De Atramentis Hyacinth (scented) - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 30 seconds w/1.1 stub; about 15 for a F

Once again, De Atramentis has wowed me with another one of their inks. This time, it is 'Hyacinth,' which is from their line of scented fountain pen inks. It was included in the May 2015 Goulet Ink Drop, which was themed "Wake Up and Smell the Roses." An apt theme for this pollen-filled time of year.

Hyacinth is an amazingly bright and brilliant royal blue, that smells as if you've been walking through a flower shop filled with fresh flowers of the same name. The color is such a brilliant blue, that I believe it would be a very suitable replacement for the ever-controversial Noodler's Baystate Blue. The scent is very noticeable when writing and makes for a really pleasant experience. Unfortunately, once the ink has been on the paper for a short while, the scent slowly fades; so it's meant mainly for the enjoyment of the writer and not the recipient of the letter.

The ink behaves quite well, as I've seen with most all of the De Atramentis inks I've used thus far. This royal blue really pops off the page at you and even gives a bit of a red halo with heavier writing pens. It doesn't have a ton of shading, but there is some. Saturation is nice and high, which I really like, and the ink flows wet. Dry time with my Lamy 1.1 stub was fairly high at 30 seconds, though not terrible for a stub. For a regular F nib, it's about 15 seconds.

In comparison to other blue inks I have used (which are few currently), the closest in color is Lamy blue. Keep in mind though, that this ink is worlds over more saturated and bright than Lamy blue, but the shade is fairly close.

This ink has inspired me to try more of the De Atramentis scented inks - if you have any suggestions please hit me up via Twitter, the comments below or the contact form. I honestly just don't use a lot of blue inks, but if I were to use a blue that wasn't a blue-black, it would be something like Hyacinth. The ink just pops out at you which is nice to see, and De Atramentis' standard line of inks are very easily maintained. If you're interested in a bottle for yourself you can pick it up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.95.

Thanks for reading!
Lori