I have been using Kaweco Caramel Brown ink almost all year long in my journal and planners. I have refilled the same pen with this deep chocolatey brown repeatedly. The bottle is actually starting to run dry so I wanted to poke around my collection to see if I can find the back-up option.
Since I whittled down my collection last year, I have four potential candidates to be the next option when I use up the Caramel Brown: Monteverde MP1 Collection Mocha Mousse (coming in August?), Colorverse Earth Edition Joy in the Ordinary Coffee Break, Robert Oster Caffe Crema and KWZ It Smells Like Coffee.
The other inks in my stash are slightly different in hue but they are all good options when my current bottle runs out or if I want to swap out my “signature” brown.
I would say of the inks in my current the new Monteverde Mocha Mousse (I was given a bottle at the DC Pen Show but its not available for sale yet. I think it will be released with the MP1 Mocha Mousse pen which is due to drop sometime in August). Next up would be the Coffee Break ink from Colorverse. Its a little lighter in color but is a warm brown and would feel a little woodsy, a little vintage and a little cozy. Robert Oster Caffe Crema is a favorite ink of mine. Its a yellow-y brown hue with some sheen (sometimes, a little bluish rim will appear on the edges of letterforms on certain papers with certain nibs) and shading.
My last option would be the KWZ It Smells Like Coffee. I feel like I should eventually learn my lesson that I do not like scented inks. Yes, it does smell like coffee but an hour later, it still smells like coffee and I keep thinking I have coffee on my fingers or spilled on me and I start looking around. Now my notebook will forever smell like coffee and I won’t be able to shake the odor. Sigh… The color is a bit darker brown than Caramel Brown with a slight cool undertone.
So, I think I’ll probably refill my pen with Mocha Mousse or Coffee Break next time it needs a refill.
Do you have a favorite brown ink? Let me know in the comments!