De Atramentis Cucumber (scented) - June 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star Silver Green (F)
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: medium
Flow: medium
Dry Time: 13 seconds

When I inked up the first ink in this month's Ink Drop, I was surprised by the color. I had imagined a color called "Cucumber" by De Atramentis would either be a lot darker like the skin of a cucumber, or lighter like the inside. I was actually quite pleased - this shade of green has always been one of my favorites.

De Atramentis Cucumber is another in the brand's scented line of inks. I was actually a bit disappointed by the cucumber scent, though. It really doesn't resemble cucumber at all to me. Unlike, Hyacinth from last month's Drop, the scent doesn't really resemble its name at all - at least to me. I had my boyfriend smell it too and he seemed to agree with me.

The ink is lighter on the saturation side, which produces a pretty substantial amount of shading. It flows pretty well, though a little on the dryer side, but there's no feathering, ghosting or bleedthrough on Rhodia. Dry time was a bit on the high side for a fine nib at right around 13 seconds.

Chromotography was...anti-climactic, but interesting nonetheless. It's literally green, with a touch of greyish undertone. It shows really well on the page - and incidentally couples my two favorite colors!

I've not come across an ink that compares exactly to this ink, but in swab form it is somewhere between Noodler's Bad Green Gator and Private Reserve's Avacado. It's much lighter than both of these on paper, though.

This ink may be my favorite of this month's Ink Drop by Goulet Pens. Stay tuned for the other 4 reviews this week! If you're interested in a bottle for yourself, and aren't dead-set on having an ink that smells like real life cucumbers, then you can grab a 35mL bottle for $12.95.

Thanks for reading!
Lori