Several months ago, some friends went in together on a group order for some Bung Box inks. By the time they finally arrived, I was up to my eye bals in things I needed to review so I pushed the Bung Box inks to the back of the pile. My friend was adamant I try the Bung Box 88 Green Tea ink ASAP. So I relented and moved it to the top of the pile this week and am i ever glad I did. Part of my hesitation might have been because I keep hoping I’ll find the perfect lime green ink and I’ve yet to find “the one” yet. So I didn’t want to have another pricey disappointment.
This particular ink came in the taller facted bottle which I really like. Initially I was not fond of the sort of low budget hand-drawn sticker labels but I find them sort of charming now. They are sort of quaint.
It turns out I didn’t have so much to worry about. The Bung Box 88 Green Tea is a wonderfully usable “old money” green. I did, however, have some challenges photographing it. It looks a tad more yellowy in the photos than it actually appears in real life. Its as if the ink did not want me to capture its true spirit, like someone giving an awkward half smile when you try to take their picture.
I tested it with a Franklin-Christoph Fine Italic nib on Rhodia paper as well as a watercolor paintbrush and it gave lovely shading and dried in a reasonable amount of time. It wrote a bit greener than it dried, drying to a slightly browner hue but was quite legible and easy to read which is an issue I’ve had with green inks. If the color is a lovely lime, its often too light and transparent to be easily read at normal writing sizes or too dark and then becomes more of an evergreen or green black and no longer lime colored.
I pulled out swatches of other green ink contenders. Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin is definitely a more vibrant lime color but can be difficult to read in fine nibbed pens as it is very translucent. The darker yellow brown in the Bung Box 88 makes it a better option for daily use, I think. Daniel De Foe and Diamine Safari are quite similar in color but are both from special edition runs and a touch more green than the yellowy green of the Bung Box 88 Green Tea. The last two inks I included are easier to acquire, regular edition inks but are definitely not as complex in color but are still good options if you’re looking for a different kind of green.
Like all Bung Box inks, #88 Green Tea is a custom created Sailor ink so it has all the fabulous properties Sailor puts into its inks. Its smooth flowing and writes beautifully. If you have the opportunity to invest in a bottle of Bung Box ink, I think its worth adding a bottle to your collection. No, they are not cheap. It’s definitely a luxury item. Depending on how you purchase your bottle, the cost per bottle ranges between $30-$40 per bottle but the colors are unique and well-made and definitely something you’ll enjoy using.
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