DeAtramentis Hyacinth

This ink came to me a long time ago (May's Ink Drop), and I wrote the review a while back. I just didn't post it. Sometimes that sort of thing happens. I liked this ink pretty well. I think I might have refilled my Wing Sung 101 three times with this ink, and that's more than usual. I just kept writing with that pen and running out of ink before I could write a review of it.



Unique Properties:
Hyacinth is one of the DA inks that is scented. Some of them are really weak, some very strong (Sandalwood...so strong...), and some of them are pretty much in the middle. Hyacinth is in that good middle zone for me. I'm not unusually sensitive to scents, but this one doesn't bother me at all. It's a light flowery scent that doesn't stick around very long once the words on on the page. It doesn't surround you the way some of the other scented inks do, but you can smell it if you're close to your nib.

Color:
The color is somewhere between blue and purple. I can't firmly place it in either camp, but I must think it's a blue since I kept writing with it when I generally dislike purple. Either way, it's a good color that shades just a very little bit. You're unlikely to notice this shading unless you're using a broad nib or a really good paper (like my Rhodia). This pen was a really fine nib, so the shading might not even really be particularly visible on the Rhodia in the pics.

Behavior:
The ink is feels smooth on the nib, and it is just a touch wet. It has the flow that I prefer in an ink, but it did tend to show some spots though the page on average copy papers. It didn't feather, but there was some spread. That's fine from a fine nib like my 101's, but it would probably be a nightmare from my Kaweco's broad nib.

Dry Time: 
~5 seconds on Rhodia. That's pretty fast, but don't worry about your nib drying up if you leave it uncapped. Mine didn't dry out even after several minutes.

Water Resistance: 
Minimal, but a little does stick around. You'd be able to read your writing, I suspect, but it's not going to be great at resisting water. Don't put it to the test if you don't have to.

Overall:
I quite liked the ink, but I can't say it's a favorite. I have a lot of blues, and this isn't one that I reach for. I know I like it, but I sort of forget about it in a way that I don't with some other blues that I have. Give it a shot. Grab a sample first, though, since the DA inks are pretty expensive at $15 for 35ml.