Last but not least, I will review Green Tea from my mini haul of Studio360’s Supermarket line. Mind you, it is not the same as the ONLINE scented ink of the same name that I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. I previously reviewed Bubble Gum (pink), Oyster (grey/black) and Soda (blue-black) from the same line. Let’s get started on the last ink.
Shading: 1/5
Sheen:0/5
Shimmer: 0/5
Saturation: 4/5
Wetness: 2.5/5
Lubrication: 3/5
Green Tea is dark forest green that is almost black. Very different from ONLINE Green Tea, which goes to show how the names of fountain pen inks are an unreliable way of predicting the colour. It lacks sheen and shimmer. I would say that the ink does shade but it is only noticeable in natural light since it is very close to black. The ink is darker in broad nibs and shows more of its green hue in fine nibs. As I wrote on the Rhodia test page, perhaps green-black should be the new blue-black. I kind of love the murky green colour, which was a pleasant surprise. The more I look at it the more I like it. This subtle greenish-black is appealing and easy to read. Almost like a secret to only the most discerning readers. I will definitely ink up pen to use this colour when my current ones run out and I wonder if any penpals will notice the shade.
While the ink is on the dry side like the others in the same line, it is fairly well lubricated, even comfortable to write in with an EF nib. This is in stark contrast to the previous Studio360 inks which were horribly dry and scratchy to write with no matter the nib width (Bubble Gum made my glassy smooth TWSBI broad feel like Rhodia was kraft paper). But Green Tea is nice to write with, if a bit drier than Lamy.
I love the colour and am glad that it flows decently well. But – and there’s always a downside to this line of inks – it feathers like the rest of them and is not water-resistant. The fact that it flows the best also results in heavy feathering when using broad nibs. Thankfully, it won’t be a problem for me since it looks and feels great in EF and F. I am glad that I can end this series of ink reviews on a positive note.
This brings the reviews of all the Studio360 inks to a close. I doubt they were tested by fountain pen users. The brand offered a wide range of colours but I am believe in quality over quantity and that was not offered by the Studio360 Supermarket Inks. A comment on FPN noted that the inks seemed to perform like food colouring (dry and feathery). It would not put it past the brand to have used a similar dye in their products to jump onto the fountain pen bandwagon without fully understanding the necessary qualities of fountain pen ink. I was initially excited to try the products and their Artists Inks, but that will not be happening. To end on a positive note, not all is lost as I have discovered more about my own ink colour preferences and got to try new things on this journey. On to exploring more stationery!
Disclaimer: I bought this ink with my own money and do not receive any compensation for writing this review.
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