12 Days of Inkmas: KWZ Warsaw Dreaming

Am I really on the eleventh day of Inkmas already? Today, I guess I’m still in Poland with KWZ and I’m Warsaw Dreaming ($15 for 60ml bottle). It seems oddly appropriate to review the darkest ink on day after the darkest night of the year.

Warsaw Dreaming is a dark, dark, dark blue black. It’s almost a violet blue black. It’s listed as a black ink but there is a visible sheen of blue-violet tone. It’s not sheen-y like some of the Oster inks but its not as blackout black or flat black as other inks.

(My apologies for how messy this writing sample is… I did it at 6am in the morning. And it took two tries to get it THIS legible! I even had to tape two pieces together and its still a train wreck. It’s not a reflection of the ink. I’m a tragedy.) The ink is a solid option for a black that’s not black-black. This KWZ ink is thicker in consistency than others. I didn’t notice the signature scent as much as other KWZ inks.

Compared to other off-blacks and Waterman Intense Black (for a control sample), Kyo-no-oto No. 1 is more bluish, Bookbinder’s Snake Ink Red Belly Black is cooler and more greenish (IMHO, maybe?) and Sailor Chu-Shu is clearly more purplish.

Black inks are something we all need to have around but its not always the most exciting thing we have to buy. While Kyo-no-oto No. 1 is a popular option, its pretty pricey. Warsaw Dreaming is a great alternative for a black that’s not as run-of-the-mill but still might add a little variety to your day-to-day writing. It’s still water soluble so it won’t cause too many issues in clean-up and it’s half the price of Kyo-no-oto.

TOOLS

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
Pens: Empire vintage traveling dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Esterbrook #2442 nib in a Shawn Newton custom nib holder
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Cards
Brush: Blick Studio #0 Round Synthetic Brush
Ink: KWZ Warsaw Dreaming (60ml bottle for $15)