelled like the Fig Newton cookies I enjoyed as a child. It was different, yet delicious smelling.

The boiling of the water teases me as the scent of the dry rooibos wafts from the open teapot to my nose. Clock-watching begins as the time ticks toward zero...and toward tea time! Three teaspoons, two cups of water, and six minutes later I was ready to enjoy this aromatic treat. The package says to steep for 5-6 minutes, and I chose the upper end as I like my rooibos strong.

And strong it was! Wow, this tea brewed up a dark red, almost muddy complexioned. The ingredients are well balanced, as I can definitely smell the red rooibos in amongst all the other ingredients. It has almost a spicy aroma to it now. Taking my first (big) sip, the subtly fruity liquor, with a tinge of spice (possibly from the orange peel), flows quickly and easily over the tongue. The flavour is well balanced between the rooibos and the additions. This tea definitely leaves one eagerly wanting to take the next sip. While it seems to have a light mouthfeel, the tea leaves a strong aftertaste of the non-rooibos ingredients. It really is quite a delicious blend and seems to be a tea that one would enjoy on a cold day, as the other ingredients combine with the rooibos to create a brew that warms the body and mind. Sadly, more descriptive words fail me as I'm lost in the tasty flavour of this tea. I give it 75/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

TeaFrog's Love Rooibos can be purchased from the TeaFrog website, here.
Photo credit to TeaFrog.com.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Broad-edge Calligraphy

Not long ago, I discovered broad-edge lettering. This fabulous-looking calligraphy style has been around for a long, long time, and I wanted to share my first attempt at my own broad-edge hand, done last weekend.

Next step: work on uniformity of the letters.

If you are interested in resources for learning this fabulous calligraphy, I urge you to check out this great webpage from IAMPETH.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Platinum Blue-black Ink

I am really uncertain as to how I began two entirely separate review sheets for this ink, but, here you have it, two separate review pages of Platinum Blue-black ink! As hinted in the review, it is less teal than Diamine Blue-black. The comparison to a midnight blue came from remembering how Noodler's Midnight Blue looked, when it was thinly applied to the page. On the sheet, where I refer to "...they are both blue-blacks...", I believe it is the Diamine and the Platinum about which I am talking.

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of TeaFrog's Tiramisu Rooibos

A Review of TeaFrog's Tiramisu Rooibos

Pre-steeping, my nose revels in the wonderful and delicious smells coming from the dry leaves. This tiramisu smells delicious, and it is strong enough that I can hardly detect the scent of the red rooibos underneath it.

After steeping, the aroma of rooibos has been brought to a more prominent place, but the tiramisu is not letting go of its grasp on the scent and the senses. The liquor has steeped a deep red colour, yet remains bright and clear. Eagerly, I lift the cup to my lips in anticipation...

Creamy! This tea has a very thick mouthfeel that actually starts out being a bit thin, but when the sweetness of the tea finally hits, it thickens considerably. The rooibos has come through beautifully, though it almost seems to have too much rooibos flavour (as compared to the tiramisu). The tiramisu does put forth a good showing, however. It boldly jumps out at the drinker, and lasts a while, settling in a delicious aftertaste. With each sip, I'm left wanting to take another sip and another...

I really enjoyed this tea, which is probably an understatement, considering how fast I went through the first cup. I gladly give this tea an 85 out of 100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

Time to go have another cup!

TeaFrog's Tiramisu can be purchased from the TeaFrog website, here.
Photo credit to TeaFrog.com.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Montblanc Lavender Purple In Close-Up

In showing the richness of Montblanc's Lavender Purple ink to a friend, I captured this photo and really liked the lighting and the angle. Thus, I thought I would share it with all of you!

Enjoy!

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Diamine Amaranth Ink

After acquiring a sample of this ink to try and testing out the color with a dip pen, I determined that, while I like the color well enough, it is not something that I could see myself using every day for writing. When I put it in a pen, I shall re-post the review with more thoughts. For now, enjoy the pretty shading! (Updated on May 19, 2013.)

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.