thINKthursday
Montblanc Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Take flight over the desert sunset with Montblanc’s Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

thINKthursday Montblanc Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Montblanc celebrates the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with a beautiful Writers Edition pen and limited edition ink – Encre du Desert. This ink is a gorgeous plumb Bordeaux and comes packaged in Montblanc’s new 50ml bottle. The bottle is square with ribbing on the four sides. The opening is big enough to fit any fountain pen for filling and the metal top is adorned with the iconic snowcap. The bottle is nestled in two cardboard boxes that make opening it an experience all its own. This review was done with a Sailor 1911 F, Montblanc Meisterstuck LeGrand M, and Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.

Montblanc limited edition inks have been hit or miss recently, but this one is a home run. The color is inspired by the hue of the desert at sunset, and while I can’t speak from firsthand experience, it seems appropriate. The color is a rich mulberry that is similar in both a fine and broad nib.  There is some shading from a lighter plum/Bordeaux to much darker raisin shades. This is an ink that can appear Bordeaux or purple depending on the paper and lighting conditions.

Encre du Desert behaved as beautifully as it looks. It has good flow, with no feathering or bleedthrough. It’s a highly saturated ink with higher dry times at 25-30 seconds. There is moderate shading and clean up is easy. While this isn’t waterproof, it was easy to read the writing ever after the water test.

Some of the limited edition Montblanc inks are similar to standard production colors, but Encre du Desert fills a unique spot in the Montblanc lineup. As you can see above, it has more purple than the Burgundy Red, and is darker and more violet than the discontinued Bordeaux. I’ve really been enjoying using this ink, it’s a unique color and the presentation and bottle is second to none.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks.

Ink it Up!
Chris

New to thINKthursday?  No problem – I explain the formatting of my reviews here.