Noodler's Gruene Cactus
Pen: Lamy AL-Star 1.1mm stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: high
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 20 seconds

Noodler's Gruene Cactus was one of the first bottles of ink that I bought when I rekindled my love of fountain pens. Prior to that, I used a Pilot G2 0.7mm in green. In my hunt for fountain pen inks, I'd decided that I wanted an ink that looked very similar to the G2 green that I loved so much. Noodler's Gruene Cactus is the closest to that color as I've found so far.

Gruene Cactus is a very nice neutral green in Noodler's line. It is a great shader, despite the fact that it's got quite a bit of saturation. Inks with the best of both these traits are some of the best in my opinion. The ink flows very well, but the dry time suffers a bit at 20 seconds with my stub nib. Noodlers also makes an "eel" version of this ink which is meant to lubricate pens with a piston mechanism - though a lot of people also use them because they provide a nice smooth writing experience.

This ink doesn't compare well to any other shade I have in my collection, but I've heard that Private Reserve Spearmint matches up pretty well.

If you're a fan of the Pilot G2 green, or a nice neutral green, then I'd highly recommend Gruene Cactus. You can pick up a 3oz bottle for $12.50.

Thanks for reading!
Lori